Tom Barrella Expands Investeens.com's Model to Include Financial Education Cartoons For Teens

MASSAPEQUA PARK, NY, April 07, 2011 (Press-News.org) Tom Barrella, a leading high school educator of teen investing, initially launched Investeens.com not only to teach teens about investing, but to help them understand the dire state of the nation and what it means for them. As part of his curriculum, Barrella found the best way to illustrate financial situations and maintain the short attention span of young minds that have been shaped by social media is to entertain them with an animated series of characters designed to explain complex financial concepts in a vernacular they can easily understand.

One example of the series is the cartoon 'Risk & Return' that Mr. Barrella developed to explain and illustrate the concepts of investing as seen here. According to Barrella, "If the financial crisis has taught us anything, it's that the relationship between risk and return is more complex than ever. Recall that around the world, hundreds of billions of dollars were invested in AAA rated bonds by individuals, investment funds, and governments for the specific reason that they wanted minimal risk. And yet, they were wrecked in the crisis anyway. Now, we're in a situation where the Federal Reserve's actions are promoting inflation, which holds the potential to victimize bond investors yet again. After viewing the 'Risk & Return' cartoon, students can begin appreciating this most fundamental of investing concepts."

As a financial educator, Tom Barrella's primary goal is to help teenage students understand the following:

_ What led up to the recent decline of the economy
_ The questionable steps the government is taking to get the economy growing again
_ How they can start becoming part of the solution

"Many of the actions currently being taken by the federal government, state governments, and big business are questionable at best," says Barrella. "Someone has to put their actions into perspective. I believe that framing it in a form of entertainment that is non-threatening allows students to make their own conclusions and sets a platform for spirited discussion."

Tom Barrella created the Investeens.com site to improve investing education for both teachers and students. Interwoven with links to up-to-the-minute financial news content is a critical perspective which is simply missing from other educational sites. A panel of student contributors supply content to the site and editorialize on the news of the day.

The beauty of Investeens.com is that it is accessible to teens and their teachers across the nation — and the world. Membership is free and student members can find each other and begin an instructive dialogue as part of its growing community.

As a leading financial and investment educator, Tom Barrella has been highly rated by his students at Syosset High School located in Long Island, NY. Tom Barrella's life goal is to provide a learning environment that encompasses his mantra of Education, Perspective, and Advocacy. Tom Barrella speaks and writes passionately about the financial issues facing the next generation. Contact him directly to schedule an interview or to invite him to be a keynote speaker by Email: tom.barrella@investeens.com, or phone: (917) 613-2066, or join Mr. Barrella on Twitter @Investeens.

Investeens was started by Mr. Tom Barrella, a leading teen investing educator who teaches at Syosset High School on New York's Long Island. About 100 students each year learn financial and investing concepts in Mr. Barrella's Investment Decision Making course. Another 60 students are members of the Syosset's Investment Club for which Mr. Barrella is the advisor. Mr. Barrella also teaches a college-level course in corporate finance.

Mr. Barrella holds a bachelors degree in Management Systems from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a masters degree in secondary education from Hofstra University. He has passed New York State's Life, Accident and Health Insurance exam and the national Series 7 exam but does not practice in the insurance or financial planning fields. In the 1980's and 1990's, Mr. Barrella co-founded and helped grow the public company Radiant Systems (Nasdaq symbol: RADS).