Latest news with #FinancialLiteracyMonth
Business Wire
a day ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Operation HOPE and Financial Literacy for All Celebrate Record-Breaking Success of Green Socks Day Challenge
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Operation HOPE and Financial Literacy for All (FL4A) announced today that they achieved record-breaking impact following this year's inaugural Green Socks Day Challenge, which mobilized corporate partners and drove a surge in new clients seeking Operation HOPE's no-cost financial coaching services. Launched to celebrate the advancement of financial literacy as a national priority during Financial Literacy Month, the Green Socks Day Challenge took place on April 30, with individuals, organizations and businesses across the country participating by wearing green socks, taking the Financial Literacy Quiz, and sharing their stories on social media. A total of 52 Operation HOPE corporate partners and members of the FL4A initiative joined the Green Socks Day Challenge, helping to embed financial literacy into workplace culture and conversation. Participating partners included: Walmart, MasterCard, US Bank, Truist, Huntington Bank, iHeart Media, Delta Airlines, MLB, MLS, Nascar, Nasdaq, NBA, NHL, Shopify, OpenAI, and UPS, among other prominent organizations. These partners activated employees, customers and communities through financial literacy events, in-office campaigns, and digital engagement strategies – demonstrating a shared commitment to building a more financially empowered nation. Lastly, Operation HOPE saw an meaningful increase of new client enrollments for its no-cost financial coaching programs with more than 6,700 new client sign-ups in April. The #GreenSocksDay social media campaign generated over 1 million impressions and top posts were featured on Nasdaq's Times Square Tower in New York City, creating a powerful visual moment that amplified the call to action to promote financial literacy. FL4A and Operation HOPE plan to continue this annual tradition and build on this momentum throughout the year to provide free access to financial coaching, educational programs, and corporate partnerships to build a more financially empowered America. For more information or to get involved, visit About Financial Literacy for All (FL4A) Launched in 2021, Financial Literacy for All (FL4A) is a national initiative co-chaired by John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE, and Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart. FL4A is dedicated to embedding financial literacy into American culture, ensuring that financial education becomes a lifelong learning priority for individuals, families, businesses, and communities. FL4A is backed by leading corporate partners committed to making financial literacy accessible to all. For more information, visit About Operation HOPE, Inc. Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been a driving force in economic empowerment, shifting America from civil rights to "Silver Rights"—a movement to ensure free enterprise and capitalism work for all. Through its award-winning HOPE Inside model, which received American Banker's Innovator of the Year recognition, Operation HOPE has impacted over 4 million individuals, directing more than $4 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities. With a mission to turn check-cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners, small business dreamers into entrepreneurs, and minimum-wage workers into financially independent individuals, Operation HOPE continues to redefine economic inclusion. The organization recently earned Fast Company's "World Changing Ideas" Award and has been recognized with ten consecutive 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator for fiscal transparency and accountability. For more information, visit and follow the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Intuit Announces National Winners of 2025 Intuit Hour of Finance Challenge
Six schools recognized for leadership in financial education MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 29, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU), the global financial technology platform that makes Intuit TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp, today announced the six national winners of its 2025 Intuit Hour of Finance Challenge — a nationwide initiative that encouraged middle and high school students to spend at least one hour on financial education during Financial Literacy Month in April. The Intuit Hour of Finance Challenge engaged tens of thousands of students across all 50 states through Prosperity Quest, a free, interactive game designed to introduce budgeting, saving, and financial decision-making skills. Today's announcement honors three high schools and three middle schools whose students led the nation in engagement, enthusiasm, and impact and developed essential financial literacy skills through interactive activities with real-world product simulations. "Financial literacy is foundational to long-term success," said Dave Zasada, Vice President of Education and Corporate Responsibility at Intuit. "Through the Intuit Hour of Finance Challenge, we are not just teaching students about money, we are empowering them to take control of their futures. These national winners demonstrated that students can develop the confidence and skills they need to thrive with the right tools and support." High School Winners: James Madison High School – North East ISD (San Antonio, Texas) Southwest Miami Senior High School – Miami-Dade County Public Schools (Miami, Florida) Laurel Highlands High School – Laurel Highlands School District (Uniontown, Pennsylvania) Middle School Winners: Independence Middle School – School District of Palm Beach County (Palm Beach, Florida) Toby Johnson Middle School – Elk Grove Unified School District (Elk Grove, California) Fitzgerald Middle School – Pinellas County Schools (Largo, Florida) "Financial literacy is essential not just for school, but for life," said Jeremy Bryson, business teacher at Laurel Highlands High School in Uniontown, PA. "Participating in the Intuit Hour of Finance Challenge gave our students a unique opportunity to practice real-world financial decision making in a way that was both engaging and empowering. As educators, we talk a lot about preparing students for what's next, but this challenge gave students the tools to start building that future now. We're incredibly proud of our students' dedication and honored to be recognized as a national winner." This year's Intuit Hour of Finance challenge had more than 800 educators and nearly 40,000 students at 700 unique schools and organizations across all 50 states. The winning schools will be celebrated with national recognition and Chromebooks for their classrooms. In addition, Intuit is recognizing 50 state-level winners for their performance in the challenge and for continuing the conversation around financial literacy in their communities. The Challenge builds on Intuit's broader commitment to financial education through Intuit for Education, a free program that has reached more than three million students nationwide with interactive, standards-aligned lessons in personal and entrepreneurial finance. The Intuit for Education real-world simulations are powered by Intuit's suite of products—including TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp—to help students gain real-world experience and practical skills. To learn more about the Hour of Finance Challenge and explore free resources for educators, visit About Intuit Intuit is the global financial technology platform that powers prosperity for the people and communities we serve. With approximately 100 million customers worldwide using products such as TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp, we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to prosper. We never stop working to find new, innovative ways to make that possible. Please visit us at and find us on social for the latest information about Intuit and our products and services. View source version on Contacts Press contactKeri Danielskipress@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Business Wire
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Intuit Announces National Winners of 2025 Intuit Hour of Finance Challenge
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU), the global financial technology platform that makes Intuit TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp, today announced the six national winners of its 2025 Intuit Hour of Finance Challenge — a nationwide initiative that encouraged middle and high school students to spend at least one hour on financial education during Financial Literacy Month in April. 'Through the Intuit Hour of Finance Challenge, we are not just teaching students about money, we are empowering them to take control of their futures.' The Intuit Hour of Finance Challenge engaged tens of thousands of students across all 50 states through Prosperity Quest, a free, interactive game designed to introduce budgeting, saving, and financial decision-making skills. Today's announcement honors three high schools and three middle schools whose students led the nation in engagement, enthusiasm, and impact and developed essential financial literacy skills through interactive activities with real-world product simulations. 'Financial literacy is foundational to long-term success,' said Dave Zasada, Vice President of Education and Corporate Responsibility at Intuit. 'Through the Intuit Hour of Finance Challenge, we are not just teaching students about money, we are empowering them to take control of their futures. These national winners demonstrated that students can develop the confidence and skills they need to thrive with the right tools and support.' High School Winners: James Madison High School – North East ISD (San Antonio, Texas) Southwest Miami Senior High School – Miami-Dade County Public Schools (Miami, Florida) Laurel Highlands High School – Laurel Highlands School District (Uniontown, Pennsylvania) Middle School Winners: Independence Middle School – School District of Palm Beach County (Palm Beach, Florida) Toby Johnson Middle School – Elk Grove Unified School District (Elk Grove, California) Fitzgerald Middle School – Pinellas County Schools (Largo, Florida) 'Financial literacy is essential not just for school, but for life,' said Jeremy Bryson, business teacher at Laurel Highlands High School in Uniontown, PA. 'Participating in the Intuit Hour of Finance Challenge gave our students a unique opportunity to practice real-world financial decision making in a way that was both engaging and empowering. As educators, we talk a lot about preparing students for what's next, but this challenge gave students the tools to start building that future now. We're incredibly proud of our students' dedication and honored to be recognized as a national winner.' This year's Intuit Hour of Finance challenge had more than 800 educators and nearly 40,000 students at 700 unique schools and organizations across all 50 states. The winning schools will be celebrated with national recognition and Chromebooks for their classrooms. In addition, Intuit is recognizing 50 state-level winners for their performance in the challenge and for continuing the conversation around financial literacy in their communities. The Challenge builds on Intuit's broader commitment to financial education through Intuit for Education, a free program that has reached more than three million students nationwide with interactive, standards-aligned lessons in personal and entrepreneurial finance. The Intuit for Education real-world simulations are powered by Intuit's suite of products—including TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp—to help students gain real-world experience and practical skills. To learn more about the Hour of Finance Challenge and explore free resources for educators, visit Intuit is the global financial technology platform that powers prosperity for the people and communities we serve. With approximately 100 million customers worldwide using products such as TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp, we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to prosper. We never stop working to find new, innovative ways to make that possible. Please visit us at and find us on social for the latest information about Intuit and our products and services.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Earth Week Spring Cleaning
Regions associates celebrated Earth Week with river cleanups, community gardening projects, litter pickups and more. By Candace Higginbotham NORTHAMPTON, MA / / May 19, 2025 / It's been a busy spring for Regions volunteers, with Share the Good, Financial Literacy Month and Autism Awareness Month. Some teams decided to take it outside and celebrate another April event, Earth Week, by sprucing up parks, rivers, neighborhoods and other public spaces. The Birmingham-based Regions Finance division took Earth Week literally - by getting their hands in the dirt. The team worked with community partner Friends of Avondale Park to install a new native plant garden and a natural erosion control bank that will improve the water quality of the park's pond. "We were looking for a way to give back to our local community and get outdoors during the beautiful spring season," said Allyson Jansen, an analyst on the Financial Planning and Analysis team. "Friends of Avondale Park was a perfect community partner for us-it's a local organization doing meaningful work to preserve and improve one of Birmingham's historic parks. When we learned about their ongoing efforts to combat erosion damage and restore the park with native plants, we saw a great opportunity to support a cause that impacts both the environment and our community." Around 25 associates spent the afternoon in the park, moving piles of topsoil and compost into two large newly tilled beds, which were then covered with mulch to prepare them for planting later in the fall. The hard work paid off and the team was thrilled with the result. "It was inspiring to see how a few hours of teamwork could make such a visible impact," Jansen said. "Projects like these help us step outside our daily roles and contribute to something bigger than ourselves. We look forward to continuing this kind of work in the future." It was inspiring to see how a few hours of teamwork could make such a visible Jansen, Analyst on Regions Financial Planning and Analysis team According to John Forney, president of Friends of Avondale Park, their effort made a big impact. "Friends of Avondale Park often requires help to address problems and opportunities across this 37-acre tract," Forney said. "The Regions Finance crew were great fun to work with, eager and even competitive with each other. Their work will allow us to install native plants next fall, stabilizing the pond bank and the walk running along it. For a group of bankers, they were impressively able and willing to get their hands dirty!" Another historic neighborhood, Edgehill, just south of downtown Nashville, got a spring facelift thanks to Regions. Six associates, led by Jackob Murray, a Regions Small Business banker and marketplace co-chair for the Nashville Impact Network, participated in the Community Gardening Day at Edgehill Apartments. The team planted flowers, vegetables and shrubs and refreshed garden beds. "The garden is one of the largest and oldest community gardens in Nashville," Murray said. "A few residents came over to visit and help out. They thanked us for helping to get the garden ready for the season." Murray has a special connection to the Edgehill neighborhood and says the Nashville Impact Network will continue to support the community with various other events and activities. Other Regions teams took to the water for their Earth Week activity. Whit Howell, part of the Wealth Management Strategic Execution team, worked with Cahaba Riverkeeper to lead a group of 13 Birmingham-based Wealth Management and Digital Banking associates for a clean-up project on the Cahaba River. The team floated six miles in canoes and picked up more than 300 pounds of trash. Those six miles of paddling made a big impact on the local community: The Cahaba River is the main drinking water source for around about one-fifth of all Alabamians and is a habitat for the iconic Cahaba lily. "I'd heard about Cahaba River cleanups from other Regions associates and after reaching out to Cahaba Riverkeeper, it was a no-brainer to get some teammates together and get out on the water!" Howell said. Though the team had fun and made a huge difference, he added that it was a bit disheartening to see so much trash left that they didn't have the resources to gather. A good reason to come back next year! Jonesboro, Arkansas, associates also took part in some spring cleaning - in their work neighborhood. Shelly Lamb, Private Wealth Management Trust Support administrator, led a team that took part in the Keep Jonesboro Beautiful campaign by picking up trash and debris near the local Regions branch. Lamb is part of the Green Business Committee of the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce and is a longtime advocate for local conservation and beautification efforts. "Getting a group of coworkers together to pick up trash is a fun way to get lots of people involved in keeping our neighborhoods clean and beautiful." Lamb and other Jonesboro associates also participated in the Arkansas State University Earth Day celebration. The event hosted more than 200 elementary students from across northeast Arkansas who learned about protecting the environment, gardening basics and appreciating nature. "I'm excited we had so much volunteer activity around Earth Day this year," said Susan Clowdus, volunteer manager for the Regions Making Life Better Institute. "These associates made life better in these neighborhoods and communities by making them more beautiful!" View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Regions Bank on Contact Info:Spokesperson: Regions BankWebsite: info@ SOURCE: Regions Bank View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - Sadly, the scammers are winning — but our government can help.
We all know someone who has fallen victim to a scam — tricked into providing personal information, paying for something that was not legitimate, or losing life savings to an imposter. These stories are tragic, and unfortunately they are surging at an alarming rate, inflicting deep financial and emotional harm on American consumers and small businesses. During this Financial Literacy Month, we cannot think of a more important issue for the federal government — lawmakers, policymakers and regulators — to shine a light on. The U.S. Government Accountability Office recently released a report to Congress urging the development of a government-wide strategy to confront the fraud and scam epidemic that has affected millions of Americans across the country. The GAO report calls for the establishment of a national scam estimate, a common definition of scams, and an evaluation of the outcomes of consumer education. The GAO's recommendations around national definitions and measurements of fraud and scams are especially important. It demands a national, cross-disciplinary public-private response built on transparent reporting and strong congressional leadership to bring accountability and urgency in the fight against scams. America's leading retail banks have consistently raised the alarm on the need for urgent action. In July 2024, we convened a cross-industry roundtable bringing together public and private leaders to identify what is needed for a national strategy for fighting fraud and scams. From these discussions emerged our contribution to the publication 'Stopping Scams Against Consumers: Roadmap for a National Strategy,' which sets out an initial roadmap for cross-industry collaboration among financial institutions, technology companies, law enforcement and the federal government. We were pleased to see some of our findings cited in the recent GAO report as well. This issue has risen to Main Street because it affects consumers in every congressional district in the country; there is a critical need to go beyond just words to solutions-oriented actions. Just last week, Reps. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) introduced the Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception Act. If passed, this legislation would direct federal agencies, for the first time ever, to report to Congress on the current state of fraud and scams. This level of transparency will not only bring light to the magnitude of the crisis but also drive greater accountability across the public and private sectors alike. This legislation is a step in the right direction and provides a tangible example of how policymakers in Washington can advance sound policy to protect Americans. By publicly disclosing the scale of the issue, the bill would shed light on vulnerabilities and weaknesses across the consumer ecosystem to better inform and enable solutions at a level not possible today. No private-sector industry can look across all sectors and gather the data and information required to fully assess the magnitude of the problem, detect and report rising fraud vectors or scam schemes, or track perpetrators. In this way, the federal government should be required to deliver consistent and comprehensive data that will not only reflect how Americans fall victim to scams, but also the scale of the financial impact it has taken on them. The banking, telecommunications and technology industries — in partnership with federal law enforcement agencies — would be better equipped to develop targeted plans to protect their consumers and have the data to fine tune fraud prevention strategies. In this way, the GUARD Act serves as both a spotlight and a catalyst, encouraging meaningful progress with a shared responsibility. Scams are a national crisis. They are eroding trust in reputable institutions, inflicting financial and emotional harm, and exploiting some of the most vulnerable members of our society. Robust, comprehensive reporting requirements that will equip our government with the data and insights necessary to take meaningful action to safeguard millions of hardworking Americans each and every day. I urge lawmakers to swiftly pass this legislation to leverage data into commonsense actions that protect their constituents and hold bad actors accountable. Lindsey Johnson is president and CEO of the Consumer Bankers Association. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
