Award-Winning Program Instills the Importance of Personal Finance Skills

Travis Credit Union (TCU) unveiled Generation Wealth, its newly refreshed and rebranded award-winning, interactive youth financial education initiative, today at Benicia High School. Formerly known as Mad City Money, more than 13,000 students have attended the TCU program since its inception in 2009.

Generation Wealth is aimed at empowering students with essential skills for successful money management throughout their lives. Through immersive scenarios, participants are tasked with navigating real-life situations that include jobs, salaries, bills, families, and credit scores, giving them a practical understanding of budgeting, saving, and financial decision-making.

“Wealth means something different to Gen Z than it does to previous generations,” said Steward Pimienta, youth engagement officer at Travis Credit Union. “Each person has their own definition of wealth. We want to make sure all students feel empowered by their definition and comfortable building the foundation to reach their unique financial goals.”

With expert guidance and discussions, Generation Wealth is designed to provide students with practical experience in managing real-life household budgets using the four pillars of financial wellness:

• Plan: Employing a financial plan to make manageable decisions, stay on track and be prepared for the unexpected

• Save: How to meet savings goals and be in control

• Spend: Using financial tools to manage everyday spending

• Borrow: Learning how to get the lowest interest rates to stay on budget

“Generation Wealth is a reimagination of our successful and long-running ‘Mad City Money’ program,” said Jennifer Victor, vice president of branch sales and service at Travis Credit Union. “The new name reflects the ideals of this generation and the concept of generating prosperity. It emphasizes that anyone can achieve their life goals with financial literacy and healthy spending habits.”

In conjunction with this impactful program, Mayor Steve Young will officially proclaim September 26 as Generation Wealth Day in Benicia, recognizing the importance of youth financial literacy.

“We're thankful for our ongoing partnership with Travis Credit Union and the work they do to emphasize the importance of financial literacy for our high school students. Thank you to Joan Westerman for bringing this partnership to Benicia Unified School District to equip and empower our students with the skills they will need to make informed decision and achieve their goals,” remarked Trudy Barrington, chief business officer at Benicia Unified School District.

For more information about the Generation Wealth program or to get involved, please visit https://traviscu.org/generationwealth or email TCUCommunityRelations@traviscu.org.