It’s all in Hashem’s hands.
Nevertheless, modern-day educators have a responsibility to teach their students how to succeed in the real world. As a result, Yeshiva Tiferes Moshe incorporates financial literacy into its Grade 8 curriculum. The yeshiva hosts Mr. Yaacov Granek, an instructor with over forty years of experience in the field of finance, enabling its students to enter adulthood with a broader knowledge of economics and financial discipline.
Mr. Granek focuses on: The Math of Money (Interest, Debits, Credits, and Reconciliations); Money in the Future; Credit, Good and Bad; Market Forces, Supply versus Demand; Response to Incentives, the Risk-Reward Balance; Opportunity Cost; and Risk Management and Mitigation.
Mr. Granek weaves two fundamental principles into all of his captivating lessons. He stresses the difference between needs and wants, as well as the importance of delayed gratification.
“In my many years of preparing boys to become men, I’ve noticed a gap in the education process with regard to understanding and applying real-life situations into what can often be considered the dry topics of economics and finance,” commented Rabbi Yaakov May, Menahel of Yeshiva Tiferes Moshe. “Having a seasoned professional such as Mr. Granek teaching the boys some basics is invaluable, and, to quote a leader in the financial service industry, priceless.”
Mr. Granek’s class is engaging, informative, and transforming. As one bystander noted, “Mr. Granek accomplishes imparting economics and finance in a most non-traditional manner that [spurs] classroom participation.”
Mr. Granek spent time in many well-known financial banking, insurance, retail, and institutional brokerage firms. He specializes in transformational and exponential technologies, back-office business operations, client services, and global program management. Most recently, Mr. Granek decided to “give back” to the community by developing several finance-related educational programs and by establishing an advisory consultancy practice aimed at assisting individuals, families, and institutions. To paraphrase him: “I think of my services as attempts to help people get on track and stay on track. I assist these people in making their major life events non-disruptive and not filled with angst.”
By Tovia Paris