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Financial Education
Knowledge is your greatest asset. SM
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Highlights
Citigroup Financial Education Program
 
Highlights May and June 2006
 
EMEA
 
France: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Annual Conference
  • Citigroup sponsored a Financial Literacy session at the annual meeting in Paris of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Dara Duguay, Citigroup Director, Office of Financial Education, spoke on the panel about Citigroup's Financial Education global initiative.
Belgium: European Credit Research Institute
  • On June 27th, Dara Duguay, Director, Citigroup Office of Financial Education, participated in a panel discussion at the second Consumer Financial Capability conference in Brussels, Belgium. Duguay spoke about Citigroup's Financial Education commitment and activities during the session on bank-sponsored dedicated programs.
Portugal: Citigroup & Junior Achievement Partner to Teach "Economics for Success"
  • On Monday, May 1st, Paulo Gray, Citigroup Country Officer (CCO) of Spain, participated in an initiative developed by Aprender a Empreender - Junior Achievement Portugal as part of the program "Economics for Success", aimed at teaching financial education to ninth grade students.
  • This project has involved close to 1,000 students, 43 teachers and 77 executives in seven schools in the Lisbon area. According to Joana Loureiro, general manager of Aprender a Empreender, the balance of the first two months of the program is "very positive," not only for the students, but also for the teachers and volunteers.
  • In 2007/2008, Aprender a Empreender will launch the year-long "Mini Company" program, aimed at secondary school students. The objective is for the students to create and manage a company.
U.K.: Citigroup's "Financially Speaking" Competition Builds Skills for the Future
  • In May, "Financially Speaking" was sponsored by the Citigroup Foundation in relationship with the public speaking organization, SpeakersBank, the Financially Speaking program is designed to give young people their first taste of public speaking as well as introducing them to some of the concepts and ideas behind financial education.
  • Bill Wilkins, senior relationship manager, Corporate and Investment Banking, explained the full benefits of the SpeakersBank program: "It's like a two-way street for volunteers. Going one way, you are able to invest your personal professional experience in teaching essential life skills to enthusiastic groups of young people. Going the other way, it's a learning experience in how to communicate concepts and messages effectively to an audience outside the usual financial arena. In both directions, the benefits are tangible and rewarding-and it's a great deal of fun!"
  • The 23 contestants ranging from 11 years to 15 years covered subjects as broad-ranging as "the cost of cool," "needs versus wants," and "responsible ways to earn money."
  • The SpeakersBank program runs in 15 schools across Tower Hamlets, Southwark, and Lewisham-where Citigroup has a large presence-with over 500 students taking part. Each year, 30 volunteers from across Citigroup act as mentors and teachers. The final competition is held each year in Citigroup's headquarters at Canary Wharf.
Bulgaria: Citibank & Junior Achievement Work with "Hands-On" Education Program
  • May 9, Citigroup Bulgaria and Junior Achievement Bulgaria have announced their continued relationship in the Banks Access program with a $12,500 grant from the Citigroup Foundation.
  • Amin Manekia, Citigroup Country Officer for Bulgaria said, "Citigroup is pleased to strengthen our support of Banks in Action, a program that educates and challenges young people to become better citizens and consumers. This grant is part of Citigroup and the Citigroup Foundation's ten year, $200 million commitment to financial education globally. In 2005, Citigroup Foundation awarded a $2.7 million grant to Junior Achievement Worldwide to become the signature supporter of Banks in Action. "
  • The target of the project in 2006 is to teach more than 600 students in 25 high schools across Bulgaria banking and financial literacy, as well as help them to develop real-life business skills with the guidance of volunteer consultants from Citigroup's team and other finance professionals. The project has been organized in cooperation with the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science.
Greece: Citibank Completes Second Year of Financial Education Programs
  • Athens, June 26, Citibank and the Citigroup Foundation have completed the second consecutive year of the Financial Education Program's "Classes of Economy," which visited five main Greek cities; Athens, Thessaloniki, Larissa, Patra and Herakleion in Crete. The program, supported by a €100,000 grant from the Citigroup Foundation, and designed and implemented by the Hellenic Children's Museum, reached 10,000 primary school children through 400 financial education sessions for the second year, thus getting to a total of 20,000 children since it started in December 2004.
  • According to Chris Vassiliades, Business Manager of Citibank Consumer Group Greece, "We are very pleased by schools' response to our Financial Education Program during its second year and thus we plan to continue and expand it. We believe this program contributes in making children familiar with economy, as they experience it in their daily life, and this is what teachers' feedback confirms. We, as Citibank, are proud to be able to offer children a piece of knowledge."
  • More specifically, the primary school initiative "Economy: Knowledge with...Value" aims at familiarizing children with certain basic economic concepts that affect their everyday lives. Through three different programs that vary according to the school class and through educational games and role-plays, the Financial Education Program discusses many topics, including the difference between "financial needs" and "financial desires," the "market's functions," the meaning of "commerce," the relation between "advertising and market" and "consumer and business."
Latin America
 
El Salvador: Citigroup & Habitat for Humanity to Train Low-Income Families
  • May 1, Habitat for Humanity El Salvador and Citibank El Salvador launched "Program of Financial Alphabetization," directed at 75 families with limited resources and potential recipients of houses constructed by Habitat for Humanity.
  • The objective of this program is to enable low-income families to manage their own personal finances, help them maintain a budget, and inform them of the credit process.
  • Marcela Moran, Human Resources Manager for Citibank El Salvador, stated "our main role will be to have our executives participate in the workshops, giving trainings related to management of personal finances to the families."
  • Additionally, the program organized by Habitat for Humanity receives support from Citigroup, which has developed training days in Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil.
Venezuela: Citibank Partners with University to Train Microentrepreneurs
  • May 4, Citibank Venezuela and Simon Bolivar University have partnered to develop a training program geared towards strengthening the capabilities and skills of local residents to support productive social initiatives in the community of Naiguatá.
  • The project will be coordinated through Sartenejas Technological Park Corporation, an organization headed by Gregorio Paluszny, which is a part of Simon Bolivar University. It will benefit 100 inhabitants of the Vargas jurisdiction, most of them potential small entrepreneurs.
  • The work plan is set for one year and involves development of four training modules where members of the organized community will participate, as well as potential financial entrepreneurs and various local organizations. This project has a total cost of over 140 million bolivares (US$56,000), of which Citibank granted 91 million bolivares (US$36,000).
Colombia: Citibank Spearheading "Finances for Change" Education Program
  • May 5, Citibank- Colombia S.A. is participating in "Finances for Change," a program to promote financial literacy and provide basic knowledge on economics while promoting personal saving.
  • The program teaches how to manage personal and family finances. In 2005, a US$ 60,000 investment included 18 schools in the project, and trained 79 teachers, 3,350 students, 1,100 microbusinesses and 80 parents.
  • The program reported an improvement in the level of knowledge for 250 beneficiaries according to the evaluations carried out. In 2006, the goal is to expand the program to reach 24 schools, 120 teachers, 7,680 students, and 1,200 parents. This will be achieved with an investment of US$ 70,000, which will have a total of 9,024 beneficiaries.
Paraguay: Citibank & Junior Achievement Continue Support of MESE Program
  • May 8, Citibank Paraguay continues to support MESE, an ongoing regional contest and educational program, managed by Junior Achievement. Ignacio Morello, Citigroup Country Officer of Paraguay, said this program is a part of other projects that Citi sponsors to support financial education and demonstrate its commitment to the community.
  • The simulation program helps students operate their own company in an environment similar to the real business world. Thus far, approximately 565 teams, 1700 students and 110 high schools have participated.
  • This year, the goal is to reach 17 cities and achieve the participation of 2,400 students, which would duplicate last year's participation numbers.
Peru: Citigroup Sponsors "Financial Education for the Poor" Project
  • May 9, Lima, Peru - The Citigroup Foundation has granted US$3.9 million to teach millions of poor people around the world about important financial concepts that will help people move from "poverty to prosperity" by making more informed financial decisions and improve their standard of living. The curriculum for this ambitious project was launched via a training session held for training partners for Latin America held at the Hotel Jose Antonio Executive Hotel in Lima, Peru from May 9-18, 2006.
  • During the workshop, organizations completed a training toolkit and adaptation guide, to share the training throughout their respective organizations and networks. Participating organizations have an outreach of more than two million clients and nearly 200 financial institutions.
  • The Financial Education for the Poor project is funded by the Citigroup Foundation, and designed and managed by international non-profit group, Microfinance Opportunities, in collaboration with Freedom from Hunger, a leader in adult curriculum development and integration of education with microfinance. The program aims to rapidly advance financial education for the poor around the globe, including Latin America, through regional and country workshops that will result in a global network of financial educators.
  • "A key element of ending the cycle of poverty is helping individuals to better manage and understand their financial situation. For this reason, Citigroup is pleased to work with Microfinance Opportunities and Freedom from Hunger in this very important project," said Manuel Medina-Mora, Chairman & CEO, Citigroup Latin America.
  • The closing ceremony was hosted by Constantino Gotsis, Citigroup Country Officer for Peru, and attended by various executives and representatives from local financial institutions.
Paraguay: Citibank & Junior Achievement Partner in "La Escuelita" FinEd Program
  • In June, Citibank N.A. Paraguay began the third financial education project in coordination with Junior Achievement. The program, named "La Escuelita," will be held in the public schools of the Villa Morra borough, and is estimated to have the participation of 2,100 students ranging from fourth to sixth grade.
  • The students will take creative and dynamic classes and will be taught the basic concepts of business and economics. Citibank employees who are in the training process for Junior Achievement will teach the classes.
  • Citibank volunteers will be given educational material specially designed for this project. The program will take place throughout the year and will include teachers and other authorities from every school.
Chile: Atlas Citibank Promotes Financial Education for Students
  • June 29, Atlas Citibank supports "Financial Education" programs that seek to improve the financial culture of the population.
  • Within this framework, students from the school in Tercera Longaví received an invitation to visit the Linares bank branch, where they were taught basic finance and observed how banks operate.
  • Raúl Mardones, Linares branch manager, said that students from outlying localities are especially interested in learning how important savings are and how they can better distribute their money.
Mexico
 
Saber Cuenta para los Niños
  • This program provides curricular aids for teachers and provides students with comprehensive financial education lessons, basics of money management and other activities. The program lasts 6 weeks and students receive an interactive, two-hour Financial Education class each week.
  • Over 200 Banamex employees have volunteered to teach approximately 3,900 elementary public school students.
Financiero por un Día (Job Shadow Day)
  • Over 70 high school seniors at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional participated in Financiero por un Dia, a career development program aimed to help students make decisions about their professional careers. Participants spent a full day with a Banamex Director.
Asia Pacific
 
Hong Kong: Education & Manpower Bureau and Citigroup Hold Financial Education Forum
  • May 11, A Financial Education Forum entitled "How to Enhance Students' Financial Management Knowledge?" was organized by Hong Kong's Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) and Citigroup Hong Kong. This was the first time that EMB had partnered with a financial institution to hold a financial literacy forum, and about 170 teachers and parents attended the event.
  • Six panelists from different sectors shared their thoughts and experience on how to enhance students' knowledge of financial management: Yeung King Fai, Senior School Development Officer, EMB; Betty Tsoi, Regional Director of Customer Experience, Citibank Asia Pacific & Chairman of the Citigroup Community Club; Ivan Yiu Tze-leung, Assistant Community Services Secretary (Youth & Family) of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals; Dan Liu, Executive Director of HOPE worldwide; Clio Chan, Headmistress of Creative Primary School; and Yu Wing-Fai, Vice-chairman of Home School Cooperation Committee.
  • Speaking at the Forum, panelists covered topics on the importance of budgeting, saving, spending wisely, and finding solutions to financial crisis. They also discussed the role of families and schools in equipping students with appropriate financial management skills.
Thailand: Celebrities Partner with Citibank to Promote Money Management Best Practices at Money Expo 2006
  • May 11, Some of Thailand's leading celebrities helped promote Citibank's "Use Credit Wisely" financial education program at the 2006 Money Expo event held on May 11-12 in Bangkok. One of the main features was a "Use Your Credit Wisely" video that included personal endorsement and money management tips from Thai celebrities.
  • Organized by Money and Banking magazine, Money Expo is an annual event that involves local and foreign banks operating in Thailand. Many banks use the Expo as an opportunity to showcase new products, services, marketing and sponsorship ideas, and support for community programs.
Hong Kong: Over 2,000 Students Graduate in Personal Economics
  • May 23, More than 2,000 secondary school students graduated from the Personal Economics Program 2005/2006 sponsored by Citigroup. Speaking at the ceremony, TC Chan, Hong Kong CCO and Head of Greater China, Corporate and Investment Banking, also shared his thoughts on the "Principles of Financial Management Discipline" with the students.
  • The graduation ceremony coincided with the launch of the results of a survey conducted by Junior Achievement Hong Kong showing that secondary students are increasingly more interested in personal finance.
  • Organized by Junior Achievement Hong Kong and sponsored by the Citigroup Foundation, the Personal Economics Program 2005/2006 was held between September 2005 and May 2006. More than 60 Citigroup executives stepped into the classrooms to share their personal financial management knowledge with over 2,000 Form 3 to 4 students from 68 schools in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong: 2006 Citigroup Success Fund Focuses on "Creative Financial Education"
  • May 13, "Creative Financial Education" has been selected as the theme of the 2006 Citigroup Success Fund, which is also part of the Citigroup Hong Kong Financial Education Series. One third of this year's awarded programs are expected to be focused on raising students' awareness of the importance of financial management, enabling them to gain financial knowledge and practical financial skills.
  • Ms. Christine Fang, Chief Executive of The Hong Kong Council of Social Services, along with Mr. TC Chan, Hong Kong CCO and Head of Greater China, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Mr. Dan Liu, Executive Director of HOPE worldwide, officiated at the Citigroup Success Fund Fun Fair Day. The event not only showcased many award-winning programs, but also included performances, booth games, and exhibitions, which attracted over 200 teachers, students and general public to enjoy the day.
  • At the event, the organizers also recognized one outstanding program among the 58 awarded programs with the theme of financial education in 2005. As a result, the "Bank of Nam Chong" program, submitted by HKSYC & IA Chan Nam Chong Memorial College was given the "Excellent Program Award" for 2005.
  • Funded and sponsored by the Citigroup Foundation, and jointly organized by Citigroup and HOPE worldwide, the Citigroup Success Fund has received widespread recognition among secondary school teachers and social workers. In the past four years, more than 200 programs were funded and over 10,000 students have benefited.
Korea: Citibank Korea Launches "Think Money", a Nationwide Financial Education Program for Middle Schools
  • May 13, with a grant from the Citigroup Foundation, a new youth financial education program, "Think Money," was launched by Citibank Korea and YWCA Korea at an official opening ceremony in Seoul. "Think Money" is Citibank Korea's flagship financial education program and includes introducing financial education classes to 100 middle schools (Grades 7 - 9).
  • Education experts from YWCA Korea, a group of middle school teachers, faculty from Seoul National University, and Citibank Korea employees are developing the curriculum and classroom materials. The classes will incorporate creative and interactive learning activities.
  • The involvement of Citibank Korea employees is one of the unique features of the program. Around 100 volunteers will go back to their former schools to help teach classes. Before going back to school, the Citibank volunteers will attend special training sessions. As an added incentive, they will also be granted paid leave on their teaching day.
Hong Kong: Local TV Inter-school Financial Education Quiz Sponsored by Announces Winners
  • May 16, the final competition of the first inter-school financial quiz in Hong Kong's television history was aired on the ATV Home Channel. Baptist Lui Ming Choi Secondary School beat 140 other teams to become the champions of the "Student Quiz on Financial Knowledge," organized by Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), and supported by the "Citigroup Financial Education Series," the Citigroup Foundation and the Learning Society.
  • The "Student Quiz on Financial Knowledge" is aimed at fostering responsible financial management amongst high school students. It's also believed that this program will benefit teachers, parents and the general population by increasing their interest and awareness of everyday life financial matters.
  • Each of the seven episodes reached an average viewership of 170,000. Three press events were held including a seminar, kick-off event and a prize presentation press conference. Five newspapers covered the broadcasting of the show, and many other newspapers carried columns about the questions asked in the episodes. In addition to the media coverage, re-runs of the program will be available on the RTHK website for the next 12 months.
Malaysia: Citibank's Agent Penny On A New Mission to Promote Financial Education in More Schools
  • May 26, Building on its successful launch in 2005, Citibank Malaysia and a community group, Malaysian Invention & Design Society (MINDS) announced in May that they are taking the Agent Penny financial education initiative to many more schools this year.
  • "The Adventures of Agent Penny and Will Power," the country's first-ever financial education comic book, was introduced to Malaysia to instill good money management values among primary school students (10-12 year olds). The comic book is filled with fun stories and exercises.
  • The Agent Penny program is being coordinated by Citibank and MINDS, and is funded by a grant from the Citigroup Foundation. Ten thousand copies of the comic book, available in both English and Bahasa Malaysia, have already been distributed to primary students in 2005. An additional 15,000 copies are set for distribution this year.
Indonesia: Citigroup Success Fund Launched for High School FinEd Educators
  • May 31, Jakarta -The fourth Citigroup Success Fund was launched, aimed at teachers of senior high schools in Greater Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang and Surabaya. "Education is the benchmark for a better society," Peter Eliot, Citigroup's country officer for Indonesia, said. "This year, we have allocated Rp 1.9 billion (US$200,000) in funds to the program to help improve education in Indonesia."
  • Teachers enter the competition by submitting proposals on two topics: financial management skills and teaching activities based on news articles taken from newspapers or magazines.
  • Teachers judged to be in the top 100 will receive a total of Rp 5 million (US$545) each to execute their proposals. After the final evaluation, the ten best teachers will each receive Rp 5 million prize and their schools will receive Rp 10 million each.
  • Since it was launched in 2003, Citigroup and partner Hope Worldwide Indonesia have received a total of 1,760 proposals from 298 teachers and their 1,200 colleagues. A total of Rp 4.2 billion has been disbursed to finance the activities.
Hong Kong: "Next Generation of Elite Personal Finance Program 2006" Winners Announced
  • June 5, "The Next Generation of Elite Personal Finance Program 2006," co-organized by Citibank and Hong Kong's Economic Times Business College, ended on a high note with the "Junior Financial Secretary Contest Award Presentation" and "Better Wealth Management - Global Investment Strategy Seminar" successfully held on June 3, 2006. Over 40 proposals from 25 secondary schools and universities were received in May and the winners for the Secondary School category and for the University category were selected based on the creativity and feasibility of the proposal as well as the team's presentation. Esther Leung, Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, presented the prizes to the winners at the award presentation ceremony.
  • Running for a third year, the program helps generate significant interest in the understanding of personal finance among teenagers, teachers and parents through a series of interactive and fun-filled activities. This year, more than 800 students, teachers and parents participated in the program.
  • Part of the program was "Dialogue with the Bankers" during which students from the Secondary School category were invited to pay a visit to one of Citibank's branches and executives from Citibank shared with them the concepts of personal finance management. Students from the University category were invited to visit Citigroup's Dealing Room and met with TC Chan, Citigroup Country Officer of Hong Kong and Head of Greater China, Corporate and Investment Banking, who shared inspirational insights and invaluable experience on work and life.
  • The program concluded with the "Better Wealth Management - Global Investment Strategy Seminar" following the award presentation. Guest speakers included Vicks Poon, Head of Investment Strategy and Research, Citibank Global Consumer Group; Eric Fu, Director, Intermediary Business, of Fidelity; Nicole Tan, Executive Director of UBS; Allen Lee Peng Fei, J.P.; and Arthur Shek, Associate Publisher & Head of Research Department, Hong Kong Economic Times Limited.
Philippines: "Let's Talk Money" Program for Working Moms Makes a Big Impact
  • June, Citibank Philippines has teamed up with ABS-CBN Foundation to reach working women from rural and urban areas and impress upon them the importance of financial planning to improve their quality of life.
  • Beginning in June 2005, Values Enhancement Seminars with a focus on the values of work, investment and savings for women micro-entrepreneurs were hosted in the provinces of Taguig, Bulacan, Zambales, La Union, Pampanga, Pangasinan and Iloilo. A total of six Values Enhancement Seminars were arranged which directly benefited 252 women micro-entrepreneurs. These beneficiaries in turn are expected to have cascaded their learnings to over 7,000 members of their respective communities.
  • This training enables the participants to relate what they have learned about financial management to their family enterprises and businesses, and thereby improve their financial well being.
Malaysia: Citigroup Stock Game Challenges Students in Kuala Lumpur
  • June, The Citigroup Stock Challenge 2006 was held in Kuala Lumpur where Wisma Malaysian Chinese Association's San Choon Hall was converted into a trading floor where over 200 Form Four students were engaged in active trading. Despite being too young to be real-life equities traders, the students picked up valuable skills in risk analysis, portfolio management, stock tracking, research, investment strategy, budgeting and planning. Student teams formed 70 'brokerage houses' that each used $1,000 'seed money' in a simulated stock market featuring 24 stocks in five sectors - energy, manufacturing, trade, communications and hospitality.
  • The Citigroup Stock Challenge is a two-day program with classroom learning and interaction on the first day and active trading on the second day. This is Citigroup Malaysia's third year of organizing the Citigroup Stock Challenge and to date, more than 600 students from over 30 schools in 4 states in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang and Johor Bahru) have participated.
  • This unique initiative is made possible by a grant from the Citigroup Foundation. As part of Citigroup's global commitment to promote financial education, the Citigroup Stock Challenge aims to introduce young students in Malaysia to stock market fundamentals and increase their financial literacy and investment knowledge. The Stock Challenge program also involved 23 employees volunteers, 16 from Citigroup and 7 from Malaysia's Stock Exchange.
Taiwan: Citigroup Online Financial Education Program To Reach 10,000 Students
  • June 30, More upper level elementary students in Taiwan will be able to learn about the basics of finance thanks to a new online initiative launched by Citigroup and NGO group, EduCities. Funded by an $180,000 grant from the Citigroup Foundation, this program is expected to involve more than 300 teachers and reach over 10,000 students in its first year.
  • When students visit the well-known EduCities website they will be able to access a wide range of online learning programs including case studies, games and an interactive question and answer contest. In addition, a group of elementary teachers will also be trained to promote e-learning to their students. As further encouragement, trophies and prize money will be offered with the top five teams receiving $620 and the 20 runners-up receiving $300.
  • EduCities is the first web-based virtual academic city in the world. Its goal is to promote online learning for all members of the community. Today it reaches over 2,500 primary, junior and senior high schools and universities.
Citigroup in Japan supports the financial education program "Student City"again this year
  • Citigroup, in cooperation with Junior Achievement Japan, hosted "Student City" a unique program, aimed at elementary school students to help teach and understand the formation of society.
  • In May and June, 534 students from 10 schools experienced this program. 13 employees helped the students as volunteer staff at the Citibank 'branch'.
  • The 2006 program started in May for this school year and will continue until next February.
U.S. Financial Education Training
 
To date, more than 4,100 employees and non-profit partner staff have undergone training to teach financial education using the Citigroup Financial Education Curriculum.
 
Over 2,800 people have participated in the online training since the April 2005 launch of the site.
 
United States
 
Mercy Housing "Making Dreams Happen"
  • On May 1, 2006, Citibank and Mercy Housing in Chicago launched the "Making Dreams Happen" financial education program for residents of Mercy Housing's Washington and LaVergne Court Apartments in the Austin Community. This program was made possible through a $250,000 grant from the Citigroup Foundation.
  • The Citigroup Financial Education Curriculum will be taught over a 16-week period by 8 Citigroup volunteers. The curriculum will be complemented by support sessions taught by the Resident Services Coordinator at Mercy Housing. Through the collaboration of Citibank and Mercy, residents will acquire the necessary skills to take charge of their financial futures and realize their dreams of owning a home, purchasing a major asset, starting a home business or financing higher education.
U.S.: Citibank Announces High School Winners of "The Fed Challenge"
  • May 3, Stamford, Connecticut - Citibank has announced the winners of $197,500 in scholarships, awards and grants for the high school teams competing in the final rounds of The Fed Challenge. The Fed Challenge is a national high school economics competition, sponsored by participating Reserve Banks and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, in which teams of high school students from around the country prepare and present analyses of the economy and recommendations for monetary policy in a series of local, regional and national competitions.
  • Citibank awarded $25,000 to each of the national finalist teams and $10,000 to each of the national semi-finalist teams in the competition.
  • "As an engaged partner in the communities that we serve, Citibank established the 'Citibank Scholarships, Awards and Grants for The Fed Challenge' in 1998 to encourage economic study at the high school level. Each year we're more impressed with the student competitors and the quality of their monetary policy recommendations," said Michael Reardon, Chairman, President and CEO, The Student Loan Corporation, a Citibank subsidiary. "The Fed Challenge competition clearly encourages students, teachers and parents across the country to learn more about economics and how it impacts their daily lives."
U.S.: Congressional Caucus
  • June 21, at the Rayburn House Office building, Dara Duguay, Director, Citigroup Office of Financial Education, was a featured speaker for the Congressional Savings and Ownership Caucus. The subject was "Making Financial Education Real for Kids."
U.S.: "Take Your Parents to School Day"
  • May 11, The "Take Your Parents to School Day Program" in the U.S. is a national, three-day in-school program based on Smith Barney's proprietary financial education curriculum. Smith Barney provided the complete curriculum and all accompanying materials. On the third day of the program, Smith Barney Financial Advisors introduced the National Stock Portfolio Contest.
  • The contest allows classes within 50 schools nationwide to create hypothetical portfolios to compete over a three-month period. The contest winner is the class with the portfolio reflecting the largest percentage gain in value over the contest period. Every student in the winning class receives a share of Citigroup stock.
U.S.: Citibank Sponsors "Show Me the Money" Financial Education Program for Children
  • May 15, the Citigroup Foundation presented a $25,000 grant to Associacion Tepeyac, a non-profit organization serving the Mexican immigrant community residing in New York, for Financial Education programs geared towards teaching children how to save money for the future.
  • A group of students visited a Citibank branch in Jackson Heights, Queens, where they learned how to open a checking and savings account and observed the operations of a branch.
U.S.: Citigroup Announces Neighborhood Revitalization/Preservation Financial Ed Program
  • May 17, Chicago - The Citigroup Foundation and the National Training and Information Center (NTIC) announced "Neighborhood Revitalization and Preservation through Financial Education," a project designed to build wealth and promote stable home ownership in communities across the country. On behalf of The Citigroup Foundation, Mary Louise Preis, CitiFinancial Community Relations Director, presented a grant check in the amount of $250,000 to NTIC.
  • Together, CitiFinancial and NTIC will impact thousands of households in Illinois, Ohio, Iowa, New York, and Indiana through this project. The project will focus on using financial education and awareness to equip families and individuals with the tools and information they need to build wealth, secure assets and protect their investments.
  • With support from the Citigroup Foundation, the NTIC national office will support each of the seven affiliates with technical assistance; relationship building that builds capacity, implementation monitoring, results tracking and analysis, and development and sharing of best practices.
Charlotte, NC - Spending Money Wisely
  • On May 23, 2006 CitiFinancial launched a 4-week financial education program to be taught by 5 CitiFinancial volunteers with Reid Park Elementary School in Charlotte, NC. Through this program, the one hundred 3rd-5th grade students learned the importance of "Spending Money Wisely!"
U.S.: Citigroup Pledges Support to Illinois in Effort to Provide Personal Finance Education
  • June 27, Chicago, Illinois - In support of the recently passed State Finance Act, which was amended by adding a Financial Literacy Fund, Citigroup's Office of Financial Education announced plans to share its free Citigroup Financial Education Curriculum and provide Citigroup employees as expert guest speakers in the schools. The Act instructs the State Board of Education to develop and adopt curricula, materials, and guidelines for school boards to use in implementing a program of instruction on financial literacy within courses currently offered in public schools.
  • "The momentum for adding financial literacy curricula in schools is clearly growing," said Dara Duguay, Director of Citigroup's Office of Financial Education. "According to the Jump$tart Coalition's 2005 personal finance survey, only 16% of high school seniors nationally have taken an entire course covering personal finance basics. Citigroup is pleased to provide our curricula to schools, non-profit organizations and state agencies in any state that passes personal finance legislation, to help reverse this shortfall."
  • 2006 has seen a surge in financial education legislation as a variety of federal and state sponsored bills have been introduced in 18 states. Only 13 states currently have a personal finance requirement. By 2004, there were eight states that made personal finance a requirement for high school graduation and by the end of 2005 five more states had passed similar legislation.
Boys and Girls Club, NC - Pocket Change
  • In January 2006 Mike Wyatt, Regional Manager for CitiFinancial, launched a 16 week financial education program customized to reach the 100 students at the Wayne County Boys and Girls Club. After completing the 16-week course, the students were rewarded on June 9, 2006 with a "CitiFinancial Fun Day." The event included a "What do you Remember" session, highlighting Citigroup's Financial Education Curriculum - "Pocket Change". The students earned money for what they remembered and their participation. The students were then given the opportunity to spend their money at the "CitiFinancial Store" created to reiterate the importance of spending money wisely.
Florence, SC - Smart Spending
  • On Wednesday, June 14, 2006 six local CitiFinancial volunteers partnered with The Epsilon Chi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Volunteers taught students about budgeting and set up a store simulation to demonstrate what's considered "smart" spending. Citigroup's Office of Financial Education and CitiFinancial have announced a $50,000 contribution to support the recently passed Financial Literacy Act. The act authorizes the state Board of Education to develop and adopt curriculum for all public schools to teach students basic money management skills.
U.S.: Citigroup/NULYP Volunteer in 3rd Annual "National Day of Service" For FinEd
  • June 24, United States - Thousands of young African American professionals lent their voices, time and resources to providing personal financial education, when the National Urban League Young Professionals (NULYP) held their third "NULYP National Day of Service." Over 40 NULYP chapters nationwide participated in community service events focused on supporting the communities nationwide by educating youth in the area of savings, credit, money management and more using financial education curricula provided by Citigroup.
  • The NULYP National Day of Service targets African American youth between the ages of 12 and 18 and hopes to deliver focused education to at least 5,000 youth on the importance of financial responsibility. The initiative also hopes to promote volunteerism amongst young African-American professionals in support of financial empowerment. In addition to numerous community activities, financial education literature was distributed to local media and community service organizations to increase public awareness.
  • NULYP and Citigroup sponsored the national day of service as part of "The NULYP National Financial Empowerment Agenda." This is in support of the National Urban League's five-point empowerment agenda. The National Urban League Young Professionals is a volunteer auxiliary group of the National Urban League whose members range in age from 21-40. This network of young professionals is composed of over 55 chapters working to advance the Urban League agenda through corporate, social and community activism in cities across the country.
NC Jump$tart - Credit and Credit Cards
  • On June 28th & 29th, in Charlotte, NC, Trena Delgado, Community Relations Manager for the Southeast Division, conducted a training session on "Credit and Credit Cards" for over 75 participants at the North Carolina Jump$tart Coalition's Financial Literacy Training Workshop. The training session was held in conjunction with the NC Legislature that now mandates financial literacy in High Schools by 2007.
U.S.: Private Bank Summer Program
  • The Citigroup Private Bank hosted an educational seminar in June 2006 for young adult children of our private bank clients entitled "Next Generation of Wealth". This is a global, annual one-week program for approximately 25 young adult children ranging in age from 21-35. The main objective is to provide a unique opportunity for participants interested in learning how to invest, manage and govern their own wealth, as well as network with each other. Attendees are invited from all over the world and have diverse family backgrounds. Topics covered included capital markets, global and political trends in wealth management, foreign exchange, asset allocation, family governance, real estate and estate planning.