Financial Education
Washington Trust Bank offers a wide range of financial educational presentations and classes for every age group.
Our financial education presentations, available throughout our regional footprint, feature classes designed to educate individuals on the importance of financial literacy. From savings and credit, to money management, paying for college and understanding your credit score, these presentations can be presented by request to a wide range of schools and organizations, including: Youth Groups, After School Programs, YMCA / YWCA, Boys & Girls Club, Non-profit Organizations and more.
To request a presentation to your school or group, contact our financial education team at retailtraining@watrust.com, or stop in to any Washington Trust Branch.
Teach Children to Save
Teach Children to Save is a national program offered by Washington Trust Bank in conjunction with the American Bankers Association Community Engagement Foundation. These lessons, targeted to school age children from Kindergarten to 8th Grade, help children understand the importance and value of savings. The program walks children through the process of setting goals, making a savings plan, ideas for earning money, and opening a savings account.
Request a PresentationGet Smart about Credit
Washington Trust Bank, in association with the ABA Community Engagement Foundation, offers the Get Smart about Credit program to young people throughout our regional footprint in an effort to raise awareness about the importance of using credit wisely. Targeted for high school age and first year college students, this program includes information on Paying for College, Understanding Your Credit Score, Protecting Your Identity, and Managing your Money.
Request a PresentationMoney Smart—A Financial Education Program
Online financial education classes from the FDIC on budgeting, credit, homeownership, and more.
Washington Trust Bank believes that financial literacy helps individuals make better, more informed choices that will result in financial security and growth. In order to achieve increased financial literacy, WTB is offering a financial education curriculum that trains individuals on core concepts such as budgeting, the importance of saving, and credit management. Through this curriculum, WTB hopes that individuals will feel empowered to take control of their financial future and confident that they have the skills to become financially independent.
Money SmartThe program components
The Money Smart curriculum consists of eleven modules that cover basic finance topics. Each module will be taught utilizing the following tools: a PowerPoint presentation, lecture, question and answer sessions, and hands-on activities. At the end of each module, participants will get to take home a participant handbook with hand-outs on that particular topic.
The money smart curriculum
The curriculum consists of the following modules:
- Bank On It: an introduction to bank services
- Borrowing Basics: an introduction to credit
- Check It Out: how to choose and keep a checking account
- Money Matters: how to keep track of your money
- Pay Yourself First: why you should save, save, save
- Keep It Safe: your rights as a consumer
- To Your Credit: how your credit history will affect your credit future
- Charge It Right: how to make a credit card work for you
- Loan to Own: know what you’re borrowing before you buy
- Your Own Home: what home ownership is all about
- Financial Recovery: how to recover financially and rebuild your credit after a financial set-back
Money Management Counseling**
You can take advantage of free money management counseling by contacting Money Management International at 866.515.2227. Or visit their website at www.moneymanagement.org. They will assist you in budget management strategies.
MMI offers free credit counseling to those who need help with budgeting, basic money management skills, and credit problems. Certified counselors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by telephone and internet. In–person credit counseling is also available by appointment in the local markets in which we operate.
You and your personal credit counselor will work together to:
- Assess your current financial situation
- Develop a realistic spending plan
- Establish achievable financial goals
- Create a personal action plan for success
**Money Management International (MMI) does not lend money and is not a loan company. MMI provides free counseling and education programs. Clients who choose to participate in a Debt Management Plan (DMP) will be assessed a fee for services where allowed by state law. Fees may be waived based on federal poverty level guidelines. The establishment of DMP may adversely affect the individual's credit rating or credit scores, and nonpayment of debt may lead creditors to increase finance and other charges or to undertake collection activity, including litigation. Member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and the Association for Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies, Accredited by the Council on Accreditation.
