My First Nest Egg partners with Y-12 Federal Credit Union to teach healthy financial habits to kids ages 3-12
Women-founded digital financial literacy app to promote youth financial literacy now free to members of Y-12 Federal Credit Union
PHOENIX, AZ (April 18, 2023) — My First Nest Egg, a new digital financial literacy system that gamifies healthy financial habits for kids ages 3-12 announced partnerships with Oak Ridge, Tenn.-based Y-12 Federal Credit Union, to provide members free access to support youth financial literacy.
April marks Financial Literacy Month and Credit Union Youth Month, and growing concerns over youth financial literacy led My First Nest Egg co-founders Nicolle Hood and Annie Shoen, both moms and former attorneys, to create the interactive learning software.
“The ‘Amazon Effect’ is a real issue with youth today when it comes to understanding the value of money,” said Hood who serves as CEO of My First Nest Egg. “They open an app, click to order an item and it arrives on their doorstep. Kids do not transact with cash, most everything is digital and this has prevented them from truly grasping how money works. Without extra financial literacy programs, this paints a very scary picture of our children’s financial futures.”
Financial literacy in youth is also a critical priority for Y-12 Federal Credit Union, with $1.8 billion in assets under management and serving over 115,000 members across 16 branches. Y-12 will receive a custom co-branded version of the My First Nest Egg app and content to teach its youngest members a fun way to earn, save and be generous. This includes a white-labeled smart piggy bank, an age-appropriate curriculum, a website, calculators, and more to build on its youth programming.
“Youth financial literacy is one of the largest challenges we are facing as a nation. At Y-12 Federal Credit Union, our mission is to be an innovative financial partner, transforming the lives of our members and communities by developing lasting relationships and delivering ‘WOW’ experiences,” said Director of Community and Public Relations, Alicia Strange. “This partnership furthers our mission. We are very optimistic about the opportunity to provide engaging, gamified financial education to kids as young as age three through My First Nest Egg. We share a goal to eradicate financial illiteracy and support our members — this puts us on the right path.”
“Money habits are set as early as age seven, but most kids lack exposure to even basic money concepts during these early years,” said Shoen, who serves as COO of My First Nest Egg. “This lack of early education has caused a financial literacy epidemic and is a key driver of poor mental health in adulthood.”
In fact, 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.
“Partnering with strong organizations like Y-12 Federal Credit Union is an ideal way to impact youth financial literacy across the U.S.,” said Hood. “We are hoping to bring My First Nest Egg to as many credit unions and other trusted institutions as possible in order to eradicate financial illiteracy.”
The My First Nest Egg app is available to the public for purchase through the Apple and Google Play stores for $3.99 per month or $9.99 per year. To learn more about how to request a partnership with My First Nest Egg for your credit union or institution, please visit MyFirstNestEgg.com.
About My First Nest Egg
Co-founders, Nicolle and Annie, have been friends for years and have 3 and 4 kids respectively. Confined due to Covid lockdowns, they were desperate to motivate their children to do chores and schoolwork with fewer tears and were shocked to discover their kids did not understand the value of a dollar. These moms and former attorneys studied the chore apps and the debit cards for kids, but when they could not find an age-appropriate solution for their young children, they got to work. After consulting with child psychologists, financial experts, educators, and lots of parents, they created a cutting-edge financial literacy tool. Today, My First Nest Egg is helping families give their young children healthy financial habits with a system backed by behavioral psychology and kid approved fun.
For more information visit MyFirstNestEgg.com, follow My First Nest Egg on Facebook, Instagram, and Linked In.
About Y-12 Federal Credit Union
Y-12 Federal Credit Union is a full-service financial institution headquartered in Oak Ridge, TN, with 16 branches located in Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Knox, Roane, Loudon, and Sevier counties, and serving over 115,000 members. Membership is open to businesses and individuals that live, work, worship, or attend school in our eight-county service area. For more information about Y-12 Federal Credit Union, visit y12fcu.org.
