Meet the Author

Abby Medin

Hi, I’m Abby! I’m the founder, author, and designer of Teeconomics. I’m a senior in high school from the Bay Area. After taking economics, I became super interested in learning more about finance and the economy. As a member of Rock the Street, Wall Street, an organization for women in finance, I had the opportunity to attend webinars and events about different career pathways in the industry– as well as earning my Bloomberg Finance Fundamentals certification. I went on to take a personal finance course and became a Certified Youth Investment Analyst with help from the Young Investors Society.

One thing was constantly reiterated to me by my older mentors– the importance of learning personal finance as a teenager. Financial mismanagement can cause struggles that last a lifetime, and there are so many benefits to learning personal finance early. Americans pay an average of $577 in late fees, overdrafts, and fraud-related charges; money they could save with the right financial education. And only about 63% of adults could pay a hypothetical $400 expense… that’s only like 5 tanks of gas where I live!

In my paper Robbing Students of Future Earnings and America’s Economic Growth: The Lack of Financial Literacy Courses in Public Schools, I prove the link between lack of early financial education in public schools leads to mounting financial inequalities, poor financial wellbeing, and the broader health of our economy. 

After learning, and proving, the benefits of financial literacy, I wanted to help expand financial education. While I’m partly analytical-wired, I’m also creative and enjoy art & design. I wanted other students to have the same fascination with finance as I did, that isn’t always sparked in through your average economics textbook. 

Using my creativity and love for design, I design and write classroom handouts (with fun activities), slideshow presentations, and weekly instagram posts about economics, personal finance, and current events– targeted and broken down for teenagers. All my materials are completely free to access for any student, teacher, or club! 

Projects

Meow Money

  • Meow Money follows the path of a Fuzzy, a hardworking feline with luxury tastes. When Fuzzy finds a dollar on the ground, he embarks on a journey to figure out how to make the most of it. In a series of both wise -and unwise- decisions, Fuzzy learns valuable lessons about using credit, budgeting, investing, and participating in the working world, meeting many new friends along the way.

Research

  • This study evaluates the benefits and opportunities of a high school financial literacy course mandate. Growing American credit card debt and personal bankruptcies have demonstrated a need for financial literacy. This knowledge would empower individuals to have better credit management and budgeting practices, more favorable loans/interest rates, and the ability to grow their wealth. An analysis of interest rate distribution, financial literacy surveys, and the success of other financial education methods have shown the potential return and benefits in the long run for high school graduates of just a single semester course. Data from the Brooking Institute and Harvard Business School has proven that financial education taught at a younger age results in greater economic stability. Therefore, students who take a personal finance course will be less reliant on welfare programs and contribute more to society. With the apparent financial disparities in education and wealth across many groups, high school presents a unique opportunity to address most students before their paths diverge effectively.

Journalism

Features