One course I taught in high schools was personal finance. I also taught school finance to college students working on their administration degrees.
Know what the "rule of 72" is. Divide the return of your money into 72 and that is how long it will take it to double. Example: $1,000 divided by 10 percent return doubles every 7.2 years. This formula works for you when you save early in life as it gives you more 7.2 year periods for money to double without having to work for it and it also works against you when you are borrowing money.
I had students tell me how much they spend on soft drinks and snacks and we multiplied that out if they saved that money for a year and invested it. It blew their minds how much money it was over time. We have to understand the time value of money. I would hold out a $20 bill and ask them what it was and they of course said, a 20 knowing it was a trick question. I then do the rule of 72 on the board using 10% return and rounding to 7 years. If memory serves me well, that $20 at age 20 when invested could potentially return $1,280 by age 62. Then go figure how much you are actually paying for a house or a car that devalues faster than anything.
Someone mentioned real estate investing. We have two rental properties and they provide excellent income, wish we had purchased more but I was too busy running schools and too dumb. Only purchased if the price was right, did most of my own work and paid them off quickly. I don't like sharing my money with bankers. The government I mind less because it means I actually earned income.
The other golden rule is Don't wait. There are several interactive calculators out there that show how much more you have to save later in life when you put off saving early in life. It is an amazing number that gets your attention.
earlyretirementnow.com
