It was one of those afternoons in a sweltering, hot high school classroom. The students were not interested in being there and in all reality, were probably mentally elsewhere. And it was the day when we brought in an insurance entrepreneur/sales professional as a guest speaker to talk about their profession, answer any questions and perhaps provide a career pathway for students. You know the scene and the tough crowd. At this point, you may be contemplating your own nap because this story doesn’t sound that interesting. I promise you – just wait for it.
Our speaker, Chris, got right to it. He focused on how impactful money can be. He asked the students whether they would rather drive a Mercedes or a Kia? As you can guess they all responded that they would definitely rather own and drive a Mercedes. He then told them that is the difference between deciding to pursue (and complete) a college degree or not. Choosing to learn more skills to have a high paying job or choosing not to learn more and being paid less. You can bet that the students were paying full attention at this point.
Now not everyone ends up taking a traditional educational path but what can be learned from Chris is that there certainly is a difference. Another way he showcased how impactful money can be was by questioning students. He asked his first question [without signaling any reward] and the one student that raised their hand and answered correctly was surprised with a $50 gift card! You can bet that for the next question, every hand in the classroom went up. Every student in that class was now wide awake and paying attention, racing to be the first one with their hand raised for a chance at a $50 prize.
After all of the questions were answered, he talked more about his current role as a business owner and insurance executive, he shared his story with the students about how he got to where he is today. He started out with very little and was rough around the edges, just like many of the kids sitting in this room. He knew that he wanted to drive the nice car and figured out how he was going to get there. He also knew that if he hustled hard like the kids did for the $50 gift cards, he would see more opportunities.
Chris was one of the students favorite speakers that year. They remember his story, the experience and how real the experience was. They also wanted to work for him and figure out how they too could drive a Cadillac Escalade like him.
If I were to ask you whether you would rather own a Mercedes or a Kia, my guess is that you would rather roll up in a Mercedes. Never stop learning and always keep hustling, you never know when the rewards will start to surface. Be assured, over time they certainly will.
A Journey to Personal Financial Independence
At Morgan Franklin Fellowship (MFF), we support the concept of financial freedom – by teaching participants how to save by paying themselves first, invest for their future and grow their net worth.
Learning how money works and how to talk about money with others are the first steps towards recognizing an individual’s lifelong financial goals. Our online courses and on-demand learning events are designed to help individuals learn the concepts, rules and vocabulary of money, finance and investing.
Becoming an MFF Fellow
Our Standards of Financial Literacy program is engaging, full of interesting information, and easy to navigate. Adapted from the National Standards for Financial Literacy developed by the Council for Economic Education (CEE), this robust curriculum features six short lessons on such important topics as earning income, understanding the value of saving and using credit. When completed, this program lays the foundation for becoming an MFF Fellow.
Becoming an MFF Fellow is the ticket to then access additional MFF programs and opportunities for mentoring, networking, internships and real-world opportunities. These are the opportunities which allow MFF Fellows to continue their journey towards personal financial independence.
Learn more at morganfranklinfellowship.com.
