Since publishing Building Your Future in summer 2009, The Actuarial Foundation has sent 2,500 individual and classroom sets of this financial literacy curriculum to high school teachers who have requested it. Thanks to the large support of industry foundations, corporations and the generosity of individual actuaries, the Foundation has been able to distribute this resource at no cost to interested teachers -- and continues to accept requests from teachers interested in receiving classroom sets.

According to Eileen Streu, executive director of The Actuarial Foundation, "It is so important to prepare teens for life on their own, after high school, and financial literacy is a critical part of that equation. If they are given the opportunity to master the basics of personal finance, they'll be equipped to move towards a financially secure future, avoiding so many of the problems that would otherwise hold them back. The actuaries and companies behind our Foundation are excited to make Building Your Future available to educators who share our interest in giving every student that opportunity."

About the Materials
At a time of widespread economic turmoil and financial challenges, it is important to give students the knowledge and skills needed to manage money wisely and to make smart decisions for the future. Building Your Future helps teachers do just that, providing accessible content and multiple real-world examples and practice opportunities. The curriculum addresses the following subjects:

• Book One: Banking covers savings accounts, checking accounts, credit cards, and taxes


• Book Two: Financing includes loans and interest, home loans, auto loans and insurance


• Book Three: Investing covers bonds, stocks, mutual funds, risk and diversification and inflation

Building Your Future helps students easily grasp the essentials of personal finance, gives them multiple opportunities to practice core skills and showcases the real-world impact of the financial decisions they make. Each chapter is classroom-ready with a Teacher's Guide that provides handouts and answer keys, instruction and assessment suggestions, definitions and additional resources and aligns to national mathematics and personal financial education standards.

For teachers who would like to receive a donated set of Building Your Future:
Teachers interested in receiving a classroom set may sign up by sending their name, school name and address, email address to programs@actfnd.org. Note that this program is open to high school teachers only, and that registering is no guarantee of receiving materials; it simply allows interested donors to find you through The Actuarial Foundation's giving campaign.


For actuaries or others who would like to donate materials to one or more schools:
Visit www.actuarialfoundation.org and look for the "Quench the Thirst" graphic at the bottom right of the home page. Note that you may donate to one school or to several, and that you may be anonymous if you wish.

Corporate and foundation sponsors who have made major gifts in support of this program include the following:

• New York Life Foundation - helped fund the development of this resource and distribute individual sets to teachers across the country


• OdysseyRe Foundation - underwrote classroom sets in Connecticut and New York


• M.J. Belfatti & Company - classroom sets in Pennsylvania and Illinois


• Prudential - classroom sets in New Jersey


• Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield - classroom sets in Indiana

Note that these materials can also be downloaded at no cost by visiting www.actuarialfoundation.org/programs/youth/BuildingYourFuture.shtml. You may also order printed booklets at a nominal cost.

About The Actuarial Foundation:
The Actuarial Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, was established in 1994 to help facilitate and broaden the actuarial profession's contribution to society. The Foundation explores innovative ways to apply actuarial skills in the public interest and brings together partnerships of individuals and organizations to address social problems in creative ways. The Actuarial Foundation's mission is to develop, fund and execute education programs that serve the public.

The Actuarial Foundation

The Actuarial Foundation

The Actuarial Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, was established in 1994 to help facilitate and broaden the actuarial profession’s contribution to society. The Foundation explores innovative ways to apply actuarial skills in the public interest and brings together partnerships of individuals and organizations to address social problems in creative ways. The Actuarial Foundation’s mission is to develop, fund and execute education programs that serve the public.

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