FoolProof Academy

Financial Literacy and Consumer Life Skills Taught by Young People

FoolProof Partners with Troutwood

FoolProof and Troutwood create a path for every student to graduate with a working financial plan.

FoolProof is excited to have Troutwood as a strategic resource partner. Troutwood provides teachers and students the technology to learn and create a financial plan for life.

Learn more...

Be FoolProof — Learn to Make Thoughtful Decisions

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Latest Posts

Worried About Your Kids Being Manipulated Online?

Video: AI - From Fun to Violations

Privacy Trouble: You Didn't Do This, Did You?

Loud Budgeting, and Other Unusual Money Habits That Can Make You Money!

AI: From Fun to Violations

Can Credit Cards Hurt Young People?

Top 5 - Privacy Problems for Consumers!

Stop Your Apps from Needlessly Sharing Your Location!

Guides

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Car Buying Guide

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Home Buying Guide

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Mortgage Guide

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Student Loan Guide

Your kids are being influenced by marketers at younger and younger ages. FoolProof helps your children develop critical thinking skills.

Money Horror Stories

Ripped Off or Scammed?


Have you ever been ripped off or scammed...? Fell for a sales pitch that hurt you? Racked up enormous debt (without knowing it)?

Your experience can help others (and help yourself too)!

In this section, we feature real life stories from people who've been hurt financially, in any consumer transaction, and that have been willing to share their stories, so others (you, perhaps!) won't step in the same trap.

View All Stories

Topics

Impulse Buying

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How many impulse buys are you making?

You'll probably make 40,000 impulse buying decisions in your lifetime.

This section shows you how to recognize the "traps" that lead you to those decisions.

The three impulse buying traps:

  1. Confusing "wants" and "needs."
  2. Falling for Advertising.
  3. Believing in Quick Fixes.

You'll save hundreds of thousands of dollars over your lifetime if you learn how to avoid the these traps.

Hall of Shame

Don't Be Fooled

FoolProof's Hall of Shame gives you info on companies that claimed to love people, but ended up messing with people in some dodgy way instead.


Why Are We Telling You This?

We want to inject you with a big dose of healthy skepticism!

The most honest seller is not going to tell you what's wrong with their product or service. Their job is to sell you, whether it's good for you, or not.

Your job: To stop-and-question anyone who wants to impact your money or your well-being.

FoolProof Strategic Partners

Should you get all your information from one source? No way!

Other great sources are out there. That's what this page is about: resources we trust.

Should you trust these resources just because we do? Not a chance! You're a healthy skeptic; use your best judgement.

Elementary School

Money Tales Books

Authored by former FDIC Chair, Sheila Bair, this series distills complex financial topics into exciting stories for young readers. From Ponzi schemes to inflation and contracts, Money Tales helps conversations at home and in the classroom. Interested in Money Tales books for your classroom? FoolProof may be able to help get you some free books! Interested teachers can contact us for more info.

Gifting Sense

A free tool that helps children get ready for all the personal finance decisions that lie in their future  –  by helping them experience first-hand why thinking before buying is such a powerful and rewarding life skill. Through their "Does it Make Sense Score" tool, students can quickly research the true value of a possible purchase.

Middle & High School

Troutwood

A free, app and web based financial planning and education tool.

From creating your own financial plan and modeling possible investment returns to learning about companies and careers in your neighborhood, Troutwood offers a wealth of independent planning information for free.

The Neighbormood

FoolProof's free, app-based game in partnership with Dot Dot Fire and the 2022 Institute for Financial Literacy Game of the Year. Learn how to be a healthy skeptic in a safe, ad-free environment.

College Planning

Understanding FAFSA

The Center for New York City Affairs has put together guides, videos, and other resources to help you get the most out of the student loan process. All information is free and can be personalized to your unique circumstances.

College Money Matters

Tools from a nonprofit designed to reach students and families before they start borrowing for college. From selecting a school to non-tuition expenses, this site is focused on what college-bound students need to know now.

FoolProof & Walter Cronkite

"The FoolProof Foundation believes there is a fundamental flaw in the teaching of financial literacy."

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About the FoolProof Foundation

Where Your Money Goes

How we have put your donated funds to work.