PARKERSBURG - Financial educator Chad Foster spoke Wednesday with Parkersburg High School seniors as part of a statewide push for financial literacy among students.
Foster and state Treasurer John Perdue spoke at the school Wednesday afternoon, addressing about 450 seniors. The two spoke at Ripley High School that morning.
Foster said he has spoken with more than 10,000 West Virginia students and more than 900,000 students nationally about the importance of managing finances at an early age.
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Financial educator Chad Foster spoke Wednesday with Parkersburg High School seniors as part of a statewide push for financial literacy among students.
"Financial literacy starts now," he said. "If you wait too long, you'll make mistakes and you'll spend the rest of your life digging yourself out of those holes."
Perdue said he began the statewide NetWorth personal finance education program after his daughter accrued substantial credit card debt in her first year of college.
"We're trying to teach these kids not to fall into these kinds of traps, like credit cards," Perdue said. "We're trying to teach them not to fall into these pitfalls.
"Your money is your life, and how you manage your money is how you will manage your life."
Copies of Foster's book "Financial Literacy for Teens" were given to all of the students in attendance.
Principal Pam Goots said the school was thrilled to have Foster and Perdue speak to the students. Finance is part of the school system's curriculum, but Goots said she believes more needs to be done to teach students early on how to responsibly handle money.
