This is a guest post from Jason Barr, who writes about personal development at Start Being Your Best. Jason is a potential Staff Writer for Get Rich Slowly. His first post described what he learned from failure. Jason is 32 years old, has been married for seven years, and has a 2-1/2 year old son. He’s now a financial analyst, but he spent five years in the army as a Chinese linguist.
What is the value of your college education? It seems as though it is almost impossible to find a job today without one, and even advanced degrees are becoming more and more commonplace. But is it really crucial for “success” (defined here in a financial sense; your definition of “success” may vary) that you even have a college diploma? There’s an argument to be made that it’s not.
The value of a college education
I’m currently saving funds for my son (who’s 2-1/2) to attend college. [...]

This is a guest post from A.J. Clark, a long-time lurker at Get Rich Slowly. A.J. is a potential Staff Writer for GRS. He is a recent college graduate who writes software in the financial services industry, while trying to find his financial footing in the Real World.
$76,133.53 — I owe this total to various lenders, who decided four years ago that trusting an eighteen year old with this sum of money was a good idea. However, the original amount of money I owed was much greater ($107,822.33) and even I am amazed with the amount of debt ($31,688.80) I have paid off during my time in college.
Following my heart
A little over four years ago, as I was preparing to graduate from high school, I was in the midst of making a life-altering decision. I needed to choose between attending a public school a few hours from my home in Florida, [...]

In March, I hosted a guest post from Mike Young about the ongoing battle with lifestyle inflation. Young runs The Secure Student, a program that teaches high school students how to manage their money.
At the time, I thought The Secure Student might be worth sharing during Financial Literacy Month, but I forgot about it until yesterday. This morning I spent some time reviewing the program. According to the website, The Secure Student is designed to help young adults create lasting positive habits with credit and money before they leave home:
Our program features interactive online classes with quizzes and games, an online community, and most importantly, our habit building exercises…These exercises are key to our program and immerse the kids in activities so that they retain the information and build the habits they need to succeed, making sure that kids actually learn the importance of credit and money through application.
The core curriculum seems to be built [...]

This is a guest post from Sharon Lechter, co-author of Rich Dad Poor Dad and a member of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy. She is the CEO of Pay Your Family First and founder of YOUTHpreneur.
Our current economic condition has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that we, as a nation and as individuals, need financial education. It’s an unfortunate truth that many students leave high school or college knowing the molecular weight of a carbon atom, but have no understanding of the difference between an asset and a liability. Which of these proves more useful in their day-to-day lives?
It’s a no-brainer.
An important message
As a member of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, it is my goal and the goal of the Council to see that every student receives some form of financial education. We came closer to that goal in March with the introduction of H.R. 1325 by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee. [...]

Financial Literacy Month begins today. What better way to kick things off than with a story from the trenches? This is a guest post from Chett Daniel, who writes about improving your life through personal fitness and personal finance at 5k5k.org.
Every day when I go to work, I have a chance to influence the lives of children. I left a well-paying corporate job nearly two years ago, taking a 50% cut in pay to return to teaching. It’s not always hugs and apples, but overall I am happy with my decision to return to the classroom.
Within the education system, most states have incorporated standards that are woven into curriculum, dictating what students are taught in public schools. These state standards and curriculum are then tied directly to standardized tests. There is some latitude within education, but increasingly education is revolving around high-stakes standardized testing.
I am concerned with the focus on raising scores for [...]

This is a guest post from Tim Clark, who writes about money and meaning at Soul Shelter, which just turned one year old!
An entrepreneur I met years ago recently sold his company for a large sum — he wound up with some $14 million after taxes.
I learned this when we crossed paths a couple of months ago and renewed our acquaintance. After hearing about my approach to teaching, he asked me to deliver a personal, one-on-one, remote version of the Introduction to Entrepreneurship course I teach in two local graduate business programs.
Why would someone worth $14 million enroll in a beginner’s entrepreneurship course? Though my new student’s entrepreneurial achievements outshine my own, I was only mildly surprised when he asked me to teach him. Here are just three reasons he might have asked for my help:

Entrepreneurs value education in all forms. Most successful entrepreneurs have some college experience, and even the most street-smart, [...]