Young people today have a lot more financial decisions to make than I did.
My biggest question most days was whether to buy regular or chocolate milk, or if I could con my buddy to let me trade in my carton of Pennsupreme orange drink that my mom packed for me - and which by lunch time was room temperature - for a cold one.
Today kids are learning how to keep a budget, balance a checkbook and take part in the family finances.
Last night we took our 'Live From the Newsroom' show to a very special place that is in the forefront of making sure young people today are financially literate.
We were at the one and only Bear Country Credit Union at the Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union in Marple.
That's right, it's a credit union - the only one in the country - fashioned after the famous children's book characters The Berenstain Bears.
If you missed the show, you can catch the replay here.
My thanks for Rick Durante from the Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union, who gave me a tour and joined me on the show to tell us about the growth of the credit union's branches in local high schools.
Since the first branch opened in Interboro High School almost 10 years ago, Franklin Mint has spread to the Penn Wood, Upper Darby and Springfield campuses. The branches are staffed by students.
In the fall they will open their newest branch at the renovated Marple Newtown High School. Marple Newtown Superintendent Dr. Merle Horowitz joined us to talk about how the district is integrating financial literacy into its curriculum, starting with kids as early as the third grade.
And we also were graced with the presence of Lexi Galantino, a Springfield High senior who works at the Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union branch in her school. Lexi is a 2014 National Merit Scholar finalist, and member of the National Honor Society who is headed for Tufts University in the fall. She put together a great video project along with other kids on the credit union branches in local high schools.
Both Galantino and Dr. Horowitz will be among those honored next week at one of the best education events of the year. It's the annual Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union Foundation's Partners in Learning Celebration. Horowitz has been named the 2014 Financial Literacy Advocate. Galantino is one of the youth scholarship winners.
The All-Delco Hi-Q team, which will be featured in this Sunday's newspaper, also will be honored. So will this year winners of the Excellence in Teaching awards. They will be featured on Monday.
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