One of the perennial challenges for those of who work in the world of financial literacy is to cut through the din of modern life to help people focus on learning more about managing their money wisely. It doesn’t help that the subject of personal finance can be, admittedly, deadly dull at times.
An added burden is that many parents feel uncomfortable with the subject and so avoid talking with their kids about money because they either feel like they don’t know enough about it themselves or because they are afraid their children will share family secrets all over the school playground.
But the ostrich approach as a parenting technique almost always fails. As the father of two, I know this from personal experience. And as the product of an upbringing where money was never discussed in my home as a child, I saw firsthand how unproductive it is to learn about money through the school of hard knocks. Making financial mistakes as a young adult may be a quick way to learn, but it’s also a painful and expensive way to learn.
In our ongoing effort at Visa to help arm parents and teachers with tools they can use to teach the fundamentals of money management to children, we are launching a new financial literacy comic book featuring Spider-Man and the Avengers. Working with Marvel, their renowned storytellers, and iconic characters we think we’ve created a compelling way to begin the money conversation with kids.
This unique comic book is free and is available digitally online or in print in a wide variety of languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and even Bahasa Indonesia. The story is fast-paced and mixes lessons about budgeting, saving and understanding the banking system in with the characteristic Marvel action and wit. We’ve also created a work sheet to help kids create their first budget and well as a teacher’s guide to assist educators in using the comic in their classroom.
With The Avengers and Spider-Man movies coming out this May and July, respectively, we’re optimistic that that kids will embrace the comic book and may not even know they are learning, which is often the best way to impart challenging information.
Visa and Marvel teaming up on anything may seem like the ultimate odd couple, especially to create a financial literacy comic book. But we’re willing to go out on a limb and do whatever it takes to make a meaningful difference in improving the financial literacy of kids.
Post a reply and let us know what you think about the comic and the related tools. We’d welcome your suggestions.
And if you’re a parent and haven’t yet had “the money talk” with your kids, now is the time to start. It’s never too late and it won’t be nearly as difficult as you think.
Posted by: Jason Alderman, Visa Corporate Relations on March 6, 2012 at 8:28 am
