California State University, San Bernardino- CSBS Newsletter, October 2009

Attendees of the Fianancial Fitness Fair

Over 150 parents and students attended the Family Financial Fitness Fair on Saturday, October 17th from 9:00 to 3:00. Presented by California JumpStart and co-sponsored with the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and CSUSB’s Community University Partnership Initiative, the fair was developed to expose teens to financial concepts to help them build a firm financial future.

Fair workshop topics included establishing credit, spending and saving strategies, financial planning for college and beyond, and planning a career. In the opening session, Josh Shipp, a well-known teen motivational speaker, talked about turning life challenges into opportunities for success. Josh was abandoned as an infant, and to this day he has not met a biological relative. He credits his adoptive parents with instilling values that helped him realize success as a young entrepreneur. He has written books, toured with Bill Cosby and hosted a reality TV show. During the closing session, Dr. Jim Charkins, Professor of Economics at CSUSB, engaged students in a dynamic decision-making process that is useful to evaluate life choices that confront teens.