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Investeens is about three things: education, perspective, and advocacy.
Education
Our primary aim in everything we create is to educate. First and foremost is our business terms glossary whose unique features are illustrated below.
 Another way we educate is through cartoons. Our growing list of animations use humor and wit to explain difficult concepts painlessly. Teachers can use the summary questions to ensure that their students truly understand the concepts presented. Click the cartoon image of the two bears (could they be cats?) just under the main menu to begin looking at these exciting new ways to educate!
Additional materials include educational articles that promote good old-fashioned reading, home page columns by the Teen Editors, and regular Tweets that highlight the important business news of the day.
Perspective
The second purpose of Investeen is to provide teens with perspective on what is truly occurring in our economy. Frankly, the U.S. is in uncharted waters but much of the press glosses over it. We're reminded that our economy moves in cycles of expansion and contraction and that all we've really done in the last few years is go through another of those cycles. But really, is that all that's just happened? Didn't we learn that our elected officials regularly make decisions based on politics and social objectives (eg, "everyone should own a home") with disastrous results? Didn't we learn that goverment regulators at every level failed us miserably? Didn't we learn that big business dismantled the regulations and protections in place to prevent their outrageous risk taking? Apparently not. And now, amazingly, the goverment and the press turn to the parties who caused the crisis for advice on what we should do going forward! What are the issues we should be following now? A few:
- How much of the recovery is real and how much of it is being propped up by unsustainable government borrowing and spending?
- Can we reduce the deficits and still maintain economic growth?
- When will we get serious about reducing our deficits? (From the tax deal struck by President Obama and the Congress in late 2010, it appears they're going to kick the can down the road another two years, over which time the national debt will continue to skyrocket).
- If the government won't do anything about its rising debts, when might the markets do something about them by demanding higher interests rates on those debts?
- What information put out by governments and corporations can we trust to be accurate and not misleading?
Where can you find this perspective? First, take a journey through the MUST READS section shown just below the main menu. In it, we highlight articles that provide a real sense of what is happening. Some of the articles are surprising, others disconcerting. At Investeens, we give you credit for being able to handle it. It is better to be informed so you can incorporate this information into important decisions you must make about the future.
Also, look to the "Investeens explains:" section of the Glossary definitions for important perspective. Check out the definitions of SEC and Quantitative Easing for examples of what we mean.
Advocacy
What the adults have done to today's generation via its debt accumulation is truly immoral. Senator John McCain characterized the stimulus bill enacted in 2009 to get the economy growing after the crisis as "generational theft". Well put. Not until senior year do some of our high schoolers attain the age of 18, finally allowing them to have a vote at the ballot box. In the years leading up legal adulthood, they have to watch as Washington digs the hole ever bigger.
Before we can effectively advocate for today's teens, we must reach a critical mass of active members and a have a thriving community of people with the skills and passion to make a difference. Therefore, we encourage you to spread the word and help build the Investeens community by registering, contacting other members, and beginning a rewarding dialogue.
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