Multiple districts — Along with 401Ks, mortgages and bank accounts, today’s seniors are about to step into the adult world of online betting and financial advice delivered via TikTok.
That’s why teachers from several Michigan districts recently gathered to learn about personal finance resources to use in their classrooms, ensuring students are equipped with ample knowledge and facts when setting up their financial futures.
“There is a lot that is bombarding them now, perhaps more than ever, so I want to give them very factual education and then allow them to make their own choices,” said Northview High School teacher Joan Lamain, who has been teaching a stand-alone personal finance course for one semester.
‘It only takes one piece of dangerous advice to ruin 20 pieces of good advice.’
— Derek D’Angelo, Michigan Council on Economic Education president
With traditional topics including homeownership and investing, plus digital-age topics including social media “finfluencers” and sports betting, Lake Michigan Credit Union shared a wealth of information during the 2026 West Michigan Personal Finance Summer Conference.
The daylong session at the Grand Rapids-based corporate office introduced teachers to high school personal finance lessons they can incorporate into the classroom. It featured games and activities for educators, many of which are available through the Michigan Council on Economic Education, a nonprofit economic and financial education program, and Next Gen Personal Finance.
“Teachers want to learn the content and have the (instructional) skills to use in the classroom,” said Derek D’Angelo, president of MCEE, who helped lead the conference. “It really comes at a good time because this next school year’s juniors will have to have personal finance (classes) prior to graduation.”
Michigan students, beginning with the graduating class of 2028, are required to obtain a half-credit in personal finance to graduate, either from a stand-alone class or or in a course where standards are embedded, such as in a career and technical education program, economics or math class.
Some local schools are offering it as a trimester or semester class, while others are integrating instruction throughout the year.
The Economics of Personal Finance
While personal finance has always been a high-school economics standard, teachers often spend more time on other standards and squeeze in personal finance where they can, D’Angelo said.
The key to successful instruction, he said, is to view personal finance as part of economics in general.
“We want to raise up those personal-finance standards and show teachers (the standards) can be woven into everything they are doing with economics.”
Participants said they want to get ahead of potential pitfalls that are new to younger generations. Financial influencers today often use platforms such as TikTok to dole out advice and promote products — and students need to view them with a skeptical eye, D’Angelo said.
To illustrate this message, teachers at the conference participated in an activity where they watched and then graded financial influencers’ messages in different categories, such as accuracy and applicability.
“We are teaching (students and teachers) to discern what is good and bad advice,” D’Angelo said. “Some of the influencers might have a certified financial advisor certification, but some of them might be a young girl talking about what credit cards she likes and these are her top six different credit cards.”
Many social posts follow the same format, such as “Here are the four things everybody must do,” he said.
“There’s a lot of good advice out there for students, but there also is some really dangerous advice. It only takes one piece of dangerous advice to ruin 20 pieces of good advice.”
Lessons for their Teaching Bank
Sports betting and prediction markets are other hot topics, as young people see numerous ads and opportunities on sites such as FanDuel, Polymarket and Kalshi — but many teachers don’t understand what they are, D’Angelo said.
Wyoming High School personal finance teacher Nathanael Juliot said sports betting is definitely a topic he wants to be well-versed in.
“Sports betting is everywhere. You see it anytime you turn on the TV,” he said. “A lot of my seniors are already in it, and that’s problematic because a lot of them are not prepared for what that means and looks like, and it’s addictive.
“I want to be better prepared for how to set them up for success in a world that is so focused on things like that.”
Kimberly Morden, Cedar Springs Public Schools director of extended learning and engagement, said she attended the conference to learn about lessons for use in the district’s new K-12 virtual program.
“It’s incredibly important,” she said. “I myself have eight children, and six of them are in high school or have graduated. We do our best as parents to educate them and budget and things like that, but I know … that so many kids need something like this, and it’s so important to make sure we are giving them the tools they need to be successful adults.”
D’Angelo said that the more knowledge students have, the better equipped they will be to make good financial decisions — and good instruction can make the difference.
“Ultimately, students will make better choices and that leads to so much of a better community; you’ll see increased homeownership, better credit scores and you’ll see better mental health,” he said.
Read more from our districts:
• Learning how to budget earnings, expenses after high school
• Student investors share secrets to their success
