Sam Irwin, CPA

There’s a quote often attributed to Albert Einstein: “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it. He who doesn’t, pays it.” I don’t know if Einstein actually said that. But I know it’s true, because I’ve lived both sides of it. For most of my twenties, compound interest … Read more

The CARD Act of 2009 made a real difference. Campus tables with free pizza disappeared. Students under 21 couldn’t get approved without a co-signer or proof of income. The number of college credit card accounts dropped 17 percent in the years after the law passed. But if you think credit card companies just gave up … Read more

In my last post, I wrote about getting my first credit cards as a college freshman in 1998. Two cards, no income, no real understanding of what I was signing up for. I maxed them out within months and spent years digging myself out. But here’s what I’ve come to understand since then: I wasn’t … Read more

So in the fall of 1998, I was a college freshman, and I ended up with two credit cards. I didn’t go looking for them, really. There were tables set up on campus, representatives from the big banks, simple applications. Maybe some free pens or something. I had almost no credit history and no income … Read more

My nephew Jonathan graduated from the University of South Carolina about five years ago with a degree in computer science. Good school. Practical major. He did everything you’re supposed to do. He also graduated with over $125,000 in student loans. That number still stops me when I think about it. A hundred and twenty-five thousand … Read more

In 2024, my son Matthew graduated from an A-rated high school in Central Florida. He’s smart and hardworking, headed to the University of Central Florida to study finance and accounting. He never took a class on how money works. Twenty-six years earlier, I graduated from a different high school in a different state. I also … Read more

My parents were immigrants. They came to this country and worked hard to build a life for our family of four brothers. In the 1990s, my dad was the primary breadwinner, working as a diesel truck engineer. My mom worked at a pharmaceutical company in their packaging department. They stretched every dollar. Groceries for a … Read more

Here’s something I didn’t know until recently: the federal government actually has an official body dedicated to improving financial literacy in America. It’s called the Financial Literacy and Education Commission, or FLEC. It was established by Congress in 2003. It’s chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury. The Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau … Read more

We’re in the middle of a financial literacy revolution in American high schools. As of late 2025, 30 states now require a standalone personal finance course for graduation. That’s up from just six states in 2019. Real progress. Much of this momentum comes from organizations like Next Gen Personal Finance. Their Mission 2030 campaign has … Read more

When I graduated from high school in the early 1990s, I had never heard the term “compound interest” explained in a classroom. I didn’t know how credit cards actually worked. No one walked me through what a lease agreement meant or why an emergency fund mattered. Thirty years later, my sons are in a different … Read more