What does an eighth-grader think is the biggest obstacle to saving money?

Katherine Currier, an eighth-grader at Goodrell Middle School in Des Moines, won a Money Smart Week statewide financial literacy essay contest with her advice for banks and was named Iowa’s 2015 Money Smart Kid.

She was one of approximately 229 seventh- through 11th-graders from across the state who participated in an essay contest in which competitors were asked to describe in 300 words the biggest obstacle to saving money and what technological and/or banking solutions might help them (and their friends) begin to save.

Currier’s essay focused on the pressures in society to spend that children and teens face today. If the habit of saving can be encouraged at a young age, she argued, better habits will be developed for balancing wants and needs.

She encouraged banks to capitalize on her generation’s propensity for games, prizes and contests as a way to teach financial skills and encourage good financial habits.

Currier will be recognized April 24 at Goodrell Middle School. She will also receive a $1,000 certificate of deposit sponsored by the Iowa Bankers Association.

In addition to Currier, the other essay finalists were: Samantha Dilocker, Red Oak: Laura Stowater, Algona; Rachel Kerger, Ankeny; Andrew Wise, Johnston; and Christian Elliott, Bettendorf.

Read Currier’s full essay here >>>