What we teach
Four subjects, no jargon
Plain English, no homework, and nothing to buy. Book all four or just the one your group keeps asking about.
Simple slides, spoken slowly, with time at the end for whatever the group wants to raise.
1. Spotting scams
The topic most groups ask for first: the scams that target older people most often, and the signs that give each one away.
- Calls claiming to be a bank, the IRS, Social Security, or police
- The "grandchild in trouble" call
- Fake tech support pop-ups
- Why nobody real asks to be paid in gift cards or crypto
- What to do, and who to call, after a scam
The short version is free to print and hand out.
2. Staying safe online
For anyone who would rather not feel nervous about their phone.
- Passwords that are strong and still memorable
- Two-factor codes, and why no real bank asks you to read one out
- Checking a link before you tap it
- Telling a real bank email from a fake one
- Public wifi, and keeping a device updated
3. Everyday money
The practical side of a fixed income.
- Reading a statement and spotting a charge you did not make
- Online and mobile banking, safely
- Alerts for unusual activity
- Who to call first when something looks wrong
- Where to check whether a company or charity is real
4. Making sense of modern investing
The things that get talked about constantly and explained rarely: what they are, how they work, what the risk is. We describe. We do not recommend.
- What stocks, bonds, index funds, ETFs and CDs actually are
- What cryptocurrency is, and why scammers ask to be paid in it
- What "robo-advisers" and AI tools do, and what they cannot
- Why leverage increases losses exactly as fast as gains
- The rule underneath all of it: higher return always means higher risk, and anyone promising otherwise is lying
Where we draw the line
We explain how financial products work. We never tell anyone what to do with their own money.
We are high school students, not licensed advisers. Asked directly what to buy, sell, or hold, we say we are not qualified and point to someone who is. We sell nothing, represent no company, and take no account details.
How a session runs
30 to 45 minutes, run by two student volunteers. No minimum or maximum group size — small tables and full rooms both work.
We bring a laptop and an HDMI cable. You provide a screen or television we can plug into — the one thing we cannot bring, so it is worth checking before you pick a room.
It is a talk with plenty of room for questions, and nobody needs to bring anything. In half an hour we can cover one topic properly or take a lighter pass across two or three; tell us which when you book.
Can you cover something else?
Possibly. Email Oliver.futurefinance@gmail.com and tell us what your group keeps running into. We would rather teach what they need than what is on our slides.