PODCAST: Engaging all ages in financial education

Brittany O’Malley believes it's never too early to engage people in financial education. 

With that in mind, O’Malley—financial education supervisor at $3.7 billion asset Royal Credit Union in Eau Claire, Wis.—spends much of her time creating and conducting programs to educate teenagers and young adults about their finances.

“I like to make everything I teach as engaging as possible,” O’Malley says. “It might be something like, ‘Let's have a big dance party and find coins. If you can find a coin, go run into this corner and see how many coins you have.’

"It doesn't need to be just you talking at them. We get a lot of a-ha moments and a lot of little kids getting so excited about money. We ask, ‘What are you saving for?’ And they all raise their hands and want to tell you and share their knowledge.”

In this episode of the CUNA News Podcast, O'Malley discusses her career, the financial education space, engagement, and the importance of financial literacy.

You can listen to the CUNA News Podcast in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio.

In this episode:

0:51: O’Malley’s credit union career

2:30: Importance of financial education

3:03: Engaging young people

5:35: Royal Credit Union’s financial education programs

12:50: Financial education incentives

13:57: The pandemic’s impact on financial education 

15:03: Tips for other credit unions