Economic groups joined with teachers and lawmakers to talk about the financial struggles of Florida’s youngest adults on Tuesday. The coalition members say the combination of credit card debt and student loans is making future financial success much harder for those just starting out.
Many students leave college with more than $20,000 in school loans, and often with more than $10,000 worth of consumer debt as well. That's why the coalition supports a bill to require a semester-long, stand-alone class in financial literacy, rather than as part of larger economics course.
State Senator Dorothy Hukill is sponsoring a bill to require the course."These are skills that you don’t have naturally. You have to be taught these skills. We think that kids know how to do this. We think that parents are teaching these skills. Only some kids are fortunate enough to have parents that can teach these skills."
Student loan debt stays on a person's financial record, since it can't be included in a bankruptcy. And since many employers use credit checks when hiring, that debt could make it even harder for recent graduates to find work. Even with a job, recent grads face an uphill climb out of debt before they can save for retirement or buy a home.
Nationally, student loan debt now exceeds $1 trillion.