My First Nest Egg, a new digital financial literacy system that gamifies healthy financial habits for kids ages 3-12 announced partnerships with Tempe, Ariz.-based Landings Credit Union and 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 both Y-12 Federal Credit Union, with $1.8 billion in assets under management and serving over 115,000 members across 16 branches, and Landings Credit Union, with $200 million in assets under management and serving over 15,000 members across 3 locations. Both credit unions received 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 for each credit union to build on its youth programming.

My First Nest Egg enlisted the help of a child psychologist to design a unique product that puts the mental wellness of children first. The app makes learning healthy money habits fun with earning puzzles, leaderboards, and a robust financial curriculum. 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. The app is free to all members of partner credit unions.

"Landings Credit Union is proud to partner with My First Nest Egg to deliver engaging financial literacy content in a fun and age-appropriate way,” said President and CEO Brian Lee. “My First Nest Egg helps us continue our pursuit of our members’ financial wellness with the latest technology. We are also proud to support a local female and minority-owned business."

“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.

“These credit union partnerships are the 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 chore apps and 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, and follow My First Nest Egg on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

About Landings Credit Union
Landings Credit Union, based in Tempe, AZ, serves a wide range of members in the state of Arizona. The current asset size is over $250 million with more than 15,000 members. Landings Credit Union has been serving members for nearly 70 years, helping them with all their financial needs. For more information on Landings Credit Union, please visit landingscu.org.

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.