Reality fair teaches students the art of budgeting

More than 60 Poplar Bluff High School students signed up to participate in the fifth annual Reality Fair to learn about money management during an event similar to a poverty simulation held Wednesday, Feb. 27, at Three Rivers College.

Administered locally by the Ozark Federal Credit Union in partnership with business leaders, the program was developed by the University of Missouri at Kansas City and the Department of Economic Education.

“One person changes career paths eight times in a lifetime,” Ozark FCU Business Development Specialist Davine Conover explained to over 200 students, including those of Neelyville and Naylor.

Students were randomly assigned family scenarios on an app through which they received a unique profile that included a career path, income, spouse, children, a credit card bill, insurance co-pay and student loan debt.

They were tasked with visiting several booths in order to make mock financial purchases, both major and minor, then gathered in the Tinnin Center theater for a lecture about the importance of wise financial decisions.

“Everything we do revolves around money,” stated Conover, who has been teaching financial literacy for over 14 years. “These [healthy] habits start today.”