CINCINNATI—As students head back to school this fall to learn reading, writing and arithmetic, Fifth Third is expanding access to its award-winning Fifth Third Bank Finance Academy® financial literacy educational program.
Originally launched for high school students, Fifth Third Bank Finance Academy® is now available to junior high students with an updated and expanded curriculum this year. For elementary students, the popular Fifth Third Young Bankers Club® is returning for its 20th year.
For more than 20 years, Fifth Third has offered free financial education programs to help elementary and high school students learn the basics of budgeting, banking, borrowing, saving, investing, entrepreneurship and more.
"At Fifth Third, we are committed to increasing financial access and stability for all of the individuals and communities we serve," said Aleta Young, corporate social responsibility strategies director for Fifth Third. "Our Finance Academy program has seen significant success with high school students, inspiring us to expand and enhance our offerings to junior high and create a continuum of learning for students."
Tens of thousands of students across the U.S. have participated over the life of both programs, and pre- and post-testing shows improved financial literacy upon completion of the programs. Finance Academy and Young Bankers Club®are offered at no charge to schools and community organizations across Fifth Third’s 11-state footprint.
Fifth Third Bank Finance Academy includes curricula in personal finance and entrepreneurship across 3 courses and more than 11 interactive, self-paced episodes that teach high school and junior high students how to earn income, manage credit and invest for their future. The programs teach finance in an award-winning and fun way, by engaging teens with games, humor, immersive storylines, and rich media.
“We also revamped Finance Academy this year to provide a more personalized experience to the student,” Young said. “We’ve introduced new characters, added a more hands-on approach and designed it so it can easily scale to reach more students.”
Fifth Third Young Bankers Club uses gamification to help teach fourth, fifth and sixth grade students about budgeting, banking, borrowing money, saving, investing and more. To progress through the game, students play alongside main character Maximillion Money® to solve real-world problems using their financial know-how. Along the way, they go on virtual field trips to visit famous financial sites, like the US Mint, the Federal Reserve Bank, Ft. Knox, the US Treasury, and more.
Fifth Third’s free, digital financial education programs include:
- Fifth Third Young Bankers Club (YBC): An engaging, online financial education program that teaches students math and life skills with the help of Maximillion Money. The program meets Common Core and Jump$tart national education standards. For fourth- to sixth-grade students; spans up to eight weeks depending upon grade level.
- Fifth Third Bank Finance Academy Junior High Personal Finance: New for seventh- and eighth-grade students this year; spans five weeks. Meets national standards for personal finance education by the Council for Economic Education and Jump$tart (2021).
- Fifth Third Bank Finance Academy High School Personal Finance: For ninth through 12-grade students; spans seven weeks. Meets national standards for personal finance education by the Council for Economic Education and Jump$tart (2021).
- Fifth Third Bank Finance Academy High School Entrepreneurship: For ninth through 12-grade students, spans four weeks. Covers how to start your own business and manage a successful business once it’s running.
Fifth Third Young Bankers Club and Fifth Third Finance Academy are a collaboration between Fifth Third and VMG Studios, an Emmy award-winning creative agency and production studio and a certified woman-owned business. For creative leadership and ingenuity in e-learning, VMG Studios has won multiple awards for the Young Bankers Club and Finance Academy programs. In spring 2024, The Young Bankers Club won a Gold AVA Digital Award for web-based production and training, a platinum Hermes Award for creative excellence in e-learning, and a Telly award for outstanding creativity in online training. Since its release this spring, Finance Academy has won a golden Telly for character design and a Muse award for creative excellence in e-learning.
About Fifth Third
Fifth Third is a bank that’s as long on innovation as it is on history. Since 1858, we’ve been helping individuals, families, businesses and communities grow through smart financial services that improve lives. Our list of firsts is extensive, and it’s one that continues to expand as we explore the intersection of tech-driven innovation, dedicated people and focused community impact. Fifth Third is one of the few U.S.-based banks to have been named among Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies® for several years. With a commitment to taking care of our customers, employees, communities and shareholders, our goal is not only to be the nation’s highest performing regional bank, but to be the bank people most value and trust.
Fifth Third Bank, National Association is a federally chartered institution. Fifth Third Bancorp is the indirect parent company of Fifth Third Bank and its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ® Global Select Market under the symbol "FITB." Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Deposit and credit products provided by Fifth Third Bank, National Association. Member FDIC.