Citi Hires Topics Education To Expand Reach Of Financial Education Program

Canadian Version of Curriculum Creates New Audience for Citi’s Education Efforts

CHARLOTTE, NC – Topics Education, hired recently by Citi, has completed a financial education curriculum targeting both English- and French-speaking Canadian consumers and youth. The curriculum aims to provide a foundation for making informed, smart decisions about money management. The program, which is available in print, as a PowerPoint presentation, online, and on CD-Rom, covers the basic skills of finance, including an introduction to financial services, basic banking services, saving and investing, and the benefits and dangers of credit. Citi employees, in conjunction with their local nonprofit partners, host community events where the presentation is delivered and materials distributed.

“Canadian consumers are experiencing many of the same financial struggles as their counterparts in the United States,” states Dara Duguay, Director, Citi’s Office of Financial Education. “Thus, it was very important for Citi to provide compelling financial education resources that speak directly to the needs of communities in Canada.”

After designing the U.S. version of the curriculum, Topics Education, working with an economics professor from Canada, made changes to the curriculum that included replacing references to U.S. laws with the appropriate Canadian laws and modifying sections to align with the Canadian credit system. The curriculum was then translated into French. All of these efforts are part of Citi’s 10-year, $200 million global commitment to Financial Education.

“Helping Citi in its worldwide efforts toward improving personal financial literacy is work we are very proud to be involved with and something we strongly believe in,” states Bruce Nofsinger, a Principal of Topics Education. “We applaud Citi’s continued and dedicated efforts to support the need for financial education in the U.S. and beyond.”

Topics Education has designed and implemented many Citi financial education programs, including campaigns for Citi Cards, Citi Commercial Banking, and Citi’s Office of Financial Education.

About Topics Education
Founded in 1995, Topics Education is a strategic communications firm specializing in education outreach campaigns and product development around important social issues, including Financial Education, Environmental Sustainability, Health & Wellness, Workforce Development, and Community Engagement. We help our clients strengthen their stakeholder relationships by developing and managing programs that foster deep engagement in schools, homes, workplaces, and communities. To learn more, please visit www.topicseducation.com.

About Citi
Citi, the leading global financial services company, has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Citi's major brand names include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney, Banamex, and Nikko. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or www.citi.com.