Bankers across the country will bring financial education to teens and young adults nationwide this year as part of the American Bankers Association’s Get Smart About Credit initiative, which is sponsored by Ally Financial, Citi, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo. As the industry observes Get Smart About Credit Day today, bankers will be sharing resources with students on financial obstacles facing young adults, including paying for college, knowing their credit score, managing their money and protecting their identity.
Since 2002 bankers have typically visited thousands of classrooms in every state, but due to the pandemic, the ABA Foundation adapted its programming to help bankers reach students in different ways, including virtual lessons, a new awareness campaign and a communications toolkit. The toolkit includes four 30-second long social-media friendly videos that bankers can share online, as well as post templates, graphics and more.
The ABA Foundation also provides program materials in English and Spanish, as well as real-time customer support free to member and non-member banks at no cost.
This year, 1,829 bankers have volunteered to reach more than 40,000 students with Get Smart About Credit financial education materials. Since 1997, the ABA Foundation’s financial education initiatives have reached 11.6 million young people through 375,000 banker presentations.
