With a backdrop of cheering family and friends, high school seniors are filing across stages this month to receive their diplomas and head off in new directions, either into the workforce, toward college or perhaps both. More than three million students in the U.S. are expected to graduate this year from high school – that’s a lot of “Congratulations Graduate!” greeting cards. Will yours be stuffed with cash? Graduation is a $4-billion-plus business – and growing.

Money and Mortarboards: The Growing Graduation Business

In April, which also happens to be National Financial Literacy Month, Knowledge@Wharton High School traveled to Amsterdam in Holland for the Child & Youth Finance International summit. While there, we sat down with Tom Rosen Jacobsen, a 10th grader from Amsterdam, to talk about the more than 70 youth from 40 countries participating in the event, and the challenge of agreeing on policy recommendations even when you don’t speak the same language.

Building Up Those Bank Accounts: An Amsterdam Student’s View on Global Financial Literacy

While April is National Financial Literacy Month, the movement to help young people better manage their money is actually quite global. Knowledge@Wharton High School traveled to Amsterdam in April to take part in the Child & Youth Finance International summit, which brought together youth and senior-level representatives from across various sectors to discuss financial education for children and youth around the world. While there, KWHS editor Diana Drake sat down with Melvis Mirazi, a senior at Zwelibanzi High School in Durban, South Africa, to discuss saving money in her part of the world.

Financial Literacy: The Voice of South African Youth