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Russian (RU) Danielle Antosz
Mon, Apr 21, 2025, 4:00 AM 5 min read
While plenty of studies show the link between financial knowledge and financial success, a recent report puts a price tag on it: $100,000.
A study from consulting firm Tyton Partners and nonprofit Next Gen Personal Finance found that taking just one personal finance class in high school leads to an average lifetime benefit of about $100,000 per student. And that number may be conservative, according to CNBC.
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“We say it’s $100,000 but as we start to see more and more young people investing, that number is only going to increase,” said Tim Ranzetta, co-founder and CEO of Next Gen Personal Finance, a nonprofit that provides middle and high school students with financial education.
Much of the value comes from making smarter money decisions — like avoiding high-interest credit card debt, qualifying for lower-cost loans and improving credit scores. But investing may be the most powerful lesson of all.
Learning how to navigate the financial markets can pay off for decades.
“Teaching students about the financial markets is the greatest asset for building wealth,” said Yanely Espinal, director of educational outreach at Next Gen, in an interview with CNBC.
Without that knowledge, young people are more likely to panic during market downturns or avoid investing altogether, missing out on long-term growth. While more teens are learning about personal finance in high school, another report discovered there are still major gaps in education.
A recent report from Junior Achievement and MissionSquare Retirement Foundation found that roughly 70% of teens think saving for retirement is something they can think about later. At the same time, 80% of teens have never heard of a FICO score or don't understand what it means.
When teens do have money, only 36% save a portion for their future, while just 23% save for their college education and 13% invest, the report found. In short, millions of teens are entering adulthood with real financial fears — but without the tools to navigate them.
But some states are trying to close the gap. As of March 2025, 27 states require high school students to take a personal finance course before graduating, and another 17 states are considering similar bills, according to Next Gen's bill tracker.
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