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Meet a Board Member: Shawn Cole, Executive Vice President, Bank of the West

Janet Redwine General, Get Involved 1 Comment

Young Americans Board Members support our mission to develop the financial literacy of young people through real-life experiences and hands-on programs purposefully designed to enable them to prosper in our free enterprise system.  This month, we’d like to introduce you to Shawn Cole, Executive Vice President at Bank of the West and Young Americans Bank Board Member. At Bank of the …

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Announcing: MoneyWi$er Financial Innovation Awards

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The Office of the Colorado Attorney General, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Education, is seeking applications from students, teachers, schools and school districts for The MoneyWi$er Financial Innovation Awards! The awards will recognize distinguished school districts, schools and individuals who prioritized personal finance education throughout their school and community. In addition to statewide recognition for the awards, honorees …

Youth Advisory Board Members James Dahlen and Kiki Rosenthal have been hard at work this month on a unique project: creating a podcast! In conjunction with the Colorado Department of Education ‘s MoneyWiser program, James and Kiki are working with Personal Financial Literacy Content Specialist Alyssa Wooten and her team to explore the world of cryptocurrency. Through the podcast, James and Kiki plan to answer basic questions about what cryptocurrency is, how it’s used, and what the future could be like if current trends continue. They also interviewed cryptocurrency expert Dusty Wunderlich . The podcast is scheduled to debut in late March, just ahead of Financial Literacy Month in April, and will be available on both Apple and Android platforms. We can’t wait to hear the results!

Youth Board Teens to Tackle Cryptocurrency in Podcast

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Youth Advisory Board Members James Dahlen and Kiki Rosenthal have been hard at work this month on a unique project: creating a podcast! In conjunction with the Colorado Department of Education‘s MoneyWiser program, James and Kiki are working with Personal Financial Literacy Content Specialist Alyssa Wooten and her team to explore the world of cryptocurrency.  Through the podcast, James and Kiki plan …

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Meet a Board Member: Norm Franke, Regional President, Alpine Bank

Janet Redwine General 1 Comment

Young Americans Center for Financial Education would like to introduce you to a valuable member of the Young Americans Bank Board of Directors: Mr. Norm Franke, Regional President of Alpine Bank. Mr. Franke began his career with Alpine Bank in May, 1983.  As a management trainee, Mr. Franke worked with the bank’s overall operations and computer systems, bank operational duties, …

Passport Getting Stamped in International Towne

Sponsor Spotlight: Students Travel the World Without Leaving the State, Thanks to AAA Colorado

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Every year, 11,000 young people participate in International Towne, a program of Young Americans Center for Financial Education.  Thanks to long-time partner AAA Colorado, middle school students can experience the world without ever leaving Colorado. On a recent Friday in International Towne, 13-year-old Sarina* encouraged her fellow citizens to visit her country, Russia, and purchase a chocolate chip cookie.  Sarina …

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Meet a Board Member: Brigid McNamara, Youth Advisory Board Co-Chair

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Brigid McNamara, a Junior at George Washington High School, has an impressive resume.  She’s first in her class, and she’s a member of her school’s Varsity Golf Team, National Honors Society, and Speech and Debate Team.  She is a founder and president of the Bye Bye Bully Club, and she’s a member of the Federal Reserve Bank Board.  But what …

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Meet a Board Member: Charlie Maguire

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Young Americans greatly benefits from the dedicated leaders on our three Boards of Directors overseeing Young Americans Bank and Young Americans Center for Financial Education. Today we’d like to introduce you to long-time board member Charles (Charlie) D. Maguire, Jr., Partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP. At Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, Charlie represents a wide range of companies in …

Do you know the difference between a debit and a credit card? A surprising number of young adults don’t. According to a 2016 study done by LendEdu , 43% of college students couldn’t explain at least one difference between a debit and credit card. Although the survey was small, only 455 students, that’s still a high number. Thanks to Worldpay , formerly Vantiv, students who participate in Young AmeriTowne or International Towne gain hands-on experience about the difference between debit and credit cards. International Towne participants receive a credit card, which they can use to pay for goods and services in Towne. Using credit is particularly convenient because students don’t have to exchange money when they shop in a foreign country. In Young AmeriTowne, 5th graders use a debit card to make purchases, and the funds are automatically withdrawn from their checking account. When I asked 10-year-old Rehoboth, an Accountant working in the AmeriTowne Snack Shop, about the difference between a debit and credit card, he responded right away. “A credit card uses money from the bank, and you have to pay it back later,” he said. “A debit card takes money from your checking account.” Rehoboth added that four shoppers had already used their Worldpay debit card to purchase snacks. Young Americans Center for Financial Education is grateful for partners like Worldpay that prepare young people to be financially responsible adults someday. Maybe Rehoboth can teach those college students a thing or two!

Sponsor Spotlight: Worldpay teaches kids credit vs. debit

Janet Redwine General, Get Involved, International Towne, Young AmeriTowne Leave a Comment

Do you know the difference between a debit and a credit card?  A surprising number of young adults don’t. According to a 2016 study done by LendEdu, 43% of college students couldn’t explain at least one difference between a debit and credit card.  Although the survey was small, only 455 students, that’s still a high number. Thanks to Worldpay, formerly …

Bank Deposit in AT

Sponsor Spotlight: AmeriTowne a lot like being an adult, thanks to FirstBank

Janet Redwine Events, General, Get Involved, Young AmeriTowne Leave a Comment

Quinn is just 11 years old, but she has a lot of responsibility.  As the Vice President of FirstBank at Young AmeriTowne, Quinn has to make payments, ensure every shop pays off their business loan, and report on the business income.  It’s a lot like being an adult. This experience is possible through the generous support of community partners like …

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Meet a Board Member: AJ Hammerstein, CO-Chair

Janet Redwine Bank, General, Get Involved Leave a Comment

A new school year means a new Youth Advisory Board at Young Americans!  This month, we are thrilled to introduce you to one of the Youth Board Co-Chairs, AJ Hammerstein, who is a Senior at East High School. AJ’s first encounter with Young Americans Center for Financial Education was his 5thgrade field trip to Young AmeriTowne.  AJ wanted to be …