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 In Young AmeriTowne, 5th graders use a debit card to make purchases, and the funds are automatically withdrawn from their checking account.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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Why most young people are living on the financial edge and what you can do about it.

Young Americans Center for Financial Education Get Involved Leave a Comment

What if you could give the chance at a life-time of financial self-sufficiency to a child for $40? Daniella is 20 and living on the financial edge in Denver. She did some right things: finished high school, works two jobs and helps her struggling family pay their rent. What she didn’t get was a financial education. She doesn’t use a …

Market Prices on White Board

Sponsor Spotlight: Learning Supply and Demand in the King Soopers Market

Janet Redwine Young AmeriTowne Leave a Comment

There is one shop in Young AmeriTowne that sells a bigger variety of products than any other: the Market. Thanks to long-time supporter King Soopers, 5thgrade AmeriTowne customers who visit the Market experience supply and demand in action. Students first learn about supply and demand when they are at school.  Using a candy bar, teachers demonstrate that an increase in demand …

UPS Toy Truck

Sponsor Spotlight: Real-life lessons in AmeriTowne, delivered by UPS

Janet Redwine Get Involved, Programs, Young AmeriTowne Leave a Comment

Students, Teachers, and Parents see the value of Young AmeriTowne, a hands-on lesson in free enterprise experienced by more than 34,000 young people every year.  Students gain valuable life lessons while having so much fun, they scarcely know they are learning!  My recent visit to the UPS Parcel Service shop served as a validation that this learning is made possible …

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Sponsor Spotlight: Career for a Day at the Lutheran Medical Center Shop

Janet Redwine Get Involved, Young AmeriTowne Leave a Comment

One goal of the Young AmeriTowne program is to provide students with hands-on career experience. Thanks to Lutheran Medical Center, fourth and fifth graders who participate in Young AmeriTowne at Belmar can explore a job in the medical field. Just like Lutheran Medical Center in Lakewood, Colorado, the AmeriTowne Medical Center shop works to provide quality patient care and customer service.  …

Many students are shown smiling and working in the Fun Services YAT shop. Fun Services, a local Colorado company, plays a big role in providing this real-life experience for thousands of young people every year.

Sponsor Spotlight: Fun Services provides real-life shopping experience

Janet Redwine Get Involved, Young AmeriTowne Leave a Comment

Year after year, students and teachers agree that Young AmeriTowne is both valuable and fun because kids get to be an adult for a day.  Today, we’d like to highlight proud sponsor Fun Services, a local Colorado company, that plays a big role in providing this real-life experience for thousands of young people every year. In order for student participants …

An Xcel Energy and Landis Gyr Sign in Young AmeriTowne is shown

Sponsor Spotlight: Xcel Energy Foundation delivers a hands-on lesson in math and business

Janet Redwine Get Involved, Young AmeriTowne Leave a Comment

This week, Young Americans is shining a spotlight on a long-time supporter of Young AmeriTowne that powers hands-on learning: Xcel Energy Foundation.  Thanks to Xcel Energy Foundation, students gain real-world experience in math and business while they run their own town for a day. Numerous studies demonstrate the effectiveness of experiential education in teaching financial education. Researches have found that experiential …

Several students are shown in Young AmeriTowne with a check from State Farm. State Farm Presentation Permitted Check in YAT

Sponsor Spotlight: State Farm® is Here to help life go right.®

Janet Redwine Get Involved, Young AmeriTowne, YouthBiz Leave a Comment

Young Americans Center for Financial Education (YAC) could not exist without the support of our community. This week we’d like to highlight the unique partnership between State Farm and the students who learn hands-on financial literacy in Young AmeriTowne, International Towne, and YouthBiz. State Farm’s support of YAC’s Send-a-School initiative helps build a Colorado where every student, regardless of background, knows …

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Sponsor Spotlight –Jack and Judy Pottle and family support a generation of learning

Janet Redwine General, Get Involved Leave a Comment

The reach of Young Americans is impressive—more than 67,000 young people participate in Young Americans Bank or a program of Young Americans Center for Financial Education every year.  But this reach is even more exciting for those who played a part in the founding of Young Americans, built programs for youth through the first years, and who continue to make …