Zachary Schwartz sends free credit score guide to 750 superintendents

Zachary Schwartz, a New York City high school student, expanded his free financial literacy project, The Economic Blindspot, by sending a credit score guide to 750 superintendents across five states. The effort comes as new survey data show many Americans still do not understand credit scores and as schools face ongoing gaps in personal finance education.

Why it matters: - Students can leave high school without learning how credit scores, loans, paychecks, taxes, and interest rates affect daily life. - Schwartz is trying to close that gap before students make costly financial mistakes. - The free guide reached school districts serving more than 3 million students. - A March 2026 U.S. News survey found 59% of consumers did not know FICO scores are what lenders use to judge creditworthiness, up from 53% the year before. - The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimates about 1 in 10 American adults has a credit record that is too limited or too outdated to produce a credit score.

What happened: - Zachary Schwartz launched The Economic Blindspot, a free financial literacy publication focused on economics, markets, and personal finance. - Schwartz sent his e-book, Your Credit Score Controls Your Life: Here’s How to Manage It, to 750 superintendents in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, South Carolina, and Florida. - Those districts collectively serve more than 3 million students. - Schwartz is a student at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in New York City.

The details: - The Economic Blindspot publishes articles, e-books, Instagram posts, explanation videos, and a state-by-state financial literacy policy tracker at the publication's website. - Schwartz says the publication is aimed at young adults and students and is designed to be digital, clear, and easy to access. - Schwartz began stock market simulations in fourth grade and later built experience through coursework, internships, and teaching. - In 2025, Schwartz completed an introductory finance and economics course through the New York Institute of Finance. - He returned as a teaching assistant and summer intern for the institute’s Wall Street stock market program, where he taught more than 150 students from more than 15 countries. - Schwartz also completed an internship in asset development, financing, and selection at a biotech hedge fund. - He teaches financial literacy through the Junior Economic Club of New York City’s High Returns program with students in Harlem. - Ashley Battaglia, vice president of partnerships and business development at the New York Institute of Finance, said Schwartz’s contributions to the program were “truly invaluable.” - Battaglia said Schwartz was proactive in working with students, helping facilitate group activities, and making sure everyone felt supported.

Between the lines: - Schwartz is building the project around practical situations, not just definitions. - The credit guide covers opening a first credit card, missing a payment, and taking out a car loan. - The e-book is the first installment in a planned 26-part A-to-Z series covering topics from APR to compound interest. - Schwartz plans to use each guide as the basis for an in-person class. - The project also functions as an advocacy tool by tracking whether states require personal finance classes and how strong those requirements are. - The State Financial Literacy Policy Tracker covers all 50 states and Washington, D.C. - The tracker shows whether a requirement applies to a student’s graduating class, which helps identify where personal finance instruction is guaranteed and where gaps remain.

What's next: - Schwartz plans to expand The Economic Blindspot with a weekly newsletter covering the stock market, market trends, and broader economic analysis. - He is continuing to build the A-to-Z e-book series and add new financial literacy guides. - Schools interested in a financial literacy session can contact theeconomicblindspot@gmail.com. - Readers can also follow @theeconomicblindspot on Instagram or use the publication's website to access articles, e-books, and the policy tracker.

The bottom line: - Schwartz is turning a student-run publication into a broader financial literacy pipeline for schools, with a focus on practical credit education and state-by-state policy gaps.