Taking a break from their usual schedule, our middle schoolers tackled some interesting financial topics with professionals from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) at the first of three Financial Literacy mornings! Together, they explored various financial topics — think analyzing advertising claims, contemplating the impact of geopolitical issues on the economy, and scrutinizing salary estimates.

Our Fifth Grade students had a lively investigation of advertising. As they discussed various ads and commercials, the instructors challenged the students to question the validity of the claims made and to investigate and ask further questions. When asked to come up with their own ads, our Dragons were incredibly creative. We spotted ads for SpiderPlant Space Jet Services ("We give you SPACE in SPACE!"), Loud Outside Headphones, nuclear-powered snow skis, and Sole De Janereo perfume endorsed by Taylor Swift.

Sixth graders pondered the question: Would you rather buy a $250 phone or $450 dollar phone (assuming they had identical features, were offered by the same providers, and there are no hidden costs associated with either)? They then discussed what would they choose if 100 trees were axed to make the $250 phone and only 5 to make the costlier version? Would their answer change if they had an unlimited budget? As you can imagine, the answers varied. One sixth grader still opted for the cheaper phone despite the peer pressure but was willing to donate or plant more trees, another student theorized, "This tree planting is a scam, they are just pocketing that money", and another opted for no phone at all. Finally, one student chimed in that they would take the cheap phone and "with the money I saved, I would invest in a high-yield ETF fund connected to the S&P. With the money I made from that investment, I would consider planting trees later."

The seventh graders continued their financial literacy journey learning about the stock market. They explored the different types of investments, how often you should rebalance a portfolio, and what can go wrong. As they discussed the macroeconomic world and how politics and current events impact asset values, many questions bubbled up, including those about the implications of the latest stock market news, if they are allowed to short the market as they manage Speyer's portfolio, and if banks can invest in other public banks.

Meanwhile, the eighth graders completed a career interest survey, looking at career planning options and talking about how to finance college depending on your field of study. As they reviewed occupations and wage estimates, our students balanced earnings potential with their personal passions. One asked, "This is a big salary…what does an actuary do?", while others debated salary versus commission-based compensation in real estate. A few discussed the reality that many professional athletes don't have marquee contracts and have short tenures at the professional level.

These visits awaken students to the importance of financial literacy, as it is a key element of the modern world. Learning about it in an engaging and open-ended way allows our students to push deeply into topics that are timely, edgy, and do not have clear answers.