Goldenwest's Financial Literacy High School Program provides in-person presentations for students across Utah.
They work with teachers to support their Financial Literacy curriculum.
Tessa Rasmussen with Goldenwest says, "When I first started presenting to classes and first started helping in schools I was surprised at how in the dark students were about the cost of every day living. Most students are blown away when you go over what housing costs, or what food costs. And most of them have never even thought about some things like utilities and insurance. It makes sense, my parents never sat me down and said "this is our grocery budget for the month." They would just say things like "we can't afford that right now." I think a lot of us see money as a taboo subject, but it really shouldn't be."
Tessa shared some tips on talking to kids about money.
She says it's important to have ongoing, transparent conversations as a family about your financial situation.
Involve children in money decisions, like choosing which bread to buy at the grocery store or looking for good deals on back-to-school necessities.
Parents should also model good habits like saving and budgeting, Tessa told us.
And, she says, it's never too early to start having the money talk with children. She offers this advice: "Don't be afraid to help children learn from your mistakes or to talk about mistakes you've made."
Goldenwest has an app that can help. The Zogo App is a fun way to learn about financial literacy at any age.
The app is free for anyone in Utah and areas of Idaho where there are Goldenwest branches.
On Zogo, you'll find basic topics like budgeting and saving, and more advanced topics like investing, insurance and credit.
Kids can even learn and earn with the app, as you earn pineapple points you can cash in for real gift cards.
For more information please visit: gwcu.org.
