On the same day President Bush signed a $150 billion economic-stimulus package in an attempt to head off a recession and offset a crisis in the home-mortgage market, a group of financial experts and educators met a few blocks from the White House to craft a plan for better preparing Americans, young and old, to manage their money. Financial education experts have been advocating teaching students economics and personal-finance skills for decades. But while they have seen progress in getting those lessons into the nation's high schools, concerns about the foundering economy are helping to highlight the need to improve students' understanding of money matters. This article reports on the flagging economy concerns which prompt experts and educators to concentrate on financial education. Preparing citizens for the complex financial decisions they have to make when buying a home, choosing health-insurance plans, or investing in retirement funds should start early, many experts say.