On a blustery winter morning, about 50 Harvard University students gradually settled into their seats under the glow of fluorescent lights, setting up laptops, pulling out notebooks, and sipping coffee to rouse themselves waiting for the lecture to begin.

But the subject wasn’t philosophy, medieval history, or Russian literature. It was something less lofty: how to choose credit cards, budget money, and understand credit scores.

“I have very little background in personal finance,” admitted Anna Sato, 18, a freshman from Long Island, N.Y., before the class. “I have to learn the ­basics.”

That the brightest college students confess they know so little about money is just one sign of what many economists, government officials, and educators say is the country’s woeful lack of financial literacy. Some analysts have even suggested that lack of financial knowledge contributed to each of the last two recessions.

who is this guy, Mel Gibson?

Some analysts have even suggested that lack of financial knowledge contributed to each of the last two recessions.