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Keep your money under control thanks to MoneyFit
It’s important for children and young people to learn how to manage their money. PostFinance champions this issue with the MoneyFit course.
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It’s late afternoon when the 23 Grade 9 pupils at Progymatte Secondary School in Thun pour into the classroom. They’re about to have a double lesson in money management. “It’s a topic that Grade 9 pupils are keen to know more about,” says teacher Marco Hitz. Around three quarters of the class will be starting an apprenticeship in the summer, and they will suddenly have a lot more money than they’re used to. “Some pupils find it difficult,” says the teacher. “I want to show them that they can start with a small budget and make a savings plan.”
The “Investing” module of the “MoneyFit Talent” digital teaching materials can be seen on the screen above the blackboard. Teacher Marco Hitz asks the class: “Who has made an investment before?” Hands start to go up hesitantly. It soon becomes clear that most of the students have already made some kind of investment. For example, buying a book to improve their knowledge. Or training hard to get better at football. But an investment in the financial sense is uncharted territory for most of the pupils.
The young people learn the differences between shares, bonds and funds, and discuss the importance and purpose of financial investments. Soon they’re calculating profit and loss, returns and risk. They hunch over their tablets, and the classroom goes quiet. The students learn the basic principles of investing: diversifying and investing in the long term.
Lukas Ali has been paying close attention and says: “I think it’s smart to invest at an early age.” With his father’s help, he has already bought shares. His savings goal is to buy a Nissan 350z when he’s 18. And he already knows exactly how he will reach his target: “I’ll put some of my apprenticeship salary aside every month,” he explains. In the summer, he will begin his apprenticeship in the gastronomy industry.
Joana Feller wants to become a teacher and study at a university of teacher education. She recently started receiving a youth salary of 300 francs per month, which covers the costs of her hobbies, clothes and gadgets.
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Thanks to MoneyFit, PostFinance is strengthening the financial skills of children and young people. “MoneyFit Junior” is aimed at middle-school pupils, “MoneyFit Talent” at secondary level I pupils, and “MoneyFit Professional” at pupils in further secondary education. Each level has digital and printed teaching materials, as well as an educational digital game with a competition. www.moneyfit.ch