Recognized as a leading provider of life insurance, retirement products and investment solutions, Transamerica is dedicated to helping clients “live well today and worry less tomorrow.” This commitment extends beyond clients to encompass the company’s dedication to empowering the next generation.
Transamerica is committed to providing middle and high school students with a real-world perspective of personal finance – one that is current, practical and easy to understand. In support of that commitment, Transamerica is now the presenting sponsor of JA’s experiential program, JA Finance Park, a Harvard-recognized financial literacy program that helps middle and high school students build financial skills for life.
Provided at no cost to students or schools, the JA Finance Park experience begins in the classroom with curriculum that covers financial concepts including budgeting, saving, investing, debt and credit. The program culminates with a day at the park. Beyond the practical knowledge students learn, JA Finance Park is in high demand because it fulfills state-mandated economic, math and reading, writing and communications standards, including 21st-century skills and concepts for middle and high school students.
“Supporting JA Finance Park provides Transamerica the opportunity to help instill sound, practical financial guidance at a time when these kids are just starting to learn what it takes to create a budget and develop good spending and saving habits,” said Brian Florey, business development manager for Transamerica, and JA board member. “What they’re learning today is designed to give them a strong foundation from which to make wise decisions that lead to a bright and prosperous future.”
During the four-hour field trip to JA Finance Park, students immerse themselves in a reality-based decision-making process addressing aspects of individual family budgeting, including housing, transportation, food, utilities, healthcare, investments, philanthropy, and banking. When they arrive, each student is presented with a unique life situation that identifies the details of a random adult persona that includes information about their marital status, number of dependents, education, salary, and credit score. The simulation helps students understand the basic steps of maintaining a realistic personal budget.
More than 20,000 Denver area middle and high school students participate in JA Finance Park annually and the impact is life changing. JA evaluates the impact of JA Finance Park each school year and can prove that students who participate in JA Finance Park demonstrate statistically significant knowledge gain and skill acquisition. Specifically, they are more financially responsible than their peers and are able to:
- Create and manage a realistic budget
- Improve their credit scores
- Utilize credit and debt appropriately
- Save to achieve lifelong goals
Transamerica employees volunteer as JA Finance Park mentors each year, and the company serves as one of JA’s top volunteer providers. In fact, during the 2016/17 school year, 44 Transamerica volunteers taught youth from nine different secondary schools.
For more information about Transamerica, please visit www.transamerica.com.
Schools and teachers interested in offering JA Finance Park in their classrooms can learn more at https://www.jacolorado.org/finance-park-2/ or may contact financepark@jacololorado.org for more information or to schedule a visit.
