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Country Bank (Honorable Mention), Ware, MA

Entry Year: 2018
Entry Category: Financial Education
Asset Size: Small
Program Name: Credit for Life

Program Summary:

Our Credit for Life program is a financial literacy exercise where high school seniors are asked to make decisions on how to spend their money. Students role-play the position of a 25-year old adult with a career, a salary and a credit score. They are assigned a mock checking and savings account balance and possibly a student loan payment, depending on the career choice they selected. Based on their mock salary, they must make decisions that affect their finances, such as renting an apartment on their own or having a roommate, buying or leasing a vehicle, purchasing furniture, and saving for their retirement. There is a booth set up for each financial decision the students will have to make. Our goal for the students is to have a better understanding of their future fiscal responsibilities. We teach them about balancing a budget and making choices about their finances. They also learn how one financial choice can greatly impact another. One of the most important booths at the Credit for Life Fair is the credit score booth. We use this booth to educate the students on what a credit score is and how their future will be impacted with a low, medium, or high credit score. Students are given a completely random credit score at the very beginning of the fair which will greatly affect their experience. Credit counselors review each student’s final budget one-on-one to ensure solvency or to help students learn how to live within their means.