As the saying goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," which is why UnDEBTfeated's nonprofit arm, H.I.R.E. vs. Higher, was designed as a preventative measure that ensures no more generations of young people have to suffer undue distress, trauma and disenfranchisement and the hands of predatory lending and lack of financial foundation.

 

Existing youth financial education solutions often rehash the same subjects of budgeting, saving, investing and building credit, with little to no focus on debt, unless it’s how to manage after the damage has already been done. 

 

What it's resulted in thus far:

 

• About 17% of children aged 8–14 have a credit card

• Student loans, credit cards and BNPL products are aggressively marketed to teens and young adults

• The broken education-to-employment pipeline leaves many grads poorly resourced & underpaid

 

With debt overwhelm increasingly normalized—to the point of becoming a commercial punchline—it’s time for a new solution.​