Four basic objectives were investigated in this study. Age differences were tested on various dependent skills measured to determine if consumer skills change over a period of time; the extent of integration of the dependent measures within the two age groups was ascertained; antecedent processes within groups that account for variation in consumer skills were sorted out; and some possible logical causal links between antecedent, intervening, and dependent variables were examined. The subjects for this study were 132 public middle school and 180 high school students in a predominantly rural area. The students were asked a number of questions about their own financial resources and the sources of these funds. Neither group of adolescents scored very high on price accuracy, slogan recall, or intrafamily communication about consumption, although brand specification was fairly high and the various dependent measures were well integrated among both groups. The relatively low level of consumer skills may indicate that the adolescent is not provided with learning opportunities and appropriate modeling experiences from parents, teachers, and other socialization agents. (RB)