There is no age limit when it comes to financial education; it is never too early to start learning, and no matter how far along you are on life's journey, you can always learn something new.

Bauer has compiled the following resource list that can help at any age - from pre-school through High School, into adulthood and on into retirement.

Let's face it. Life is unpredictable and ever-changing. Early and ongoing financial education will make you better equipped to handle life's expenses, whether expected or not.

Financial Literacy and YOU

April is National Financial Literacy Month and, depending on what stage of life you are in, that can mean many different things.

It’s never too early to begin teaching healthy habits. That includes healthy financial habits. An early start with basic concepts such as “needs versus wants”, an understanding of currency, as well as saving and budgeting, can set your child up for financial success later in life.

In fact, Teaching Children to Save is so important it has its own day dedicated to just that. The fourth Thursday of each April is National Teach Children to Save Day. It falls on Thursday, April 24th, this year.

We invite you to visit the FDIC’s Money Smart pages for ways to engage your children and get these conversations started. This page provides guidance for children as young as Pre-K and all the way through High School (including sections on debit and credit and paying for college).

Another great site for young children is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Money as You Grow. This site doesn’t stop there though. It will bring your child all the way through to young adulthood. It even contains a list of books for parents and children to read together. Some of the key concepts covered in these books include spending, setting goals, earning, saving and prioritizing.

The CFPB site also covers common scenarios that families face every day: getting a pet, buying a car or moving into a new home. Even paying bills can be made into a teachable moment, and this site has ways to teach people well into adulthood.

Later in life, our money focus may become less about career and family and lean more toward retirement and health. The money concepts learned and used up until this point can make all the difference in the world as to how you will live out these later years.

Financial exploitation of our elderly is rampant. There are two major types of this abusive practice. The first involves the elder transferring money or otherwise paying a stranger (usually) for something that is promised but will never be delivered. The second is perhaps even worse, because it involves theft from someone the person trusts.

Regulators and financial institutions are trying to establish new procedures to mitigate the damage from elder fraud. Progress is being made, but it’s a work in progress. One elder scammed out of their life savings is one too many.

To their credit, many financial institutions have added financial education modules to their websites. Bauer found the following six, in particular, that we believe are especially well done:

5-Star 1st Source Bank, South Bend, IN (9087) which has a self-paced “financial wellness portal” that places special focus on a new topic each week. This site will take you from early childhood all the way to retirement, covering a myriad of events along the way.

5-Star Rockland Trust Company, Rockland, MA (9712) has its own Ms. Money’s Classroom, which teaches children about money in three languages, English, Spanish and Portuguese. Ms. Money, a/k/a schoolteacher Julie Beckham, was asked how she would make learning about money both fun and accessible. This, and an accompanying podcast, was the result.

Similarly, 5-Star Oxford Bank, Oxford, MI (9719) set up its own Money Masters Financial Literacy Program. It takes kids from the early basics of saving and spending all the way to helping individuals retire with confidence. This site even includes tips for getting your own small business started.

4-Star Apple Bank, New York, NY (16068) lacks some of the fun learning for the younger students, but includes important information on credit cards and delves deeply into elder financial fraud protection.

5-Star Ridgewood Savings Bank, Ridgewood, NY (16026) uses pathways, roadways and journeys to take high schoolers along on a trip toward financial literacy via its Ridgewood Academy.

5-Star Ulster Savings Bank, Kingston, NY (15970) has it all. Create your own personalized Q&A playlist to help you achieve your personal goals.

These are just a few online education sites that we found; there are many more out there. In fact, you may want to ask your bank (or credit union) if they have anything set up for education. Some offer in-person learning instead of (or in addition to) online lessons.

The point is, there are resources for you, no matter what stage of life you happen to be in right now and no matter what type of learner you are. Because there is no age limit when it comes to financial education.

More Resources (in case you haven’t found your fit yet):

• Banzai! Give your students skills they’ll use for life.
• JumpStart! Financial Smarts for Students.
• FDIC Money Smart Games
• CFPB Educational Tools You Can Use