(Photo courtesty of Breakwater Federal Credit Union) Kayleigh White, marketing and community relations coordinator at Breakwater Federal Credit Union, working with young students at a financial literacy workshop. Financial Workshops for young adults scheduled

HOUGHTON – Breakwater Federal Credit Union is partnering with Portage Lake District Library (PLDL) to host a two-part financial literacy workshop series for young adults. The first workshop will be held from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday (Aug. 7) in the Community Room of the library

Kayleigh White, marketing and community relations coordinator at Breakwater, said the workshops will explore essential financial topics like budgeting, saving, establishing credit, understanding taxes, and avoiding financial pitfalls.

While all are invited to attend, these workshops will be particularly valuable for young adults who are learning o navigate who are beginning to take charge of their own finances and want to build a strong foundation for the future.

The workshops are aimed at students who might be graduating from high school, going into college or those who have recently graduated and are looking for tips on building their financial wealth in the future, said White.

The completion of a personal finance class for high school students became a requirement in Michigan for graduation in 2023, according to the Michigan Department of Education. The Revised School Code requires Michigan students entering 8th grade to complete a half-credit course in personal finance that meets subject area content expectations developed by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and approved by the State Board of Education (SBE).

The half-credit course in personal finance must fulfill ½ credit of mathematics required, as determined by the board of the school district or board of directors of the public school academy in which the pupil is enrolled. The ½ credit course in personal finance required may be fulfilled through an MDE-approved formal career and technical education program or curriculum that aligns with the SBE-approved subject area content expectations.

White said Michigan is one of the only states with a financial literacy requirement for graduation, adding that since the requirement became law two years ago, she has seen many credit unions stepping up to the plate to fill those requirements. “We’re trying to do a lot of financial literacy in the community by doing things like the financial reality fairs at the high schools, money talks with students who are high school age,” she said. “We’re seeing them grow and learn how to manage their money. They’ll open an account and then invest that money later in the future; they might come back for a mortgage in the future.”

White said she is in the process of contacting schools to get programs on the school district calendars for the upcoming school year. “With school starting soon, something we really want to do is start building those relationships with the different schools, so we can go into the classrooms, have financial reality fairs at the schools.”

Financial literacy includes skills are important for people to have, said White. “And, it’s really important to have students start young. Students are starting early to build those skills, because when you’re 18 years old, those things are going to stick with you and help you to move forward in life,” she said.

The workshops are free and open to the public and no registration is required.