By Kaylie Wise
Growing up, I was deeply involved in Family and Consumer Science, or what many know as Home Economics. It is an educational subject teaching essential life skills, such as cooking, nutrition, budgeting, and more. What drew me in was not just the skills themselves, but the purpose behind them.
These programs were designed to help people care for themselves with confidence and reduce everyday stress. It may sound simple, but learning how to cook safely or understand the difference between a debit and credit card can completely change how someone moves through life. These small skills build independence.
When Life Skills Are Missing, Stress Follows
When I went to college, I knew I wanted a career focused on helping people build essential life skills. As I explored different paths, one thing became clear. Money was the common thread behind so much stress, and it did not go away with age.
That is still true today.
What New Data Is Showing
A recent decade long study from TIAA and Stanford University shows something concerning:
- For ten years, adults have only answered about half of financial literacy questions correctly on average
- More recently, financial literacy has been trending downward and is now the lowest it has been in the last decade
It Is Affecting Everyone, But Not Equally
Financial literacy remains low across all generations, with the greatest struggles showing up among Gen Z. There is also a persistent gap between men and women.
Across key areas like borrowing, saving, investing, and insurance, understanding has declined. What stood out to me most is that risk is the weakest area, with only 36 percent of questions answered correctly.
That concerns me. Risk is not abstract. It shows up in real decisions, with real consequences, tied to money people have worked hard to earn. When that foundation is weak, it makes everything built on top of it feel uncertain.
Want to See Where You Stand?
After seeing this data, you may be wondering where you stand. You can take a short quiz pulled directly from the study to get a clearer sense of your own financial knowledge:
Take the Financial Literacy Quiz
Why This Matters
Financial literacy is not just about knowledge. It shapes how people live, decide, and feel. When money feels uncertain, it impacts confidence, decision making, and overall well being.
So What Changed
It is not that people care less. It is that information has changed.
We are surrounded by financial advice, especially on social media. Some of it is helpful, but a lot of it is oversimplified, misleading, or just incorrect. Without a strong foundation, it becomes incredibly difficult to tell the difference.
Why Having a Trusted Resource Matters
This is why I care so deeply about this work.
You should not have to second guess your financial decisions or feel unsure about what you are hearing. Our goal is to provide clarity so you can move forward with confidence. If something comes up, even if it feels small, we encourage you to reach out. A quick conversation can make a meaningful difference.
Kaylie Wise is a Financial Advisor at Bluespring Wealth’s Cincinnati office, where she helps keep the financial planning process organized and moving forward while making clients feel welcomed and supported. She earned a degree in finance and a CFP Board Registered Certificate in Personal Financial Planning from Western Kentucky University and is currently working toward her CFP® certification. Outside the office, Kaylie enjoys hosting dinner parties, traveling, practicing yoga and Pilates, and spending time with her cat, Finnick.
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