WASHINGTON, April 30 - The U.S. Treasury sought to make personal finance more engaging for middle-school students on Thursday by pairing money lessons with pop culture and interactive technologies.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hosted more than 50 students from area schools in the department’s historic Cash Room as the agency capped its Financial Literacy Month activities. At the event, Bessent urged the youngsters to consider signing up for the new tax-free "Trump accounts" aimed at savers under 18.
Bessent emphasized the Treasury-administered Trump accounts and the incentives they carry, noting that the accounts include a $1,000 Treasury contribution for children born between 2025 and 2028. He also drew attention to a redesigned mymoney.gov website that the Treasury says provides tools for teaching money management.
"As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, I believe that embedding financial literacy into the fabric of our great nation is more important than ever in today’s world," Bessent said. "Financial literacy is a necessity, just like reading and writing."
The event took the form of a financial literacy fair that blended classroom concepts with entertainment. One attraction was a World Cup soccer-themed video game quiz show in which students vied for "goals" by answering questions correctly on interest rates, assets, liabilities and savings.
Corporate sponsor Visa produced comic books that starred Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers, portraying those characters resolving crises through sound saving habits and money management techniques.
In another exhibit, a virtual Alexander Hamilton bot patterned after the first U.S. Treasury secretary and developed by Fidelity displayed Nvidia stock charts and provided summaries of major index moves when prompted. The bot struggled when asked to account for the yen’s sharp rise against the dollar on Thursday, illustrating limits in its responses.
The gathering mixed interactive games, branded educational materials and a digital persona to present core financial topics to a young audience, reflecting the Treasury’s push to incorporate money skills into broader civic education.
Outside the exhibits, promotional material at the event posed questions about investment opportunities in 2026 and highlighted a service that combines institutional-grade data with AI-powered insights aimed at helping investors find potential winners more often. Attendees were encouraged to explore such tools and to consult additional resources before making investment decisions.
Event highlights
- More than 50 Washington-area students attended the Treasury’s Financial Literacy Month event in the Cash Room.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent promoted tax-free "Trump accounts" with a $1,000 contribution for those born 2025-2028 and a revamped mymoney.gov site.
- Educational attractions included a World Cup quiz game, Visa-sponsored Marvel comic books, and a virtual Alexander Hamilton bot developed by Fidelity.