Children are taught from an early age how to read and write, how to add up numbers, the history of the world and the science that holds it together. They aren’t always taught what they need to know to manage their personal finances.
Addressing this gap can’t lie in educators’ hands alone. Leaders in the financial industry must also be called upon to share their knowledge with the younger generations so that children can build financial literacy from an early age.
Visa has taken on this challenge by creating programs that kids can enjoy—while also picking up the basics of financial knowhow.
Visa’s game Financial Football, released in 2006, was designed to teach children financial responsibility in a manner that they can understand and connect to by asking them to answer personal financial questions correctly in order to move the football further down the field and, eventually, win the game.
In early 2014, former Tampa Bay Buccaneer and legendary linebacker Derrick Brooks and former Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees, along with Congressman Gregory Meeks, met with a group of local high school students in New York to discuss their financial hopes and plans. Brees even coached these students to ensure that they received the best financial training possible.
Visa has hosted Financial Football events in 47 states, as well as the District of Columbia.
If you want to help out somebody in your life with their personal finance skills, or educate yourself, check out Visa’s Practical Money Skills for Life website. There, you’ll find Financial Football, our soccer game Financial Soccer, and apps and calculators to work out your investments, budgets, savings, taxes, and more.
