I often wonder at the dire lack of financial instruction in schools. While there may be a short unit in math on how to balance a checkbook, there is little else about managing finances. Young people are in need of much more. They have no idea what money is really worth.

A college debt of 100,000 dollars is hard for them to compute. How can they? They know nothing about interest and the future bills they will be dealing with. They don’t know the cost of living. They think they can pay their loan off in a couple of years. They don’t know that college loans cannot be declared in a bankruptcy—they are stuck with them for life. Our children are clueless.

Young people fall prey to pyramid schemes and predators who are out to cheat them. They take out loans for businesses that fail, pulling them into financial ruin. They know nothing about budgeting, debt, risk assessment… the education system has failed them.

Young couples buy houses without considering the interest they will be paying. They don’t know that if they pay just a little more every month, they could pay if off in fifteen years instead of thirty. Better yet, they could live cheaply for a few years and buy a house out right!

It is nice in school to learn about sports and health, woodworking is fun. I also enjoyed choir and literature. However, when I graduated, I knew little about money. Do we ever go through a day without using money? Money is essential to doing business. Money is how we trade seamlessly, how we pay our debts, how we serve one another, how we support our church. The Bible speaks a lot about money-how to use it and warns us about its dangers. Shouldn’t we be teaching our children about money?

My daughter has a friend who is caught up in a pyramid scheme. These are illegal in the United States, but they still exist or have close imitations. My daughter tries to explain to her why the business will not work and how she is being taken advantage of. She tells her to look at the bottom line-how much is she making? Her friend thinks she just needs to word harder. These businesses often “love bomb” their associates and lie about the finances. They tell them they just need to sign up more clients. They are scams. If we educate our children in business and finances, they will be better armed against these con artists. An education in finances and business will help them all their life. This knowledge is truly useful.

It was this lack of curriculum which inspired me to write this course. Even among homeschoolers there are few choices. I hope and pray that this course will help to fill this gap in education. May it instill in students an appreciation and respect for business and be an inspiration for managing their resources well.

Who in the world is Karin Tucker and why is she giving away her course for free?

Most people have not given much thought to business. They go about their day making their coffee, frying their eggs, opening their laptops with nary a thought for the many businesses that make all these things possible. I believe business is a marvelous creation of God which enables us to serve one another with love. Obviously, the Fall has ruined much of this, but as Christians we can go about redeeming the gift of business. We can do business without cheating or destroying one another. We can do business with love.

My husband and I have a business which sells software to thousands of lawn care companies—Clip.com. We have learned much from our customers, investors and suppliers about business. It warms our heart when we hear of how our software has helped owners be able to spend more time with their families-some have even said it has saved their marriage! Helping companies run smoothly and efficiently is a joy. Figuring out how to make them more profitable is a puzzle that we love working on. Our other software, Know-it-All, helps people organize their information on their computer. Frankly, I don’t know how people use computers without it! Helping people through business is fun and rewarding. We are grateful to God for giving us this way of serving others.

I am a mother to five children. I was not usually directly involved in our business. I homeschooled our five children and ran the household which I loved doing. My husband and I would talk together constantly about our business. We would read books about business, attend conferences, and try out ideas. Through the years we have seen our little business grow into something that we never imagined it would. God is Great. We love owning a business and believe Christian owners can have a great effect on enlarging the Kingdom of God. Now, my husband travels to other countries to speak about homeschooling and business. It’s amazing what God has done! I thank Him.

So why did I write this course? After we were first married, my husband and I were missionaries in Mexico. Years later, we began doing mission trips to Mexico speaking to homeschoolers. My heart goes out to the homeschoolers in Mexico, they do not have the resources we have. There is so much potential for business, yet the government is so corrupt. Having a small business-not too big to attract the drug cartel or get ensnared by government restrictions is one answer for those struggling to survive. This inspired me to write a curriculum (the Spanish version is coming soon), not just for the homeschoolers in America, but for those all over the world-especially in Latin countries. I believe it is crucial for young people to understand the importance of business and the free market. They are precious. They are a blessing from God. Children should understand their importance and the opportunities owning a business can bring. Business is a beautiful blessing. I want to teach this to others.

The homeschooling community is wonderful. They have been good to me and I deeply appreciate their value. I have enough money. I want to give back. That’s why I am giving my course away for free. It has cost me time, labor and money. It is my gift to you. I hope it is of worth to you.