United Bank of Iowa Provides Remote Financial Literacy Learning Resources to Local Schools

Originally posted in The Storm Lake Paper

United Bank of Iowa stepped up to make partial or full remote learning in the wake of COVID-19 easier. Thanks to their sponsorship, students and teachers at Atla- Aurelia Senior High School, Storm Lake Middle School, and Storm Lake High School in Buena Vista County will have free access to Banzai. Banzai is an award-winning online financial literacy program and content library of articles, calculators, and personalizable Coaches. All of these resources are available to students at home or in the classroom via any device that can access the internet.

"Banzai is a web-based financial literacy program. Kids get their own accounts, and they work through assignments that are based on real life," says Morgan Vandagriff, co-founder of Banzai. "But because United Bank of Iowa is sponsoring it, local schools get it for free. More than ever, it's important that kids develop sound financial skills to prepare them for the real world, and United Bank of Iowa realizes that and they're doing something about it."

Banzai content builds a foundation of practical knowledge and gives students the tools to create a sound financial future. While students learn, teachers can easily monitor and grade their progress remotely. After finishing Banzai, students will know how to track where their money is and what it’s for, recognize financial trade-offs, build a budget, and more. At a time when many are facing unprecedented financial challenges, these lessons are invaluable. The Banzai resources are available at unitedbankiowa.learnbanzai.com.

For 3 years, United Bank of Iowa has worked with Banzai to build financial literacy in the Buena Vista County community by investing time, money, industry experience, and a variety of bank resources. Beyond the Banzai library, United Bank of Iowa also offers virtual or in classroom presentations from local experts on timely topics. Banzai resources are used by over 72,000 teachers across the U.S. The courses align with Iowa’s state curriculum requirements, making the program a fun way for students to gain vital financial literacy skills.

Teachers interested in using the Banzai program with their class can visit unit- edbankiowa.teachbanzai.co m or call 888-8-BANZAI.

For more information about Banzai visit teachbanzai.com. For more information about United Bank of Iowa visit www.unitedbk.bank