By Corey Carlisle, Head of Public Policy at Varo and Chair of the Jump$tart Board

Varo Bank is the first all-digital, nationally chartered U.S. consumer techbank built from the ground up, designed to make financial inclusion and opportunity a reality for all. Varo Bank is reimagining the modern banking experience and providing customers with the tools they need to build financial resilience and realize their financial power – with offerings such as Varo Believe, a secured card to help build credit, Varo Advance to help stretch hard-earned dollars between paychecks, the ability to earn cashback at 1,000 merchant locations nationwide, and a high yield savings account.

Varo believes that financial education is a critical component of financial health and wealth building for students and adults alike. In order to meet the financial education needs of our customers and communities, we built Varo Money Power, our overarching financial empowerment program, which features initiatives ranging from middle school students to adults.

SaveUp –  Free Savings Curriculum to Reach 4,500 Middle Schools Nationwide

SaveUp is our recently launched custom savings education curriculum built in collaboration with EVERFI that helps middle-school students (grades 6 through 8) build a strong savings foundation and the confidence they need to practice healthy savings habits before they begin to deal with more pressing financial challenges in high school and beyond. The SaveUp course is aligned with the National Jump$tart standards and is being provided for free by Varo to 4,500 middle schools nationwide.

Throughout the course, students learn the importance of saving, how to budget, and how to open a savings account. This will be accomplished through an interactive learning experience that includes:

  • Self-guided lessons to help students develop simple, actionable strategies.
  • Real-world scenarios that prime students for long-term behavioral change using problem-solving and self-reflection activities.
  • Detailed score reports and offline extension activities to help teachers maximize their impact across all students.

To learn more about the SaveUp course and to sign up to receive the curriculum for free at your school or in your class, please visit www.varomoneypower.com. 

Find us in the Jump$tart Clearinghouse!

Additional Financial Empowerment Initiatives

  • Russ x Varo Money Power Workshops provide high-school students with an overview of the systemic roots of modern racial and generational wealth gaps and share the financial tools needed to empower them to create ‘money power’ for themselves, their families, and their communities.  These workshops were created in collaboration with NBA superstar Russell Westbrook and take place virtually over six after-school classes.
  • VaroMoneyPower.com is a library of free financial education courses and resources covering the fundamentals of earning, spending, saving, and growing money, designed for adults & families and available to Varo customers and the public.

Learn More:
You can learn more about Varo Bank on our website: www.varomoney.com or by following us on social media:

Facebook
Instagram
Twitter

Contact Info:
If you have any questions about SaveUp, Varo, or our financial empowerment work, please reach out to our CRA Officer, Nick Egger-Bovet at nick.egger-bovet@varomoney.com.

If you are at the NEC, come check out Jump$tart’s booth where we are featuring our interactive social media wall and info about our Clearinghouse!

Reminder: Partners and State Coalition Leaders – Don’t forget to place your nominations for the 2023 Financial Literacy Awards before November 10. For criteria and nomination info please visit here.