Playing around with Google Trends and wondered how various search terms are trending.

Interesting to see three of these search terms”credit cards,” “credit score” and “investing” all converging together. Wondering about the purple trend line that barely registers above zero over the past five years? Oh, that’s “financial literacy.” Many say they need it, but few seem to be searching for it:) Of course, one way to build financial literacy is search on the specific financial product that you are interested in. Any other insights?

_________

Idea: Have your students select their own financial terms or phrases and see how their trending using Google Trends.

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.