Students learn about personal finance

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Van Wert and Lincolnview seniors were introduced to the “real world” and its financial challenges during a program held Tuesday in the VWHS gymnasium.

Government students participated in the Real Money. Real World. program sponsored by Ohio State University Extension, and, for most, reality was a nasty shock.

Students were given a scenario that includes a non-working spouse who is a student, children or not, and some student debt. Seniors then choose a career, look at housing choices, purchase a vehicle and insurance, learn about child care and utility costs, and save for the future and, eventually, retirement.

Volunteers from various real world sectors, such as finance, utilities, insurance, childcare, healthcare, and real estate, provide information on the choices available to students … and the cost.

It’s a typical single-parent situation and one that’s all too common in the “real world” of today.

The cost of living is what often surprises students, says Heather Gottke, OSU Extension education educator, who said volunteers make the simulation work, since they’re all experts in their fields and provide students with info on what goods and services cost here in their hometown.

Students also do work related to the program during government classes, leading up to the “real world” simulation Tuesday.

Gottke said that, historically, the financial cost of raising children is the biggest surprise to seniors, who often find that childcare costs eat up a large portion of their salaries, leaving relatively little money left over, even before items such as housing and transportation costs are factored in.

She added that seniors often leave the simulation convinced that having children is not a realistic option … at least having them early in their careers.

Overall, seniors often are torn between what they want to do financially and what they could afford — a scenario too often seen in the real world, with some struggling to find a balance between what they want to do and what they could afford.