Spreading financial literacy with Moneywise America

April is Financial Literacy Month and Brittany H., a member of the Brokerage Operations team based out of Southlake, TX, understands that financial literacy at an early age is important.

Which is exactly why Brittany decided to bring the Moneywise America™ program to Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Tarrant County, an organization she was already supporting.

Brittany is currently a mentor to a 7-year-old girl, and she practices what is called community-based mentoring.

"There's an obligation to be really involved with the child's life," explains Brittany. "I go to her house and pick her up and we do activities together. I video chat with her regularly, just to see how her week is going and to see if there's anything she wants to talk about. The experience has opened my eyes to how influential a positive adult figure can be. Kids really don't expect much of us, she's just excited to have someone to hang out with and talk to."

Building on her commitment to youth development, Brittany decided to expand on her engagement with BBBS by introducing the Moneywise America™ financial literacy program.

Brittany partners with two other Schwab employees to deliver the program, and she oversees all the organizing and coordination with BBBS. So far, the group has delivered the Set Money Goals presentation and is planning another workshop for this month.

"We got great feedback," explains Brittany. "We were very organized and deliberate about incorporating the content that they wanted for their students. They were introduced to budgeting, a concept they really need because as teenagers, they are about to get into the real world and manage responsibilities and priorities."

Brittany also attributed some of the success of the workshop to the variety of content available—handouts, a presentation, and videos—which helped increase engagement. Many of the participants’ mentors were also in attendance, and they indicated that they could use the information to expand on their relationships with their mentees and help reinforce what they learned.

"I encourage everyone to get involved with Moneywise America," says Brittany, reflecting on her experience. "For me, the target demographic is one that I was a part of as a teen, so I can relate. This target group wouldn't otherwise have access to financial literacy and these resources. That's why I wanted to be part of it."