Learn about money at your own level.
FLARE is a student-run video library covering personal finance, taxes, and economics. Each video is assigned one of five difficulty levels, from introductory topics like income and banking to advanced material on corporate filings, so you can start with the version that fits what you already know.
We publish what we learn.
FLARE is a student organization at Lamar Academy in the Rio Grande Valley. Members pick something they had to work out for themselves, such as how tax withholding works, what moves a credit score, or why rent went up, and make a short video explaining it.
Every video gets a difficulty level and a topic, then joins the library alongside other explanations of the same subject. Answer a question once, and the next person doesn’t have to start from nothing.
Made by students
Every video comes from a FLARE member who worked through the subject themselves. This is not a purchased curriculum, and it is not a scripted lesson.
Sorted by difficulty
The same subject is explained more than once, at different levels. If a video assumes something you haven't learned yet, there is a simpler version of it.
Nothing to sell
We explain how financial products and obligations work. We do not recommend them. FLARE accepts no sponsorship, affiliate arrangements, or referral payments, and no contributor is compensated for what they publish. Where a contributor is uncertain, the video says so.
The five levels
Levels describe what a video assumes you already know, not how old you are. The age ranges are a rough guide.
- 1Spark
Ages 13–14
Assumes nothing. What a paycheck is, what a bank does with your money.
- 2Ember
Ages 14–16
Assumes a first job. Pay stubs, a simple return, how credit is scored.
- 3Blaze
Ages 16–18
Assumes earned income. Index funds, 1099 work, student loans, and aid.
- 4Torch
18 and up
Assumes introductory coursework. Monetary policy, filings, valuations.
- 5Flare
College and up
Assumes study in the field. One narrow question, examined at length.