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Girl Scouts Add Consumer Finance to the Badges

posted by Nathalie Martin

People with young girls may already have heard about this. Girl Scouts has rolled out a few new badges just in time for its 100 year anniversary. The badges have not been changed since 1987. Good bye fashion and makeup, hello Science in Style which covers nanotechnology in fabric and the chemistry of sunscreen. The new badges include thirteen related to financial literacy, that look like this. They include money counts, making choices, money manager, philanthropist, business owner, savvy shopper, budgeting, comparison shopping, financing my dreams, financing my future, on my own, and good credit. The "Financing My Future" badge requires girls to create a plan for paying for college, and the "Financing My Dreams" badge requires demonstrated skill in budgeting. "Good Credit" requires an understanding of the various ways to borrow money and what goes into building a good credit score.

As a daily finance article put it, “most of us understand intuitively that the Girl Scouts of America aren't just about selling cookies. What you might not know is that the green-sashed entrepreneur who preys on your weakness for Thin Mints is also preparing to be your son's boss." That's girl power you can take to the bank!

March 11, 2012 at 1:01 PM in Consumer Finance, Financial Education & Literacy

Comments

In response, the Boy Scouts will probably issue merit badges in payday and subprime borrowing, and maybe one in lotto.

Posted by: Ebenezer Scrooge | March 12, 2012 at 08:44 AM

ha ha, Ebenezer you made my day! :)

Posted by: Nathalie Martin | March 12, 2012 at 10:24 AM

Ebenezer is right. The Boy Scouts are interested only in producing the next generation of cannon fodder for the 1%. The Girl Scouts, OTOH, are Hell-bent on producing uppity, socialist feminazis.

Posted by: Knute Rife | March 13, 2012 at 01:06 AM

You guys are having fun with this. Just looked and the boy scouts do have thier own badges on finanical literacy but no predatory lending yet. And clearly not as many as the girls.

Posted by: Nathalie Martin | March 13, 2012 at 11:15 AM

This Girl Scout leader was smiling on receipt of an email yesterday from the campaign of past regular contributer, Elizabeth Warren, also on the topic of the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouting and girl power: http://blogs.reuters.com/talesfromthetrail/2012/03/12/elizabeth-warren-recalls-girl-scouts-armed-with-sharp-knives/

Posted by: Lisa Ide | March 13, 2012 at 02:09 PM

The Boy Scouts have required Personal Management merit badge for Eagle Scouts for a long time. It has a reputation as a pretty challenging merit badge to earn.

Posted by: Bryan Gates | March 14, 2012 at 12:37 PM

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