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Ever wonder which industries are the most profitable? The answers may surprise you.

No shock here — finance is far and away the winner, with closed-end equity funds reporting a profit margin of 81%. That means that for every dollar an equity firm earns in revenue, it spends only 19 cents on the costs of doing business and selling that product. Other top industries include periodical publishing (with a profit margin of 32.8%) and internet service providers (at 28.7%).

Yet when it comes to where the Average Joe spends his money, the industries are not as profitable as consumers might think. For example, regional airlines report an annual profit margin of 6.1%. According to this chart, restaurants see gross profit margins of between 3-6%. Movie theaters, despite the ever-increasing price of admission and concessions, only net 5.4%. And the much-maligned health insurance industry has a profit margin of just 3.8%.

Take a look at the full Yahoo! chart here, sorted by profit margin in descending order. Are there any industries that surprise you by how profitable (or unprofitable) they are?

April is not just tax season, it’s also Financial Literacy Month. So now is the perfect time to test your money knowledge on one of our 10 quizzes.

Think you’re an expert on entrepreneurship? How savvy are you on saving? Can you cut it when it comes to credit cards?

Or if you’re really up to the task, take our 20-question quiz that covers a broad spectrum of money topics. You just might learn something new.

This week, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman wrote about what the country really needs instead of yet another economic stimulus package:

What the country needs most now is not more government stimulus, but more stimulation. We need to get millions of American kids, not just the geniuses, excited about innovation and entrepreneurship again. We need to make 2010 what Obama should have made 2009: the year of innovation, the year of making our pie bigger, the year of “Start-Up America.”

On that note, and in the spirit of getting the year started on the right foot, here are five ways to teach the next generation about the American Dream.

1. You’re never too young to learn. TIME magazine recently profiled Chicago’s Ariel Community Academy and its K-8 investing program. Each incoming kindergarten class is given dominion over an investment portfolio worth $20,000; by seventh grade, the young investors are allowed to pick what and when to buy and sell. Any profits at eighth grade graduation go toward a college scholarship fund that benefits the graduating class.
2. Even lemonade stands are teaching tools. Watch our video for just a few of the lessons this classic summertime activity provides young kids.
3. Encourage teens to start their own companies. The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship’s flagship program is a contest at middle and high schools nationwide (mostly in low-income communities) that helps 24,000 participating students start their own businesses.
4. Avoid the “Freshmen Financial Fifteen.” College students are particularly at risk for not budgeting properly, signing up for expensive cell-phone plans, and abusing their credit cards. If they are aware of the responsible use of each, they are primed for a financially secure adulthood.
5. Finally, take the Econ4U Entrepreneurship Quiz. Even adults may be surprised at what they don’t know about starting a business.

A few recent studies shed some light on the subject. While most people end up marrying those who are overall similar in personality, “opposites attract” seems to be the case when it comes to spending and saving patterns.

But that doesn’t always translate into long-term financial happiness. Researchers from the University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University found that “spendthrifts” typically seek out “tightwads” (and vice versa):

“I can see how this might be one of those kinds of seductive differences in the early stages of courtship,” said Stephanie Coontz, a professor at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., and research director for the Council on Contemporary Families. “Maybe you say to yourself, ‘This guy makes me feel so free,’ or ‘This gal reins me in.’ ”

Which is unfortunate.

As previous studies have found, spending decisions are a common source of marital conflict and a major contributor to divorce. And as prior literature would predict, this new study showed that financially polar pairs report greater conflict over money, and lower levels of connubial bliss.

Moral of the story? Figure out if you’re on the same page as a potential spouse before you walk down the aisle. And if you’re ready for the advanced class: Talk about long-range financial plans and make a budget together that suits both of your priorities.

Our culture often glorifies financial success, but it is an illusion to think that, just because you’ve made money, you’re set for life. Highly paid and visible sports stars and entertainers seem especially prone to dramatic financial setbacks (perhaps because their money problems are more likely to end up in the news). But surely everyone knows someone who has suffered similar misfortunes.

There are tried and true ways to avoid such a fate, starting with the simple maxim to live within your means. Yet most, if not all, of the Madoff victims no doubt thought they were. Their mistake was assuming they could trust someone else to manage all their money for them. Mr. Madoff is fortunately an extreme exception. Yet the financial crisis has unmasked a plethora of examples of firms putting their interests above their clients, some of it criminal, most of it not.

The vast number of financial advisers and money managers rightly pride themselves on their integrity and devotion to clients’ interests, and render valuable services to their clients. Almost everyone can benefit from such a relationship. But no one should abdicate all responsibility for investing and monitoring their hard-earned savings. Simple diversification would have prevented any of Mr. Madoff’s victims from losing everything. The basics of personal finance aren’t all that complicated. Why isn’t such a course offered, at least as an elective, at every high school in the U.S.?

Until we address the fact that tens of millions of Americans lack the basic financial literacy they need to manage their own money, the Bernie Madoffs of the world are going to keep stealing it from them. Read the whole column here.

We’ve covered before

Under the new law, if you’re under 21, you can’t get a credit card on your own anymore. If you want to get plastic, you need to prove you have a qualifying source of income or a parent, guardian, or of-age spouse willing to cosign for you.

The idea is to cut down on the amount of consumer debt that students accumulate during their time in college. But not everyone ages 18 to 21 is pursuing a degree or wants their parents to meddle in their financial affairs.

If you have parents with bad credit or financial habits, requiring them to cosign means you are letting them determine your credit score. Unscrupulous cosigners could ring up charges under their child’s name and in the eyes of the law, both parties are equally responsible for repaying the loan.

It also means that young people will face a delay before they can begin building their credit history — an essential component of qualifying for an apartment or car loan.

Unfortunately, despite lawmakers’ best intentions, it looks like these regulations will end up penalizing responsible and independent young adults.

The story notes the need for financial literacy among students — especially in the current economic crisis — and refers to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s many calls for increased financial education in the U.S.

Meanwhile, bills to implement state financial literacy programs have gained traction in both Kansas and New Jersey:

Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson has signed a bill that would require “school districts to put more emphasis on teaching financial issues such as credit card debt, understanding loans, savings and how to start a budget.”

Gov. Parkinson noted:

“We hear a lot of horror stories about kids getting out of high school or college not being able to balance a checkbook or getting into a huge amount of credit card debt,” said Governor Parkinson. “We need to make sure we’re teaching our students what to do and what to avoid.”

And in New Jersey, state lawmakers  are considering legislation that would provide high school seniors with financial literacy courses. The bill has cleared a Senate committee and now awaits consideration by the full state Senate.

Progress like this is a long-overdue development for those states’ high school students. And for all other age groups, it’s never too late or too early to learn money management skills.

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The poll respondents did a little better, if only because they were offered 5 choices.  21% got the question right. The answers were distributed in a manner that is about equal to what you’d expect from random guessing.  Until Americans improve their financial education, the public won’t be able to comprehend these enormous budget issues that have so much impact on their lives.

Full results here

Bernanke also addressed the inequities in wealth between whites and minorities.

“Part of it has to do I think with financial education,” Bernanke told students at the historically black college. “There needs to be broader understanding in minority communities … about the importance of saving and building a credit record.”

Bernanke said many factors contribute to the issue – including access to home ownership, income levels and differences in professions – but promoting financial literacy in minority communities is important.

Our friends over at Get Rich Slowly have compiled a collection of websites that offer basic tips on personal finance. Since April is Financial Literacy Month–and especially with the current state of the economy–now is a good time to learn more about managing your money, if you haven’t already.