My commitment to personal financial education comes from working with adults. Most of my knowledge of personal finance has been self-taught. However, I’ve been fortunate to have access to people who were very knowledgeable in all aspects of personal finances while living in New York City such as roommates who were financial advisors and by being involved in local networking groups with people who’ve received formal education in personal finance that were able to provide some rudimentary guidance but that unfortunately is not often the case for many. 

Throughout my career and life, I’ve spoken with numerous people who’ve regretted not learning about personal finance at an earlier age, people who were in unfortunate circumstances financially that they could have avoided, and people were apprehensive to discuss personal finance at all because they weren’t informed enough to speak confidently on most of the topics. So my journey in personal finance education started with them-- working with the adults around me by giving them resources, guidance, suggestions, and ultimately confidence in their financial knowledge.

But those conversations are merely a band-aid for the larger issue. Personal finance must be taught to children both at home and in school. While a Government and Economics teacher in the Bronx, New York, I used my time with students to focus heavily on personal finance topics such as savings, taxes, investing, budgeting, and credit. Every day my students would leave class and confidently speak to their peers, teachers, and even family members about those topics and I’d hear such things as, “Mr. Shakoor, I told my mother she could call her credit card company and negotiate a better interest rate and it worked!” Financial education is a key to the success of current and future generations, especially those in underserved communities, and our team at NGPF is committed to making personal finance education a reality for all.

About the Author

Kareem Shakoor

Kareem is an experienced teacher, leader, and educational advocate. After being a high school teacher in New York City, Kareem spent 6 years with a non-profit organization as the Assistant Director of Special Education Instruction aimed at training teachers and school administrators across the country on how to enhance their classroom instruction, extend community outreach, and innovate learning in K-12 classrooms. Kareem is committed to designing and delivering high-quality training and professional development to education professionals as a means to improve all classrooms and communities nationwide. Also, Kareem is a lifelong learner, personal finance enthusiast, and frequently travels to immerse in other cultures.