Rent, car, education, etc. - JA event promotes money management

Junior Achievement of Mahoning Valley Inc., Williamson College of Business Administration, and the Associated School Employees Credit Union holds the 11th annual financial life skills conference, “Financial Starting Points,” for area high school students Tuesday, Feb. 19, in Youngstown State University’s Kilcawley Center.

More than 400 area high school students and 23 educators will receive education and hands-on experience in managing credit, investing in the future and building a personal budget. The keynote speaker will be Mahoning County Court Judge Molly Johnson, presiding judge of Mahoning County Court No. 3 in Sebring.

During sessions, each student will be given a salary and will visit different community booths to determine monthly expenses such as food, housing, transportation, clothing, education and more. Based on their given salaries they will have to make tough budget decisions.

“It’s very important to give young adults the opportunity to learn good money management skills,” said Michele Merkel, president of JA of Mahoning Valley Inc. “We challenge high school students to think about how they can become financially prepared to rent an apartment, buy a car, attend post-secondary education, or whatever their goals may be.”

JA USA is celebrating 100 years of preparing the next generation for economic success. Locally, JA of Mahoning Valley reached 13,671 students in 631 classrooms during the 2017-2018 school year. Nearly 550 individuals volunteered their time in the classroom.

For more information, call Chris Shelton, coordinator of WCBA External Relations, 330-941-3068.