Written by Laura Giroux, Student Journalist
On October 28th, Steve Levine of Funny Money Inc. visited St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School (STA) in Tottenham to deliver a humorous presentation on the serious topic of financial literacy to grade 11 and 12 students.
Steve Levine, a comedian who has been on TV shows such as Just for Laughs, provided an engaging and interactive presentation to the students with the goal of improving their money management skills. As students approach adulthood, it is essential for them to understand the realities of their finances. Steve Levine summarized his message into three simple ideas - know your flow, control what you owe, and invest some dough. Students learned that it is important to keep track of money coming in as well as expenses, start budgeting as soon as possible, and invest money in order to increase finances.
Steve emphasized the idea that if you don’t manage your money, your money will manage you. When asked about the importance of teaching financial literacy to students, he asserted that “money is about to become the biggest problem in their lives if they let it.” Steve also stated that the most important thing that students should take from his presentation is “to start learning about how money works in their lives now.”
Judging from the level of student participation in the presentation, Funny Money was successful in delivering their message about the importance of financial knowledge to the grade 11 and 12 students of STA. Hopefully the students will put their new money management skills to use promptly in order to improve their financial position.