Alum Bringing Financial Literacy to Kids in Vermont and Beyond

“In today’s world, money has become invisible. We tap a phone and walk away. Our kids never see it, never hold it, and we’re expecting them to understand how it works.”

Jillian Minerva ’10 spent years watching young employees at her Vermont general store struggle with everyday financial tasks such as making change, understanding a paycheck, and setting up car insurance. Minerva turned these observations into meaningful impact: Aldo’s Allowance Academy, a series of practical, screen-free guidebooks designed to help parents teach kids ages 6 through 14 money skills they’ll actually use in the real world. Think weekly family “money meetings,” allowance ledgers, jar systems for saving and spending, and yes, a very wise owl named Aldo leading the way.

What started as a three-level allowance system now includes a Business Blueprint for budding young entrepreneurs and a newly released Classroom Economy helping teachers bring financial literacy education into the classroom for grades four through six.

Aldo’s Allowance Academy was recently featured in the Seven Days Kids VT Money Issue, covering how it all came together, what’s driving the financial literacy gap among today’s kids, and what the guidebooks look like in action.