My First Nest Egg, a new digital financial literacy system that gamifies healthy financial habits for kids ages 3-12, and Heritage South Community Credit Union, a community-chartered credit union headquartered in Shelbyville, TN, have partnered to provide Heritage South’s youngest members and students in its partner schools a fun way to earn, save and be generous. The app not only operates as a chore and award management system for families, but also provides an age-appropriate financial literacy curriculum for kids based on national standards.
A custom co-branded version of the My First Nest Egg app and content will be made available to Heritage South’s members and students at its partner schools at no cost to the families. This partnership is instrumental in realizing the mission of both parties in spreading financial wellness to their communities.
My First Nest Egg enlisted the help of a child psychologist to design a unique product which puts the mental wellness of children first. The app makes learning healthy money habits fun with earning puzzles, leaderboards, and a robust financial curriculum. Money habits are set as early as age 7, but most kids lack exposure to even basic money concepts during these early years. This lack of early education has caused a financial literacy epidemic, and is a key driver of poor mental health in adulthood. 64% of adults identify money as a significant stressor in their lives. Money is more about the mind than it is the math, and My First Nest Egg seeks to instill good habits in childhood to enhance financial outcomes and decrease financial stress in adulthood.
While the My First Nest Egg app is available to the public for purchase through the Apple and Google Play stores, a major aspect of the company’s efforts to improve financial literacy is facilitating partnerships with trusted institutions who are already committed to giving their customers the tools to achieve financial success.
Nicolle Hood, My First Nest Egg’s co-founder and CEO, said: "When we met with Heritage South’s CEO, Laura Parham and its Direct of Marketing, Wes Trundle, we were impressed by their commitment to financial literacy for all and their mission to help when others won’t. We knew immediately that we wanted to partner with Heritage South and to be a part of their good work and already thriving youth programming.” Annie Shoen, My First Nest Egg’s co-founder and COO, added that: “We hope that My First Nest Egg will be an integral part in creating meaningful impact on Heritage South’s community.”
“Heritage South Community Credit Union is proud to partner with My First Nest Egg to offer a new and exciting resource for our members,” said Heritage South CEO, Laura Parham. “Building a foundation for proper financial habits in our youngest members has long been a focus of our credit union. We believe our families will love the engaging financial literacy content and the ability to teach children to save, spend, and give wisely offered through My First Nest Egg."
Heritage South will be rolling out the My First Nest Egg program to its members and partner schools in the Winter of 2022.