Background
In 2022, I testified before the U.S. Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on retirement and savings policy in America. That experience brought something into sharp focus: the student loan debt crisis. At the time, Americans owed over $1.7 trillion in student loan debt, and roughly 60% of students graduated with some form of debt. Today that number has grown to over $1.8 trillion across nearly 43 million borrowers.
The deeper problem is upstream. Our educational system does not adequately teach young people about money. By the time most Americans encounter financial concepts like debt, credit, saving, and investing, they are already making consequential decisions without the foundation to make them well. I decided to do something about that.
How It Started
Drawing from over two decades in financial services, I created a financial literacy curriculum called Financial Literacy with Mr. 401(k), or "FinLit with Mr. 401(k)." I brought it to St. Joseph School in Seattle, where I have volunteered as a financial literacy instructor for 7th and 8th grade students since the winter of 2022. The nickname "Mr. 401(k)" comes from my professional work in workplace retirement plans, and students have run with it from day one.
The program runs for one hour a day, three days a week. To date, I have had the pleasure of teaching over 75 students across 4 cohorts.
Course Overview
FinLit with Mr. 401(k) is built around conceptual understanding. The course covers the evolution of money, budgeting and cash flow, income and expenses, taxes, assets and liabilities, compound interest, the basics of investing, and entrepreneurship. Students also work on a Business Plan Project throughout the term, where they develop their own business concepts from value proposition through financial planning.
Every Monday class opens with Monday Money Matter$, a segment where we discuss a real financial news story from the past week and connect it to what students are learning. Past topics have included wholesale inflation data, Pokémon card valuations, and shifts in the labor market. The goal is to make financial literacy feel like something that is happening right now, not something from a textbook.
A Partnership with Parents
After every class, I send a summary email to students and their parents. Each email includes what we covered, the key takeaways, resources to learn more, and a preview of what is coming next. These emails are not just recaps. They are designed to give parents and families a way to continue the conversation at home. Some of the best moments in this program have come from students telling me about a discussion they had with a parent after reading one of these emails together.
Course Materials
All FinLit with Mr. 401(k) course materials are freely accessible online as a resource for students, parents, and other financial educators:
- Spring 2026 Course Materials
- Winter 2024 to 2025 Course Materials
- Winter 2023 to 2024 Course Materials
- Winter 2022 to 2023 Course Materials
I have made this material open source and encourage all financial professionals to similarly impact their own communities. Please go and do likewise.
Open License (Curriculum Materials)
Financial Literacy with Mr. 401(k) (“FinLit with Mr. 401(k)”) course materials made available for download on this website (including PDF lesson materials and handouts) are openly licensed, unless a specific file states otherwise.
License: © 2026 PETROS. Except where otherwise noted, these materials are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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