It was fun at our first day of practice haha. We met at the Vinoy Park in St. Pete on Saturday, I was coughing up a storm from my allergies ugh… But other than that we went over 2 songs “I must be dreaming” by The Maine and “Two is better than one” by Boys Like Girls. Also we found out we could do more than just two songs! So we decided to play one of Caroline’s, “Blank Piece of Paper” and one of mine, “Just Another Story”. I think that in March we will be completely ready to play! Hope that everyone will come and have a great time!!

- Matt W.
GTE Federal Credit Union Suite Caroline Strawberry Jam Contest Winner
Check out the U22 youth checking account for 12 to 22 year olds at www.U224U.com. Because learning about money is important no matter what your age.

Hey everyone! I was reading this article on CNNMoney.com that I found very startling. While it seems that the nation as a whole is dealing with a 10.2% jobless rate, teens are suffering a record unemployment rate of 27.6%. What’s happening is that people between the ages of 16 to 19 are having a hard time finding jobs because of the surplus of older, more experienced workers who are also having trouble finding jobs. Our parents are filling positions like being a waiter in restaurants or a cashier in a super market – jobs usually filled by teenagers like you and me. What makes the unemployment rate for young adults even worse is that because it is more difficult to find jobs, many teens give up and don’t bother to look. It’s a very vicious circle that is taking a heavy toll on the nation’s economy. Lawmakers are becoming very concerned about this growing problem and are attempting to make changes, but until then, we teens and young adults have to continue to seek out jobs and get experience, even if it’s unpaid. You’d be hard-pressed to find a business turning down free work or an internship. Now is actually a great time to find your dream job or your dream company and ask to intern, just for the experience and to put on your resume for future! There are paying jobs to be had out there, we just have to try harder and get inventive, like blogging for example. If you’re a good writer, a lot of companies are looking for blog-savvy teenagers who are reliable and excited to work. Put your name out there on Twitter or even on your Facebook page advertising your awesome blogging abilities for example. And who knows, maybe when we get a little older, we will be able to affect large enough change preventing economic turmoil like what we’re experiencing today!

Look into a GTE Federal Credit Union U22 checking account for teenagers 12 to 22 in Tampa Bay. Because learning and managing money right is important no matter what your age.

SONGWRITING

I get asked a lot about how I come up with my songs. A lot of people ask
me to write songs about them, or they tell me what they think would make a
great song. But thatʼs usually not how I get going on a song. An idea kind
of sticks with me for a few days, or a few weeks, or a few months even.
Then I start humming random tunes. Then if that same idea and tune stay
with me for a while, then I take it to the next step and get out my guitar and
start messing around. My mom always tries to write down and record when
I am doing this, because a lot of times I forget what I was working on and
then the idea dies. There are times when I pick up my guitar and the whole
song comes to me at once. Those actually end up being my favorite
originals.

I guess when you are a songwriter, you are really doing it all the time. A
bumper sticker may get me thinking, something a store clerk says may start
the process or even something that comes to me in a dream.

The truest thing I can tell you about songwriting is that LIFE IS FULL OF INSPIRATIONS!

Get inspired about money by looking in to a GTE Federal Credit Union U22 account for 12 to 22 year olds. It pretty much rocks!

Hello All!

Last year’s presidential election drew the attention of my teenagers for the first time, giving them a full lesson in the political process. Maybe it was their age, perhaps the state of the economy. Nevertheless, (and regardless of political party affiliations), I saw this as an important step towards being a responsible adult.

Since the election, we’ve seen government push forth for a program that would educate our youth on finances. As Business Week put it earlier this month, “When it comes to financial matters, Americans are functionally illiterate.”

So while the intent to educate has been alive for over a decade, those behind the financial literacy program say that during a strong economy many assumed we knew what to do with our money (other than spending it). Let’s reflect back on my previous blogs, ‘Teens Top 10 Money Myths’, obviously that assumption was not accurate.

As the Business Week article reported, “President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy issued a 57-page report in January just before President Barack Obama took office. Among other recommendations, the council said states and the federal government should mandate financial education from kindergarten to grade 12, and require college students to take a financial literacy course before taking out student loans.”

It seems our government leaders are seeking to correct our economy from both ends – what caused it (in part, financial illiteracy), as well as the other factors we’ve read about in the news. So I dove into learning more about the proposed Financial Literacy programs for our youth. One of several bills in Congress addressing the issue would devote $250 million per year to financial education, with the money split between K-12 schools and colleges. I love the thought of this program as my kids try to dodge me in my continued quest to educate them on money matters. (However, I have seen the results of my efforts in their savings accounts!)

A major benefit I’ve come to realize as a parent who is trying to educate my kids, is that our kids may soon be educated on finances within the schools from kindergarten through college. So educating them on saving, spending and investing will be unavoidable!

So there’s still a long road ahead in putting a Financial Literacy program into effect. I think we can all agree that with a program like this, we all win.

Learn more about a GTE Federal Credit Union U22 checking account for 12 to 22 year olds. Because learning about money is important no matter what your age!