The students in Cary Reichardt’s Introductory Economics and Financial Literacy class at TABC have been introduced to some of the basic economic principles that drive our economy. Although learning theory is important, one of the goals of the course is to make those theories more relevant to the students in their own lives. Last week, the students were privileged to hear from guest speaker and former TABC parent, Jacob (Yitzie) Solomon, MBA, CFP. Solomon engaged students in his talk about financial planning and crucial factors driving today’s economy. During this time of uncertainty about interest rates, record high rates of inflation, and lingering effects of the pandemic, Solomon helped students identify “defensive instruments” in the market which could maximize return and minimize risk. He also encouraged students to begin their retirement planning now with a Roth IRA! As Solomon pointed out, senior year of high school is a transitional time when the “black and white” binary thinking of their childhoods comes to an end, and a lot more gray comes into focus. The students were full of questions that will be addressed in future class discussions.