Financial Literacy Month

April is Financial Literacy Month! 

Financial Literacy Month is a national effort that focuses on teaching people healthy financial habits and highlights the importance of financial literacy at all ages.

The National Endowment for Financial Education first started this observance as Youth Financial Literacy Day in 2000. In 2004, with the support of the Jump$tart Coalition and the U.S. House and Senate, April officially became Financial Literacy Month.

Forbes Magazine says that, “Financial literacy needs to permeate all communities, regardless of demographics or socioeconomic standing” and that, “It should be incorporated into school curricula, media campaigns, corporate wellness programs, and, most importantly, ongoing parental discussions.”

This is exactly the sentiment that Andson was founded on when we began our financial literacy programming 10 years ago. Andson believes in empowering students and families to be informed and active participants of their finances. It’s proven that teaching financial literacy young, sets students up for a successful future, which is why we offer our programming in schools, libraries, and community centers. 

Here’s a round up of some of the amazing things our students have accomplished this year:

• In the 2019-20 school year students in our Piggy Bank Program have made 19,828 deposits for a total of $107,866.80! 

• First Grade students at Wallin Elementary saw a 94.32% improvement in financial literacy knowledge using our financial Openvest curriculum.

You can also read previous blogs like this one, Financial Literacy in the Classroom, where we interview teachers about their experiences with our Openvest lessons.

Are you looking to take control of your financial life this month? The National Financial Educators Council is providing free personal finance resources during Financial Literacy Month at Financialeducatorscouncil.org. 

Stayed tuned for more financial tips in the month of April on our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Financial Literacy Curriculum in the Classroom

We caught up with Brian Allen, 4th grade teacher at Wallin Elementary School, to talk about how Andson’s Openvest Financial Literacy Curriculum has made a difference in his classroom.

Openvest is Andson’s original Financial Literacy curriculum used to make personal finance fun in the classroom. We asked Mr. Allen what his students enjoyed most about Openvest and he said, “The kids like the planning of their own lives, like creating budgets.” He went on to comment that his students enjoy getting to, “plan out a world in their head that is their own, and they really get excited about those activities.”

When his class started discussing budgeting, Mr. Allen said his students went on to have insightful conversations about time and money, noting that, “Time is really the highest commodity.” Naturally some students had smaller budgets than others, and not every one had to budget for the same things. Transportation, for example, became a topic of their budgets, and the class went on to explore how the amount of time one has to budget for travel can greatly affect one’s quality of life and economic position.

Another particular lesson that made an impact in Mr. Allen’s classroom was the section on investments. Mr. Allen took a unique approach to the Openvest lesson plan by having his students create their own product that they would then have to convince others to invest in. He modeled the lesson like the TV show Shark Tank, and had students present and “sell” their products to potential investors (their classmates).

Mr. Allen encourages teachers using Andson’s Openvest curriculum to, “take ownership of the curriculum,” and “make it their own.” His best advice, approach the lessons with, “an open heart and open mind.”

Watch the video below for the full interview:

Teacher Highlight: Financial Literacy at Walter Long STEAM Academy

Andson’s Piggy Bank Program started at Walter Long STEAM Academy in 2016. Since then it has grown to be one of the highest performing Piggy Bank locations. As of September 2019 Long has had 3,714 student deposits totaling $12,147.19!

We couldn’t achieve such spectacular student savings without the help of dedicated teachers bolstering student engagement with our Openvest Financial Literacy Curriculum in their classrooms. This week we’d like to highlight Silva Ponce, a first grade teacher at Long Elementary.

Andson: What made you want to become a teacher?

Ponce: I’ve always known I wanted to be a teacher. I love working with kids. I’ve been working with kids my whole life, from helping to raise my younger brothers, to participating in tutoring programs when I was in high school. My freshman year in college, I started off as a nursing major. I soon found out that Education was for me, so I switched to Elementary Education, and I am so happy I made that decision!

Andson: What do you feel is the best way to keep your students involved in learning?

Ponce: The best way to involve my students in learning is just that, involving them in the process. I also find that my students learn better and are more engaged in the process when they learn from each other. I let them talk with their teammates to solve problems together. We’ve been learning how to “coach” our friends when they are struggling with a concept rather than telling them the answer. They like listening to their friends more than they like listening to me sometimes!

Andson: How long have you been teaching Openvest in your classroom?

Ponce: This is my second year teaching Openvest.

Andson: What do you think your students enjoyed the most about the financial literacy lessons from Andson? Did you do anything to make it more personalized for your students?

Ponce: They really enjoyed the hands-on activities and games.

Andson: If you had any financial advice to give to the youth today, what would it be?

Ponce: Pay yourself first!

Watch the interview here:

Teacher Highlight: Financial Literacy at Eva Wolfe

In September 2019 we opened our 5th Piggy Bank location at Eva Wolfe Elementary School! The Andson Piggy Bank Program is the pillar of our financial literacy initiative that we started ten years ago. Wolfe’s Piggy Bank was made possible by our partnership with the Clark County School District and Silver State Schools Credit Union, and generous grants from The Las Vegas Golden Knights Foundation and the T-Mobile Foundation.  

Ribbon Cutting at Eva Wolfe Elementary

Across the Las Vegas area Andson has installed actual functioning “banks” in five elementary schools. Our Piggy Banks are staffed by Andson tellers, and include a coin machine, cash boxes, deposit slips, and lots of encouragement and smiles! Once a week for the entire school year, 1st-5th grade students come to the Piggy Bank and make deposits into their own savings accounts with real money. At 5th grade graduation, each student gets a check for the money they’ve been saving. We encourage students to continue saving by opening a joint junior savings account with their parents. 

In conjunction with our weekly Piggy Bank Program, teachers at Wolfe give in-class lessons using our one-of-a-kind financial literacy curriculum from Openvest. Openvest is Andson’s comprehensive financial literacy curriculum that meets Common Core, National, and State standards and is engaging for students! Curated by teachers, this curriculum spans grades 1 through 5 and is designed to educate the entire family. Each lesson streams online, supplemented by hands-on activities, printed in-class activities, and parent connection worksheets provided in both English and Spanish.

This month we’d like to highlight a special teacher at Wolfe who has shown exemplary enthusiasm in the classroom using our Openvest Financial Literacy lessons. 

Matthew Keener has been teaching for 19 years and currently works at Wolfe Elementary as a second grade teacher. 

Andson: What made you want to become a teacher? 

Keener: I actually started out not wanting to be a teacher. My mother was a teacher and I had aunts and uncles that were teachers. I ended up in college as a biology major on track to become a physical therapist. Then one fateful day, I took an education course taught by an amazing professor and I was hooked. The rest is history!

Andson: What do you feel is the best way to keep your students involved in learning?   

Keener: The best way to keep students involved is to model concepts in a variety of ways and provide opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding in a way that reflects them as learners. Using a student centered approach, we can understand student needs and use our abilities as educators to meet those needs with a variety of strategies.

Andson: How long have you been teaching Openvest in your classroom?  

Keener: This is my first year using the program.

Andson: What do you think your students enjoyed the most about the financial literacy lessons from Andson? Did you do anything to make it more personalized for your students?   

Keener: I think students enjoyed talking about money and the way in which saving money can help us to achieve some of our goals. I provided additional language support as well as opportunities for discussion to help students make connections to the material.

Andson: If you had any financial advice to give to the youth today, what would it be?  

Keener: I think it is important for students to know that money can help us achieve material goods, but it can also provide security. Having that “nest egg” sure can come in handy when life presents us with a challenge.

Watch the interview here:

Personal Finance 101 - Money Saving Tips & Tricks

We all know that saving is one of the most important steps in making sure you’re financially stable. However, it is easier said than done when you live on a tight budget that does not allow for flexibility. So, we’ve come up with five Andson-approved easy ways you can start saving today without having to sacrifice your basic needs. These small steps will help you get your savings on track to a financially secure future.

1. Pay Yourself First: here at Andson, one of the first things we like to encourage through our financial literacy courses is to Pay Yourself First, which basically means saving some money from your income first before you start spending it.

2. Sell your stuff: do some spring cleaning! Collect all the things you don’t use anymore, like clothes, jewelry, electronics, furniture, and even old books and DVDs. Sell them to a thrift store, pawn shop, or online through sites like Poshmark, Craigslist, and Let Go.

3. (Try to) quit a bad habit: attempt to quit a bad habit, like drinking energy drinks, or reduce the amount you consume. You’d be surprised by how much you can save doing this!

4. Budget your food: cut down on your weekly intake of fast food, takeout, and food delivery, like Postmates and UberEats. This is manageable if you set up a budget and stick to it. Once you set limits for yourself and write those limits down, it will be harder for you to stray from them.

5. Coupon your life: download and use rewards apps for places you frequent like Starbucks, McDonald’s, Target, Walmart, and even Panera Bread. You can also use a coupon plug-in for browsers that will detect working coupons and sales available for use at the website you’re shopping at, like Shoptagr.