Money

By Arielle Mathre of Bluesky Virtual School

Imagine high school without sports, yearbooks without athletes, Friday nights without the lights on at the football stadium.

By Tyanna Dickerson

When Vanessa Phillips, 17, was getting less and less hours at her job at Taco Bell, she started looking for a new one. She was surprised to find one within a month in this economy, and credits her success to a city funded program, STEP-UP, which helped her get her first job.

By Maya LeBeau, of Central High School

Madi Fink pulls down about $240 a month but she doesn’t get yelled at by management or deal with angry customers. But sometimes she does have to clean up spills, just not in aisle 4.

By Victoria Turcios of Washburn High School

For Porschea Kensey, a 15-year-old mom, a job means independence. If only she could find one.

By Isir Osman

“I searched up and down and it seemed like no one wanted to hire me for my skills. I didn’t know what to do,” Luke Anshur said.

By Tyanna Dickerson

Don’t we all hate those awkward pauses and tricky questions during a job interview? Get tips on how to master the job interview.

By Jessica Langevin

For seven months, Kayla Fries, 17, was grateful to have a job working as a cashier at the local Snyders Drug Store, but after Walgreens bought the chain, she found herself one of many teens looking for a job.

By Simon Lancaster

At sundown on April 16, a chilly Friday night in Minneapolis, 13-year-old Qa’id Walter’s feelings on homelessness were rather lighthearted. “Homelessness doesn’t seem so bad,” he said. “It sounds kinda easy and ya know, maybe a little fun.”

By Youth Communication, reporting, and Meleck Davis, graphic, of Triangle Park Creative

The 2010 census is the shortest in its 220 year history, said Minnesota State Demographer Tom Gillaspy. It only asks 10 questions this decade.

By Grace Pastoor

The census, first required in 1790, is — as Minnesota State Demographer Tom Gillaspy says — “the very core of being American.” When we were fighting the Revolutionary War, we were fighting for representation, and that’s exactly what the census has set out to do – represent us by counting us.

By Lisa Fan and Lisa Fan

If you are a teenager and are considering applying for a credit card, you should think fast, because it won’t be so easy thanks to a recent change in federal law.

By Ariel Nash

The college search is a big step for a teen. By the age of 17, not only are acceptance letters flooding your mailbox, but credit card applications are also sneaking their way in with the good news. In fact some of the applications come with pre-approved cards, embossed with your first and last name. It’s easy to feel important and rich, but it’s also dangerous.

Under the new federal law that takes effect in February, credit card companies can’t issue cards directly to anyone under 21. Instead, their parents or other adults must co-sign for the card, or teens must prove that they have sufficient income to pay off their debt.

By Lisa Fan of East Ridge High School

My MoneyTalk teammates, Mary and Ariel, and I, are not exactly experts on cars. None of us has owned a car so we wanted to get a first-hand experience with car buying. To be honest, I was pretty clueless about cars, and Ariel and Mary weren’t car-smart either. I was nervous about how we would be treated. I had also read several articles online about how car dealerships are out to deceive buyers.

By Lisa Fan and Lisa Fan of East Ridge High School

As newly licensed drivers, many teens are interested in buying their own car. But owning a car comes with many costs and responsibilities to keep in mind before you buy.