Expert-Built Money Missions Curriculum Tackles America’s Financial Literacy Gap

IRVINE, Calif. and NEW YORK, Jan. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Acorns Early, the smart money app with a debit card for kids from Acorns, today announced the launch of its financial education curriculum, Money Missions, on YouTube. The material is now free and accessible to every American family.

This move expands Acorns’ vision of becoming a financial wellness system for the whole family, creating compound growth at every life stage. The curriculum transforms complex money concepts—from “What is money?” to saving, investing, and compounding—into simple, engaging, animated videos designed to grow with children and teens as they learn.

“Parents want to raise money-smart kids, but most were never taught this stuff themselves,” said Noah Kerner, CEO and Chairman of Acorns. “Money Missions helps families start early, explain money simply, and turn everyday moments into lessons kids remember. Putting it on YouTube for free makes it easier for any family to get started.”

Money Missions’ U.S. education framework was built in close partnership with the National Standards for Personal Financial Education, developed by the Council for Economic Education and the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy. The full curriculum includes 110 lessons across three levels for ages 6–18, now adapted into 80+ YouTube videos for easy discovery and on-demand learning.

This launch is critically important as families seek trusted, high-quality financial guidance. Acorns 2025 Money Matters report recently found that while 95% of parents have already talked about money with their kids, 62% of them say they don’t feel confident doing so.

“I always say financial literacy opens doors. It’s never too late—or too early—to start the educational process and turn the key,” said U.S. Representative Young Kim (R-CA), Co-Chairwoman of the Financial Literacy and Wealth Creation Caucus. “Giving kids and families access to clear, trusted financial education helps set them up for a lifetime of smart decisions and opportunity. I’m encouraged by efforts from the private sector, including Acorns, to expand access to high-quality, standards-based financial literacy resources for families across the country.”

Acorns Early delivers tested, effective, and trusted content:

The Acorns Early app turns practical money moments into lessons that help reinforce lasting habits. Parents can reward their child with allowance for completing lessons or completing daily chores, turning educational milestones into meaningful real-world benefits.
Kids using the Acorns Early app have completed more than 2.1 million Money Missions, demonstrating proven engagement and learning outcomes.
Money Missions offers an educator-designed, standards-aligned program, serving as a trusted alternative to unverified content online.
This empowers parents to turn screen time into purposeful learning, giving children a head start in understanding money and building lifelong habits around responsibility, saving, and decision-making.

All videos are now available on YouTube, organized by age and topic for easy navigation. Families can watch anytime at no cost.

About Acorns
Acorns is a financial wellness app that helps everyday people and families save and invest money for the long term. Since 2014, Acorns has grown into a global company with multiple life stage products serving the needs of kids, teens, adults and parents. Named one of TIME’s “World’s Best Brands of 2024,” Acorns has served over 15.5 million people, and helped customers save & invest over $27 billion dollars, much of it from spare change and small amounts.

Acorns Early cards are issued by (1) nbkc bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. or (2) Community Federal Savings Bank, member FDIC, pursuant to license by Mastercard International. Cardholder Terms and limits apply. Monthly charges apply until cancelled. Acorns Early has two tiers: Acorns Early Lite and Acorns Gold. An Acorns Gold subscription includes investment products accessible only through the separate Acorns app. For more information visit Acorns.com. Additional T&Cs apply.