From the Classroom to Retirement with Kathy Cuevas

From the Classroom to Retirement with Kathy Cuevas

Author: Next Gen Personal Finance January 21, 2026 Duration: 49:33

In this episode of the NGPF Speaker Series, former teacher Kathy Cuevas shares her career journey into education and the real-life experiences that shaped her approach to teaching—especially serving students with disabilities and students from low-income communities. She offers practical, classroom-tested advice for educators who are new to teaching personal finance, including how to get creative when resources are limited and how to seek support beyond your own school building. Kathy also walks listeners through hard-earned lessons from her own financial life. She talks about the mistakes, setbacks, and turning points that ultimately helped her retire with confidence. The conversation dives into teacher-specific retirement topics like 403(b) plans, real estate, and why building multiple streams of income can create flexibility in retirement. They also break down advanced strategies in accessible language, including Roth conversions, required minimum distributions, and how to think about risk over the long term. Overall, it's a candid, motivating conversation that encourages teachers to start planning early, keep learning, and build a retirement roadmap they can actually feel good about.


Behind the mission of Next Gen Personal Finance-a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring every U.S. high school student takes a personal finance class-is a vibrant community of educators constantly refining their craft. The NGPF Podcast sits at the heart of that conversation. It’s a space where teachers, curriculum specialists, and sometimes even students share their real-world experiences and challenges in bringing financial literacy to life. You’ll hear practical discussions about what actually works in the classroom, from innovative lesson plans to navigating tricky topics like investing, credit, and behavioral economics. The episodes, often born from the organization's deep investment in teacher professional development, feel less like formal lectures and more like insightful coffee-break chats with colleagues who are just as passionate about empowering the next generation. Tuning into this podcast offers a direct line to the strategies and stories that are shaping financially capable young adults, all grounded in the high-quality resources NGPF is known for. It’s an essential listen for anyone invested in the practical side of financial education, whether you're in a classroom or simply believe in the critical importance of these skills for the future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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