I have a distinct memory of getting education on financial literacy as a senior in high school. I can’t remember if this was part of the civics curriculum, but it was not just a class or two. There was significant instruction that covered making payments, balancing accounts, creating a budget and other related financial topics. Of course, this was 1977-78, so discussion about payments was mostly centered around writing checks and manually reconciling a statement to your checkbook register at the end of the month. While there is no documented timeframe of when financial literacy was abandoned, there is a general consensus that today’s students do not graduate with even a basic grasp of what they need to be competent financial stewards. A quick Google search brings up page after page of stories highlighting the need for financial education and the general lack of it in today’s schools. A recent article from the ABA Banking Journal on this topic caught my eye, which can be read here. The author of the article documents a survey showing that 75% of adults believe financial literacy should be part of high school core curriculum. It is possible that their own experience led to this high percentage; a majority of adults in the survey said their quality of life would have been improved if they had this education while in high school. Even more interestingly, when ranking topics that would set a student up for future success, financial literacy was ranked ahead of math, social studies, English and science! My own experience with young adults tells me that regardless of geography, the gap between knowledge of financial literacy of someone who is entering the workplace and actively engaging in physical and virtual commerce is greater than I believe is appropriate for them to be a productive member of society. The fact that people I personally know who are well into their 30’s still look at the balance on their mobile phones and think the displayed balance is “available to spend” represents a problem. This issue of young adult’s lack of financial wisdom is one of the reasons I have been experimenting with a financial wisdom “Agent”. I’ve been training Penny, a GenAI powered interactive experience where someone can type or talk to Penny in conversational language and get meaningful and age-appropriate responses. So, what should your institution be doing to address this issue? If you have interactions with your local school board, then you should be advocating for the strengthening of financial literacy in your school’s curriculum. You could also partner with local schools to provide financial education. Perhaps go downstream and begin a program to introduce elementary students to the role of the bank and basic money management (nothing wrong with introducing the concept of delayed gratification by giving kids a piggy bank …). The ABA and other associations have extensive materials available for access to provide the training and education tools you would need to make this type of program a success. You could also offer financial literacy for adults at your branch locations. You should be sensitive to couch these sessions in a language that does not make it embarrassing for those that genuinely wish to be more educated about financial matters. Since I am working on how FNBB can effectively use GenAI tools, I decided to ask ChatGPT how it would market financial literacy for adults. My query was, “I am a bank customer education manager. I want to offer financial literacy classes for adults but need to couch this education in a way that does not make it embarrassing for an adult to sign up and attend a “remedial financial literacy” class. What suggestions do you have as to how this education could be marketed?” Here are the results: 1. Reframe the Value Proposition Avoid phrases like “learn the basics” or “financial literacy.” Instead, emphasize empowerment, confidence, and opportunity. Here are some framing ideas: Empowerment angle: “Take charge of your financial future.” “Confident money moves for life’s next chapter.” “Master your money, your way.” Goal-driven framing: “Money Mastery for Real Life.” “Smart Money Moves: Build, Save, and Grow.” “Financial Fitness for Everyday Success.” Professional development lens: “Level Up Your Financial Game.” “The Money Skills Every Professional Should Know.” The goal: make it feel like a growth class, not a catch-up class. 2. Create Tiered or Thematic Tracks Instead of labeling by difficulty, organize around life stages or goals: Life-stage tracks: “Money 101 for Newly Independent Adults” “Smart Finances for Families” “Retirement Ready: Planning Beyond the Paycheck” Goal-based themes: “Debt Detox” “Home Buying Bootcamp” “Investing Made Simple” “Budgeting for Busy People” Adults are more comfortable signing up for a topic they identify with than something implying they lack knowledge. 3. Leverage Social Proof and Peer Engagement Make participation community-driven, not individual shame-driven: Offer group challenges (“30-Day Money Reset”). Highlight success stories — e.g., “Our graduates have paid off $1.2M in debt!” Partner with employers or churches/community centers to host the classes. That makes attendance feel normal and socially endorsed. 4. Offer “Upskilling” Language Borrow language from professional training and self-improvement: “Financial Skills for the Modern World.” “Money Mindset & Mastery.” “Personal Finance 2.0: Build Wealth, Not Worry.” This ties into adult learners’ desire to improve rather than remedy. 5. Gamify and Incentivize Make it fun and engaging: Offer badges or completion certificates. Run friendly competitions (“Save $500 Challenge”). Create a Money Mastery Score participants can improve on. 6. Multi-Channel Delivery Blend education into approachable formats: Lunch-and-learn sessions at workplaces. Online micro-courses or “bite-size” lessons. Podcast-style lessons — “Financial Fix Fridays.” Bank-sponsored events — e.g., “Money + Coffee” sessions at local cafés. 7. Subtle Branding Avoid calling it “Financial Literacy Program.” Instead, use titles like: “Smart Money Series” “Money Conversations That Matter” “The Confident Money Club” “Wealth Habits Workshop” Make it sound like something they want to attend, not need to attend. 8. Innovative (Even Crazy) Ideas 💡 AI-driven money coach: A “digital companion” participants can use privately to reinforce learning. Financial escape room: Gamified sessions teaching budgeting or fraud prevention. Money & Wellness series: Tie financial education to mental wellness or physical health (people are more open to attending when framed around holistic wellbeing). Maybe some of these ideas will resonate with you. Doesn’t that first bullet under 8. Innovative Ideas sound a lot like Penny? Either by advocating for more and better financial education in schools or offering financial literacy for adults (or both!), be an agent of change for your current and future customers. The more they learn from you, the more they are infused with your brand and maybe they will turn to you for account services instead of trying to run their financial life from Venmo.