Purpose: In the current economic climate, young people's attitudes and habits related to money management seem to be of great interest. The primary purpose of this study is to advance the knowledge base in the area of personal finance education. Methodology: This survey was administered by English teachers to a convenience sample population of 326 high school seniors, representing seven small, medium, and large public high schools in a midwestern state. The survey gathered the students' perceptions related to purchasing decisions and courses they had taken. Results: Findings included the following: (1) students expect to equal or surpass their parents' standard of living; (2) the strongest influence on students' money management decisions was their own independent thinking; (3) a part-time job was their most important source of income, (4) the median amount students spent in a month was $115; (5) when spending money, males were more influenced than females by external factors such as movies or the Internet; (6) business classes provided more helpful money management information than other classes; and (7) the personal finance topic taught the least often was home mortgages. Conclusion: A major conclusion was that these high school seniors have a positive outlook on their future earning power, in fact, expecting to equal or surpass their parents' standard of living. (Contains 5 tables.)