More about who we are

Research suggests it is never too early to learn money management skills. And it is never too late to start learning.

StartSmart teaches students about financial literacy, empowering them to make wise financial decisions for themselves. We have gradually expanded our offerings to cater to as wide a number of students as possible, customising our workshops according to their needs, interests and levels of learning.

Our original program launched in 2007 and consisted of a range of workshops aimed at secondary school students. Each workshop was tailored towards a topic of direct relevance to secondary students’ daily lives and experiences: Earning, Saving, Spending and Investing.

Following the success of our Secondary program, the Commonwealth Bank Foundation decided to extend StartSmart to primary schools in 2010. For the Primary workshops, StartSmart consulted specialists in primary education, cognitive development, instructional design and financial literacy.

The Primary program consists of three stages, each of which corresponds to a different level of learning. The workshops are engaging as well as educational, featuring characters such as Captain SuperCents, Coach Cash and Gobbles the Wallet Monster, who represents all the temptations to spend money needlessly.

In February 2012, StartSmart will launch a new program: Pathways. This program has emerged in response to research highlighting gaps in financial awareness among 18 to 25 year olds. It aims to empower upper secondary and vocational education students to take control of their financial futures, through an all-new set of five workshops.