May 05, 2017

NGPF Podcast: Tim Talks To Educator Nick Simmons of Hopkins Academy (Hadley, MA)

Thanks to Nick Simmons for his recent appearance on the NGPF Podcast. I learned about Nick’s work at the Hopkins Academy in Hadley, Massachusetts from a recent feature in the local paper describing his passion for personal finance. In this podcast, Nick shares his methods for teaching challenging topics like taxes and investing and how he uses technology in creative ways. You will also learn how his advocacy work made personal finance education a requirement at his high school. Enjoy!
Details:
  • 0:00~0:59 – Introduction
  • 0:59~1:43 – Where Nick works
  • 1:43~3:21 – Interest in teaching
  • 3:21~4:41 – Transition to teach personal finance
  • 4:41~6:12 – Building a personal finance course
  • 6:12~9:23 – Three important lessons
  • 9:23~11:41 – Describes students at Hopkins Academy
  • 11:41~13:49 – What worries his students
  • 13:49~14:40 – How he teaches taxes
  • 14:40~19:38 – How he teaches investing
  • 19:38~22:22 – The stock market
  • 22:22~23:21 – Where did the nickname, Sir Simmons come from?
  • 23:21~29:17 – How did personal finance become a graduation requirement at his school?
  • 29:17~29:34 – A word from our sponsor, Next Gen Personal Finance
  • 29:34~32:33 – Favorite lesson
  • 32:33~34:00 – How he uses technology as a tool
  • 34:00~36:46 – Web design
  • 36:46~38:13 – Keeping up to date on financial matters
  • 38:13~40:13 – Favorite sources
  • 40:13~41:06 – Best purchase under $10
  • 41:06~42:02 – Favorite book
  • 42:02~44:36 – Favorite story to tell his students
  • 44:36~48:29 – Student debt
  • 48:29~48:59 – Weekly text
  • 48:59~50:19 – Summer plans
  • 50:19~51:01 – Conclusion
Resources:
Quotes:
  • “Investing in individual stocks is like playing a basketball game against LeBron James. First point wins so you may get lucky and win but most likely you will lose.”

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.

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