How a conversation at a Perth café sparked a movement to transform teen financial education.
In 2018, our founder Sarah Chen was helping her nephew open his first bank account. He was 15, had just started a part-time job at a local grocery store, and was eager to manage his own money. But when she asked him what interest rate the account offered, he looked at her blankly.
"Interest? Like, the bank pays me to keep money there?"
That question stayed with Sarah. Here was a bright, motivated teenager who was ready to earn and save, but had no framework for understanding how money actually works. His school had briefly covered decimals and percentages in maths class, but never connected those concepts to real financial decisions.
Sarah spent the next year researching financial literacy programs. What she found was discouraging: most resources were designed for adults, filled with jargon about mortgages and retirement funds that felt irrelevant to teenagers. The few youth-focused programs often felt patronising, talking down to young people instead of engaging them as intelligent individuals.
She connected with Marcus Webb, a high school economics teacher frustrated by the lack of practical money education in the curriculum, and Jamie Torres, a financial advisor who specialised in helping young professionals recover from poor money habits formed in their teens. Together, they asked: what if we built something different?
Our team combines education expertise with real financial industry experience.
Former education consultant with 12 years developing youth programs. Sarah holds a Master's in Educational Psychology from UWA.
Taught economics and business studies for 18 years across Perth secondary schools. Marcus designs our workshop content and training materials.
Certified financial planner with a passion for early intervention. Jamie ensures our content reflects real-world financial realities.
We believe that financial literacy is not a privilege—it should be a basic life skill available to every young person regardless of their family's wealth or education level. Too often, kids from affluent families learn money management through exposure and dinner table conversations, while others are left to figure it out on their own.
Our programs intentionally reach diverse communities across Perth. We partner with public schools, community centres, and youth organisations to ensure that financial education reaches teenagers who might benefit most but have the least access.
Teenagers are capable of understanding complex ideas when presented clearly. We never dumb down content—we make it relevant.
Every concept we teach connects to decisions teenagers face now, not theoretical scenarios they might encounter in decades.
Money can be a source of shame. We create safe spaces where questions are welcome and mistakes are learning opportunities.
We're not teaching tricks for quick savings. We're building frameworks for lifelong financial decision-making.
What started as weekend workshops in a rented community hall has grown into a recognised program reaching thousands of Perth teenagers each year. We've expanded from our original Fremantle location to deliver programs in Joondalup, Rockingham, Midland, and throughout the Perth metropolitan area.
In 2022, we launched our School Partnership Program, bringing financial literacy directly into classroom settings. We now work with 47 schools across Western Australia, integrating our curriculum into existing subjects and dedicated financial literacy units.
But growth isn't just about numbers. Every email from a parent saying their teenager started a savings account, every message from a former participant now budgeting for university—these remind us why this work matters.
Whether you're a parent, educator, or community leader, there are many ways to bring financial literacy to the young people in your life.