Light background music plays. A group of teens walks into a school auditorium. A staff member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America holds the door open for them.
Staff: You guys are about to get your occupations right now. Let's do it. Come on in.
A group of adults in Charles Schwab T-shirts sits in a classroom, listening intently to Johnny[FK1] , the financial literacy program director, introducing the activity they’re about to help with.
Johnny [off-screen]: You have an opportunity to make an impact in the lives of young people with regard to how they spend their money. They'll have to choose their housing arrangement, entertainment, investments.
Johnny stands in front of the group, reading from a paper.
Johnny: For our young people, this is gonna be an opportunity for them to get a dose of reality.
Onscreen text:
Money Matters: Make It Count.
The Reality Store.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Charles Schwab Foundation.
Two girls from the group of teens stand in front of a table with clipboards in hand and write down the information Kim[FK2] , one of the volunteers, gives them.
Kim [off-screen]: Okay, your annual salary is $76,500.
The auditorium is buzzing with conversation from several groups seated and standing at tables, talking.
Natasha [off-screen]: The Reality Store experience is a piece of the Money Matters program.
Natasha is wearing a staff shirt, with the busy auditorium behind her.
Onscreen text:
Natasha Alani
Director City Wide Teen Services
Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco
Natasha: The Schwab Money Matters financial literacy program that we do here at Boys & Girls Clubs focuses on a lot of different things. It covers everything from savings to paying for college.
Teens sit or stand at tables with the adult volunteers, talking and filling out their worksheets.
Natasha [off-screen]: And what we're doing today is an actual simulation of life as a 28-year-old. What are you going to do to make sure that you're financially healthy?
Teens are interviewed individually about their experience, the auditorium bustling in the background.
Onscreen text:
Janice
Club Member
Janice: I thought cable was very surprising at one of the stations, because I didn't know cable cost that much. I'm a receptionist, my salary was $1,870 dollars. I wanna learn how to budget and stay inside my budget a lot instead of going outside of it and just spending money.
Onscreen text:
Asantay
Club Member
Asantay: My career was a geneticist—I actually had four children. The choices I made, I kind of messed up on some, and then I had to go back and redo them.
Earlier, Asantay speaks with one of the volunteers, Karen, at her table.
Karen: I think you probably can handle the three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths. Maybe some of your kids can share rooms.
Asantay: Yeah.
Asantay [off-screen]: The house was expensive. Clothes and food was kind of hard. It really helped me because to see what I actually need and don't need, how to manage my money.
The two girls are chatting with their volunteer, Kim, and filling out their worksheets.
Kim: And for your health insurance, a family plan, you're looking at $250 a month.
Kim is interviewed in the empty auditorium after the event.
Onscreen text:
Kim Law
Schwab Volunteer
Kim: They really were very thoughtful about their budgeting, what it meant, and it was really great to see that experience through their eyes. This is an opportunity to bring financial literacy at a young age, an important age, and carry with them the rest of their lives.
Onscreen text:
Johnny DiBartolo
Financial Literary Program Director
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Johnny: Kids are learning the importance of careers and how they relate to their salary, the importance of personal responsibility with regard to family, we learned about budgeting, saving, the importance of investing, all in the safety of the club.
Onscreen text:
Elmer
Club Member
Elmer: What I learned was that even though you do have a good job and you think it is good, you still have to spend your money wisely and think about your kids. I basically bought a lot of luxurious things, but I didn't have enough to afford the childcare.
Onscreen text:
Rich Kahan
Schwab Volunteer
Rich: So you could see the wheels spinning. The fact that this isn't easy, I need to consider what my whole budget is, what I really do want or what I really do need, and then somehow put it all together and make it work. It'll really be a strong and valuable tool for the next generation.
Onscreen text:
Money Matters: Make It Count
The Reality Store
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Charles Schwab Foundation
To learn more visit moneymattersmakeitcount.com
The Charles Schwab Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation funded by The Charles Schwab Corporation and classified by the IRS as a charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation is neither a part of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (member SIPC) nor its parent company, The Charles Schwab Corporation.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America is unaffiliated with Charles Schwab Foundation, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., and The Charles Schwab Corporation. (0315-2467)
