Live from Boston: Financial Literacy, Teacher Advocacy, and the Power of Community (Episode 31)
Welcome to #CreditChat Live From Boston, a special limited series within the #CreditChat Live podcast featuring conversations with educators and advocates from the Jump$tart National Educator Conference — dedicated to exploring the future of financial literacy in America’s classrooms.
This episode features Susan Comparato, a financial literacy educator with Swampscott Public Schools in Swampscott, Massachusetts, recorded live in Boston, Massachusetts at the 16th annual National Educator Conference (NEC). A 30-year teaching veteran and Jump$tart ambassador, Susan has spent nearly a decade championing personal finance education in her school — and is now fighting to make it a statewide requirement in Massachusetts.
Christina and Rod sit down with Susan to hear how she secured a financial literacy requirement at her school back in 2017, long before it was a statewide conversation. She opens up about the power of sharing personal financial mistakes in the classroom, the importance of community among financial educators, and the work she and fellow teacher Jackie Collins are doing to revive the Massachusetts Jump$tart Coalition — just in time for the conference to come home.
Susan closes with the one lesson she hopes every student carries with them long after they leave her classroom: pay yourself first.
#CreditChat Live is a podcast series hosted by Experian, featuring expert insights on a variety of financial topics, from credit scores to debt management. Join co-hosts Rod Griffin and Christina Roman for enlightening discussions aimed at empowering you to achieve financial success. Join us in our evolution from the decade-long #CreditChat on X, hosted every Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET. Follow @Experian on X, @Experian.us on Instagram, and @ExperianNews on Facebook & TikTok for updates!
You can subscribe to the #CreditChat Live podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Audible, iHeart Radio, Google Play, Deezer, and YouTube.
Watch the full video episode here!
About Susan Comparato
Sue Comparato is a Business Teacher and Digital Literacy Specialist at Swampscott High School where she has taught for the past 30 years. Her passion is empowering teenagers with critical financial literacy skills, focusing on debt management, financial goal setting, and safe banking practices. Through hands-on projects, such as investing simulations and budget creation, she equips students to make informed decisions, mitigate financial risk, and achieve long-term financial independence.