Shrewsbury – For more than a decade, Central One Federal Credit Union has offered “The Road to Financial Independence” (RTFI), a financial literacy program, to students at Shrewsbury High School. Each year, all seniors taking math courses receive this important education before graduation. RTFI is designed to help young adults navigate everyday financial matters by teaching them how to make responsible financial decisions through the use of budgeting.
“It presents a great opportunity for students to understand why they need to create a savings plan and make financially responsible choices,” said David Kaiser, Central One’s assistant vice president of retail services.
By the end of this year, 376 students will have attended the three-class program. The first class focuses on saving and spending concepts. Students are assigned an occupation and work in groups to develop a budget. During the next class they learn about types of debt, considerations when borrowing money, and credit scores. The student groups present their budgets during the third class. All students earn a certificate for successfully completing the program.
Central One has also been providing this program on a smaller scale at Westborough High School for select accounting classes.
For more information visit www.centralfcu.com.