Graduation: Financial Anxiety on the Rise

Ah graduation season...the fun, the pride, the financial anxiety? That's right--according to my colleague Stacey Bradford, recent grads are feeling the weight of financial responsibility. I used her post "Financial Lessons for College Grads" as a TV segment this morning.

The take-away from this segment is not that college is bad. In fact, college grads are far better off in the workplace. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for college graduates over the age of 25 is about half of the national average. We do need to better prepare our graduates for the financial realities that lie ahead and that education needs to start as early as elementary school.

Because our school systems haven't taken up the mantle of financial literacy, it's up to you to set your kids on the right path. Here's how to keep it simple, tailor the teaching to your child's age, and make it fun.

More from MoneyWatch:

• Video: What Kids Don't Know About Money
• Money Skills for Your Kids: Ages 4 to 9
• Money Skills for Your Kids: Ages 10 to 14
• Money Skills for Your Kids: Ages 15 and Up
• CBS Evening News: Children of the Recession

Jill Schlesinger

Jill Schlesinger, CFP® is the Emmy-nominated business analyst for CBS News. She covers the economy, markets, investing and anything else with a dollar sign on TV, radio (including her nationally syndicated radio show), the web and her blog, "Jill on Money." Prior to her second career at CBS, Jill spent 14 years as the co-owner and chief investment officer for an independent investment advisory firm. She began her career as a self-employed options trader on the Commodities Exchange of New York, following her graduation from Brown University.

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