For several years, advocacy groups have recognized the need to strengthen financial education in the K-12 schools. Current statistics support their concerns. Financial illiteracy in the United States is astoundingly high. From 1992 to 2000, disposable personal income for Americans rose by 47 percent, but personal spending rose by 61 percent. In those eight years, the overall personal savings rate fell from nearly 6 percent to zero. Half of all Americans today are living paycheck to paycheck. Fifty percent of all adults have not started saving for retirement. For many Americans, unpaid credit card balances exceed 401(k) balances. These are but a few of the statistics that point out the importance of preparing young people to manage their personal finances intelligently. Personal finance and economic content can be taught using a variety of strategies and practices in the K-12 classroom. For example, in "What Happens When a Bank Makes a Loan?" children participate in a role-playing activity designed to help them recognize the impact of loans on the community. Although children may know that banks are a place to keep savings, they are less likely to know that banks make loans and even less likely to know about the impact that those loans have on the community. This lesson demonstrates that impact in an engaging way. Many instructional materials now available emphasize other active-learning practices including group work, simulations, and inquiry. Teachers can find such materials in printed sources, at certain websites, and through various community partnerships. A list of resources is provided. (Contains 22 endnotes.)