CUTV News Radio spotlights Deb Avara of AE Money Quests

Amarillo, TX – It's still taboo to talk about money. People don't want to talk about it, but we need to talk about it, because we have a big problem.

Financial literacy isn’t taught in schools; only 17 states require high school students to learn personal finance. Most young people learn it from their parents, who did the best they could.

“We have completely dropped the ball,” says Deb Avara, founder of AE Money Quests. “I teach college and I'm getting students with zero knowledge. That has got to change.”

Unfortunately, when it comes to the idea of financial literacy and money management, everyone is afraid of what they don't know. AE Money Quests specializes in providing basic financial literacy education.

Avara says the thing her students struggle with most is budgeting.

“Ultimately it’s about value,” says Avara. “You start with your necessities, food, clothing, shelter.  Do you value not being in debt up to your neck? Do you value that you have health insurance and can pay to go to the doctor? Do you value having emergency savings? Or do you want new clothes every week and an expensive car? It comes down to what is valuable to you. But it's still about financial literacy education so they can make these choices based on solid information.”

Avara is the author of Just the Basics, Please, for college students, now in its fourth edition.

“You can read my book and do the assignment in six hours and get more in those six hours than you did in your entire 12 years of education,” laughs Avara.

For more information on AE Money Quests, visit www.aemoneyquests.com and www.debavarabooks.com