Financial Literacy For All
The mission of the ChooseFI International Foundation is to bring financial literacy and financial independence concepts to underserved communities, military families, and students across the country.
The concept of financial independence has the potential to change the world and to transform the lives of those it reaches, and we seek to make a dent by:
- Creating and sharing high-impact content,
- Using an optimal mix of curriculum, media and technology,
- delivered online by dedicated volunteers of a grassroots movement.
The Work We've Done.
FinanciaI Independence 101: FI Basics For All
The Foundation's free FI101 course will be the entry point for many people into more advanced topics such as building income potential, investing, tax optimization, and lifestyle design.
As of Oct 31, 2021, more than 16,500 people have taken the course.
The PreK-12 Curriculum: Financial Literacy in Schools
In 2020 we completed the PreK-12 Financial Literacy curriculum. We're now working to help teachers discover this complete set of lessons and tools to teach financial literacy in the classroom.
As of Oct 31, 2021, more than 3,000 teachers have used the curriculum.
Accidental Homeschooler: A pivot during the pandemic
During the first shutdown of the pandemic, our Education team created a set of Financial Literacy resources to give parents the option to help their students learn about finances.
As of Oct 31, 2021, more than 8,000 have visited the resource page.
Who We Serve
The ChooseFI International Foundation was created to educate underserved communities about financial literacy and introduce them conceptually to financial independence. As of 2019, our focus is on these three communities:
- School-going children from kindergarten through high school where financial literacy is not readily accessible. We want to position them for their best possible lives, before poor financial habits take hold.
- Active duty servicemen and servicewomen who may not be aware of the many financial benefits and programs that are already available to them. It is our hope that when it comes time for them to separate from service, they will be well on the path to financial independence.
- Working adults who are mired in debt, and who never got the chance to learn how to manage their finances and become financially secure. Our goal is to help them eliminate debt, and start building towards financial independence.
How We Serve Them
The Foundation accomplishes its mission in two ways:
- Content Creation: The curriculum and content created by the Foundation was created by a dedicated group of educators, active duty servicemen and servicewomen, and financial professionals in the financial independence community. Depending on the intended audience, the format can be online or as physical materials, and the tone and depth adjusted as appropriate.
- Outreach: Just as crucial as the creation of high-impact content and curriculum is getting them into the hands of the people who need them. These include engaging with media, bloggers, the ChooseFI community and directly with educators.
Priorities for 2021
Technology Migration
To improve the user experience with our courses, curricula, and community, we will be migrating our mish-mash of tech to a single platform.
Making our resources found
Much of 2020 was about starting up and creating and improving the courses and curriculum. It's time to focus on sharing the life-changing materials we've crafted.
How you can help
Monetary Support
We stretch every dollar we get, and we appreciate any help you can give. It can be in cash (hopefully matched by your employer!) or with a Donor Advised Fund.
Share Our Free Resources
If you know teachers, share with them our PreK-12 curriculum. Or, help the people in your life and share FI 101 with at least 10 of them.
Extend Our Reach
If you have connections with the media, or have a close relationship with major podcasters or bloggers, help get our work in front of them.
