Chapter 03
Between the ages of 16 and 20, financial decisions become real: bank account, first income, housing, binding subscriptions, sometimes credit. The challenge is no longer about teaching — it's practical. Every topic covered before they leave home is a problem avoided later.
A bank account shouldn't be chosen for its welcome offer alone. Look together at account-keeping fees, the cost of an overdraft, intervention fees, and charges abroad.
Have them read the fee terms themselves. It's a short exercise with lasting value.
The gap between gross and net pay surprises almost every young employee. Go through a payslip line by line: what's deducted, why, and what actually lands in the account.
From the very first paycheck, set up a splitting rule: one part for expenses, one for projects, one set aside with no specific purpose.
A student budget rarely holds up because yearly costs get forgotten: insurance, equipment, transport, healthcare, back-to-school expenses. List them first, then spread them across the year, month by month.
Income from a student job is often irregular: it's safer to build the budget around the leanest month.
Paying in installments, an authorized overdraft or consumer credit all have a cost, and that cost should be worked out before signing, not after.
A small monthly commitment is still a commitment: it reduces the room to maneuver every month for its entire duration.
Young adults are a prime target: fake investments, fake job offers, bank identity theft. The warning sign is always the same: a high return presented as risk-free, paired with pressure to decide quickly.
A simple rule worth passing on: no financial decision should ever be made on the spot.
Try the first missions for 7 days, no bank card required.
See the plans and formulas