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Sponsor Spotlight: Bank of the West helps kids create healthy financial habits

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

“Nearly a third of young adults in a recent study were found to be “financially precarious” because they had poor financial literacy and lacked money management skills and income stability.” – ScienceDaily, citing a study by researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The individuals in this study will likely face a lifetime of financial hardship.  The results of the …

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Sponsor Spotlight: CoBiz ensures that all students can access AmeriTowne

Janet Redwine Get Involved, Young AmeriTowne 2 Comments

On a recent day in Young AmeriTowne, 10-year-old Ricardo* was having the time of his life.  You couldn’t walk past the Market without hearing him call out to customers, and he had a huge smile on his face as he helped customers pay for their products at the cash register.  Ricardo and his fellow classmates participated in this beloved program …

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Sponsor Spotlight: U.S. Bank Foundation provides real-world learning in International Towne for all students

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Nearly 11,000 young people experience International Towne, a hands-on lesson in global economics, every year.  This number includes more than 1,800 students who participate as part of the Send-a-School scholarship initiative, funded in part by proud supporter U.S. Bank Foundation. What makes this learning so powerful, particularly for low-income students, is that the lessons they are learning will help them in …

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Meet a Board Member: Charlie Maguire

Janet Redwine General, Get Involved Leave a Comment

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 …

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Sponsor Spotlight: Send-a-School Partners Provide Opportunities for all Students

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Young Americans Center for Financial Education exists to provide every Colorado student, regardless of background, with the opportunity for effective training in financial literacy and workforce skills. Why is this so important? Research suggests that a basic introduction to financial concepts—saving, credit, banking, and investing—at a young age helps prepare students to be financially responsible adults. This knowledge is particularly beneficial …

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Sponsor Spotlight: CoBank creates self-sufficient young people

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What is the value of financial education?  Most people agree that better knowledge about financial concepts is a good thing, but what is the actual cost of the alternative? While actual numbers vary, all reports are disconcerting.  The National Financial Educators Council reports that in 2017, the average family lost $1,170.95 due to lack of financial knowledge.  Howard Gold, a …

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Fox 31 Denver: Young Americans Summer Camps

Janet Redwine News Leave a Comment

It’s Summer Camp Week on Fox 31’s Colorado’s Best, and Young Americans kicked it off by showcasing this summer’s week-long day camps.  Designed for youth who have completed second through eighth grade, Young Americans Summer Camps offer fun, hands-on experiences in financial literacy!  Young people can build a business in entrepreneur camps such as Running Your Own Biz or Be …

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Tales From Towne: An Unforgettable Day Becomes a Week-long Adventure!

Young Americans Center for Financial Education Classes + Camps Leave a Comment

It feels like the first day of the 2017-2018 AmeriTowne year was just last week, so how can it be February already?! The year is flying by, which means that in no time at all, summer will be here! Young Americans Center is already gearing up for summer camps and registration has opened up online. There are so many camps …

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Sponsor Spotlight: AAA Colorado Introduces Students to World Travel

Janet Redwine International Towne Leave a Comment

Young Americans Center’s International Towne program provides a hands-on experience in global economics, and so much more!  Every year, nearly 11,000 middle school students get a taste of world travel in just one day.  A proud partner in this work is AAA Colorado, which presents each student with a passport for traveling throughout International Towne. An objective of International Towne …