It's always amazed me that schools do not require their students to take financial literacy courses of any type, not even as electives. I don't know where it is because educators don't know themselves or because they think it's impossible. I had to learn for myself, but too many of my senior friends are reaching retirement age and have little to no savings.

I think you made a good point there. I think that in our area, there is a government agency that provides a sort of retirement planning service. I just don't about the details of it.

My kids need these kinds of courses, and they are grown. They have always come to me for money, and all of them are married, or have been married, by now. I know this probably says more about this old senior dad than it does them. Still, they need to be planning for their retirement. I won't be here.

It's unbelievable that schools can't spare an hour a week to make financial literacy a part of the curriculum. It's more than just knowledge. You develop a certain mindset about money. That can be a very difficult thing to acquire in your senior years.

There's a lot of practical, everyday things that you don't learn in school that you have to learn on your own. I think it stinks also, and is silly. We can't all consult seniors for sage advice when it comes to each new thing we encounter!

Sometimes I think we teach our young people that money grows on trees. The invasion of the credit card taught generations of people to pull out their plastic. Seniors did know better, but so many of them think the government will take care of them. We've taught think that way, too. Now we're teaching all the world's poor to come here, and we'll take care of them, too. The "we," however, are giving out of their ability to take care of everyone.