By Karen Rice
Official Kids Mag
Hey kids! April is Financial
Literacy Month. But what does
THAT mean? That means it's a
good time to learn about money!!
Official Kids Mag is here to tell
you that you're not too young to
start building good money habits
that will affect how you earn,
save, and shop even when you are
grown up. Plus, learning about
money is a great way to practice
your math skills!
Habits like planning ahead,
saving up, and sticking to goals
help kids like you (and adults
too!) have a positive attitude
about money.
Don't feel confident about
money matters? You're not alone.
Most people don't. And that's
okay. We have some ways to help
you learn. Check out the reading
list on page 46!
Here are some things to think
about:
What is a bank? A bank is a
business where people can deposit
and withdraw their money.
How do banks work? Banks
offer you a safe place to keep
your money and pay you interest
by using your deposits to make
loans. When you have a savings
account, you are lending money
to the bank. The bank lends your
money to other people. They pay
the money back to the bank with
interest. The bank gives you a
small amount of the money they
make.
Why is it important to
save? When you save, you will
have money to use in the future.
It also ensures you will have the
money you may need in case of
an emergency or a special event.
What is interest? Interest
is the amount you earn from
deposits in your savings account.
Why is it important to save
for emergencies? Emergencies
are unexpected. If you save for
emergencies, you will not have
to worry about how to pay for
them. You will already have the
money saved.
Open an account: Open up
a savings account at your local
bank. You can save up for a long-
term spending goal by adding to
the account after money is earned
or gifted.
see if your local bank has
a program for kids. Branson
Bank has one called Kids Club.
This program teaches kids like
you the value of saving their
money and that hard work really
does pay-off.
"Saving is something that every
kid should do and we are here to
provide the tools needed to make
that process simple," says Halley
Fleming, Chief Marketing Officer
at Branson Bank. "Kids today are
the leaders for tomorrow and
teaching them at an early age the
importance to saving is critical –
and saving can be fun!"
At Branson Bank, they know
how important it is for kids to
learn about saving money. They
even call on their friend "CHIP"
to help! Designed from their
signature warm chocolate chip
cookie, Chip encourages all kids
under the age of 18 to open an
account at Branson Bank and save
for their futures.
Branson Bank Minor Account
holders are automatically included
in The Chip Club, and in addition
to learning about saving money,
you'll get:
✔ Free starter kit – register,
cover and deposit slips
✔ Free coin processing
✔ Free cookies
✔ Free Membership to The
Chip Club – personal letters
from Chip in the mail, invites
to fun, exclusive events, a
free subscription to Official
Kids Mag, and more.
To open a Minor Rewards
account at Branson Bank, visit
any one of their 4 convenient
locations in Branson or Forsyth.
For questions about the Chip
Club, please reach out to Branson
Bank's Marketing Department at:
417-334-9696.
Learning about money is
Practical Money skills ed's Bank:
Help ed collect coins to buy items he wants at the store.
http://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/games/ed_bank/
Kids.gov ca$h Puzzler: take a virtual field trip to the
Money Factory in Washington, D.c., to learn how cash is made.
http://kids.usa.gov/watch-videos/money/money-factory/index.shtml
Visa Money Metropolis: travel through a neighborhood
as you work to reach your goal by earning and saving.
http://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/games/moneymetropolis/
Biz Kid$ Dollar a Glass: test your business skills as the owner of a
lemonade stand. http://bizkids.com/games/dollar-a-glass
For more information and resources, visit
www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/money-as-you-grow/
fun!
Financial literacy games and online resources:
Brock F., 8 and teagan F., 6, have fun
learning about money with Branson Bank's
chip club.
42 • April 2021 • www.OfficialKidsMag.com
