Every time I try, it's like trying to read that legalize stuff when you install software. Lost in the first paragraph. Personal finance and life skills should be a required courses. I was 22 with four years already in the Army when I learned to write my first check! Never even saw one before. I don't know why there are three distribution charges on my electric bills, and I can't understand the Indian accents of customer service nor do I trust they'd ever admit "oh, our bad, we're charging too much". I don't know how to get a loan or mortgage other than to go to the bank and hope they won't screw me over with small print industry jargon that I don't understand. It goes on and on. My family didn't own a car, and I was 24 when I finally got my license; had to buy a car first because you have to be on the insurance to take the test. I think my high school 12 miles away offered a driving course, but it was after school and I didn't have a way home if I missed the school bus.
So I resort to using things like Turbo Tax to do my taxes, only to find out it doesn't do local taxes. So after asking around, I find out local taxes are apparently handled by private companies in my state. After finally figuring out where my account is, I come to learn my employer has been taking out taxes for their city instead of mine. I don't know what the fuck to do now and I don't know how I could have avoided it all.
But hey, we spent all of high school debating half a dozen different meanings to every word of Shakespeare, and got to see a nipple in the movie adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Lots of very fulfilling study halls, and we weren't allowed to go to the library or computer lab if we had no assignments to do; no, we had to sit there and stare at the lunch tables.