You’re never too young to feed the pig.
That seems to be the attitude at the AICPA and the Ad Council, who have been trying to convince young adults to save more money for a couple of years and are now turning their attention to “tweens,” fourth- through sixth-graders who are at the impressionable age when spending habits — both good and bad — begin to take hold.
While “Feed the Pig” features adult-sized oinker Benjamin Bankes as its money-saving symbol, “Feed the Pig for Tweens” features a series of Bankes piglets who help students analyze financial habits and create responsible financial plans. The program features exercises that are designed to be introduced into the classroom and which “reinforce math skills with real-life applications,” according to the AICPA.
“It’s vital that we instill the importance of smart money habits in our children,” said Carl George, chairman of the AICPA’s National CPA Financial Literacy Commission. “At a time when Americans routinely spend more than they earn, educating our nation’s youngsters on how to save will have positive long-term effects not only on their individual financial futures, but on the economy as a whole.”
The program is initially expected to reach 120,000 students in 5,000 U.S. classrooms, according to the AICPA.
Kudos to the AICPA for expanding its financial literacy efforts. Getting this stuff in front of students in a classroom setting is a great step.
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