After a successful career in finance, Örn Valdimarsson has made it his mission to improve financial education in his home country of Iceland. In this NGPF podcast, Orn describes what motivated him to teach, what topics he prioritizes in his classroom based on student interest as well as the bigger picture on the state of financial education in Iceland. What makes me think I have the best job on the planet is opportunities to meet people across the world like Orn who are kindred souls when it comes to believing in the power of financial education. Enjoy! 

Details:

• 0:00~0:24 Introduction
• 0:24~6:21 Current Events with MissBeHelpful: Women of the S&P
• 6:21~6:59 A word from NGPF: Certification Course Registrations are Currently Open!
• 6:59~8:45 Introducing this week’s guest: Örn Valdimarsson
• 8:45~10:41 Working as a banker in Iceland and Saudi Arabia
• 10:41~12:08 Motivation to become a teacher
• 12:08~20:23 The state of financial education and the role of the ombudsman in Iceland
• 20:23~24:26 How financial literacy materials are produced in Iceland
• 24:26~30:28 Working on making personal finance a requirement 
• 30:28~40:19 Important financial literacy topics
• 40:19~43:16 Did the Game Stop hype reach Iceland?
• 43:16~44:38 Conclusion

Resources:

• FinCap Friday: Until the Game Stops
• FinCap Friday: Women of the S&P

Quote:

• “To increase financial literacy in Iceland with the curriculum in mind, you have to produce good educational material that takes on knowledge, behavior, and attitude while creating a critical mind that gets people thinking.”

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.