3
Introduction
Financial Capability—What Does It
Mean to You?
As a young adult, one of the most important keys to your success will be
fi nancial capability. Being fi nancially capable means you understand topics
related to fi nance such as making money, spending money, and saving money
wisely. With our rapidly changing economy, it has become clear that as a
young person, you will need to learn how to make wise fi nancial decisions at
an early age. Wise fi nancial decisions will help you lead a productive life, as
well as enable you to be a positive contributor to the economic stability of the
nation.
As you progress through Becoming Money $mart, you will have many
opportunities to learn about fi nancial capability—how it impacts your life
now and how it will infl uence your future. As you read each new topic, you
will have a chance to jump in and see how the information applies to you as
a student. You will learn how to make your money work for you and how to
plan for your career and your future.
So have fun as you begin the journey and learn how to become money
smart!
About the Author
Judi Deatherage is a retired business education teacher from Kentucky
with a passion for educating teens about money. She received her Master’s
Degree from the University of Cincinnati and her Bachelor’s Degree from
Eastern Kentucky University. During her teaching career, Judi taught
accounting and fi nance courses to high school and college students. She was
the recipient of Ashland Oil’s Golden Apple Award for Teachers and is listed
in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. Judi is the author of a trade book,
Who Wants to be a Millionaire, which focuses on basic principles of fi nancial
literacy for teens.