food banks or doctors' offices
and that's it. Back to you.
>> It's time for I on education.
Most teenagers are into
Tiktok, music and all things
high school. But not
Greencastle's Isaac Hertenstein.
He's more interested in teaching
kids, some his age and others
not much younger than him.
Everything he knows about
dollars and cents and making
every penny count. Isaac created
a nonprofit called Students
Teaching Finance, a program
aimed at showing young students
the ropes when it comes to
financial literacy. Isaac joins
us now to explain more about his
project.
It is gaining some national
attention. Thanks for joining
us.
>> Thank you.
>> You're a young guy, 16 years
old and have already created
this nonprofit students teaching
finance. And this as many people
know is a huge issue not being
taught in schools. How did you
come up with the idea to do
this?
>> I saw the lack of financial
education in my school and
across the state being not one
of the 13 Nationwide that
require a personal finance
class. So this lack of education
combined with seeing the haves
and have-nots in my small
community inspired me.
>> You created a nonprofit, a
curriculum that right now is
principally K-8?
>> Yes.
>> Talk about the curriculum. I
think this is a video of you in
a school. Talk about what you're
teaching these kids.
>> What I'm trying to do is
teach young students
foundational financial topics
that can plant seeds in them and
begin the learning process when
it comes to finance. That comes
across from anything like
careers to investing to as basic
as needs versus wants.
>> Some basic financial literacy
but you also get into
entrepreneurship and some of
those areas in the business
world.
>> Absolutely. At the middle
school level we have one of our
main lessons about careers and
future business opportunities
and specifically how education
can relate to that. What we try
to introduce the students to
business careers including
entrepreneurship which is very
important.
>> Now you're getting national
attention. You were in a pitch,
selected to be in a pitch
competition. Talk about coming
away as a winner.
>> The Prudential visionary's
program is a scholarship program
that provides funding for my
project. As one of 25 students I
was selected to go to the
headquarters in New Jersey and I
pitched there and was one of the
grand prize winners and it was a
great opportunity to meet
amazing students doing similar
things. Albeit in finance or
societal solutions and meet many
executives.
>> A lot of young people your
age have trouble communicating.
You don't have trouble
communicating, I could tell
that. Do you think there was a
benefit to this curriculum
teaching it to students of
similar age or close to your age
from a peer to peer level, do
you think that helps?
>> Absolutely. I go into many
younger students' classes as do
other people at students
teaching finance. So we almost
break up the monotony of the
classroom and the kids are
interested seeing their older
peers teach the lessons.
>> You're going to be a junior
in high school next year. What
are your plans? It would seem
this is a as we were talking off
camera a scaleable business.
It's a nonprofit. You have a
money making idea maybe as part
of this?
>> It's not necessarily a money
making idea. What we're trying
to do is almost just change
society at a small level and
scale it hopefully into other
states which have already begun
through the other high schoolers
teaching this curriculum to
their younger peers.
>> It's a great story. Isaac
Hertenstein, students teaching
finance. Interesting story.
Putnam county in Greencastle. I
look forward to watching your