Get Smart About Credit

According to a March 2025 Morning Consult Survey, 72% of adults surveyed felt they would be better off financially if they’d learned basic personal finance at an earlier age. Meanwhile, 87% of respondents agreed that financial concepts should be taught in high school — which is rarely the case. We’ve made it our mission to make that transition easier.

What you’ll need to register in 2025:

The communities you expect to reach (participating city/state)
Number of people you intend to reach (estimates are welcome)
Number of staff volunteers (estimates are welcome)

Once you’re registered:

You’ll get a confirmation email with access to program materials, and all the information you’ll need to educate teens and young adults about finances.

Bankers: Register Update Participation

Have questions? Contact us at CommunityEngagement@aba.com.

Teen & young adult engagement year-round

Young people in your community are reaching financial firsts — whether that’s buying their first car, taking out their first loan or opening their first credit card, they need guidance to get it right.

We know that outreach is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Whether yours happens in person, virtually, on social media or beyond, there’s room for everyone to get involved — and get noticed. The list of participants in this campaign is shared with state bank associations, policymakers and consumers.

Be part of Get Smart About Credit Day, October 16, 2025, and help young people Get Smart any (or every) day of the year. Join banks from across the country by registering your engagement efforts, both new and ongoing. Keep inspiring the next generation to make sound financial decisions and explore banking careers.

View list of Participating Banks

How it works

If you are educating teens and young adults on personal finance and banking careers, you are already participating in Get Smart About Credit and just need to sign up!
Let us know how many people you reached and the number of employees involved in your efforts. Haven’t started yet? Tell us your goals for the year—we look forward to learning about your bank’s impact in the community.
Any resource you would like to use to educate the next generation is perfect for getting involved with Get Smart About Credit. Need a fresh idea? We have you covered with digital resources, social media tools and more, all in a free, online Communications Toolkit.
It is up to you and your bank to determine how you would like to measure the number of people your Get Smart About Credit efforts have reached—all you have to do is let us know.

Any banker that is passionate about this work is welcome, and encouraged, to participate.

Learn more through free webinars

Get Smart and Get Involved

Nearly 1 in 3 Gen Zers don’t feel in control of their credit score, but you can change that! ABA Foundation and FICO hosted a free webinar showcasing exclusive resources in support of credit education, including all the tools for explaining credit scores and debt management. FICO shared their Score a Better Future Ambassador Program, which equips bank volunteers with free resources and the confidence to facilitate financial education workshops in your community.

View additional recordings on the Financial Education Training Webinar Portal.

Starting a financial education program

Try some of these practical ideas, collected by the ABA Community Engagement Foundation, to help you meet the special challenges of educating young consumers.

View the Guide