“I want my children to walk into classrooms where financial literacy is taught with excitement and real-life application. Children are full of imagination. If we give them the tools to understand money early, they won’t just dream. They’ll build.”
These powerful words from Women’s Money Matters Graduate Neyesha captured the heart of our testimony on Sept 16th at the Massachusetts State House, where advocates gathered to support bills ensuring all Massachusetts students receive comprehensive financial education.
Advocacy in Action
Advocacy work is an important part of our mission at Women’s Money Matters, which is why yesterday, Ariel Garfinkel, our Program Manager, was joined by two of our Program Graduates as they testified in support of Bill H46/H636/S421, an Act requiring financial education in schools. They were among dozens of advocates who shared compelling testimony about why financial literacy education matters for our youth.
Why Financial Education Matters
Financial education is more than a life skill—it’s an equity issue. As providers of financial wellness programs for women and girls living on low incomes, we see the impact of financial literacy every day. By making these skills part of a comprehensive requirement, the benefits to individuals, families and entire communities will be vast.
Graduate Jazzmine eloquently expressed this reality in her testimony: “Learning about money is important because it affects almost every part of life — survival, independence, security, and most importantly, breaking cycles.”
By teaching young people how to build credit, save, and invest, we can help them avoid high-interest debt, strengthen financial stability, and open pathways to economic mobility. For youth living on lower incomes, these lessons are especially critical to breaking cycles of intergenerational poverty and building more secure futures.
A Question of Commitment
As Ariel shared in her testimony to lawmakers, the need for financial education is undeniable: “Personal finance impacts every single one of us. Financial education is prevention. It is therefore not a question of whether financial education is necessary – it is a question of whether we are committed to ensuring financial security for the people of Massachusetts.”
Standing Together
We are proud to stand alongside others advocating for this important step toward ensuring all Massachusetts students have access to the tools they need to succeed. We’re especially grateful to our partners in this advocacy work: The Financial Education Network and the Midas Collective. Together, we’re building a coalition committed to financial equity and education access.
Your Voice Matters
The testimony phase may be complete, but there is still time for your voice to be heard. Support these critical bills by writing to your state legislators and urging them to champion financial education in our schools.
Take Action: Write to your legislators here
Financial education isn’t just about teaching students to balance a checkbook—it’s about giving them the tools to dream big and build the futures they envision. As Neyesha so beautifully put it, when we give children the tools to understand money early, they won’t just dream. They’ll build.
