I “took the risk” of going without guaranteed income. I tied my financial fortunes to my own efforts, rather than to the wisdom of senior executives and a prestigious board of directors.(The real risk, of course, was that I’d be thrown in jail for multiple homicide. In comparison to that, self-employment looked like the safest bet.)

Financial literacy is not about giving up your daily $4 lattes. It's about avoiding making costly money mistakes, saving hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of dollars over your lifetime.