Intuit Dome was alive with energy as hundreds of students from the LA school district gathered for the launch of this year’s Hour of Finance Challenge by Intuit For Education, kicking off Financial Literacy Month on April 1. It is part of the company’s nationwide Financial Literacy Forum series which began during Super Bowl Week in New Orleans last February, with previous stops in San Francisco and Washington D.C. This time, it was hosted in partnership with the L.A. Clippers.
Engaging Young People
The event started around 9:30 AM with students filing in, eager to take part in the day’s activities. Dave Zasada, Intuit’s V.P. for Education and Corporate Responsibility gave a few remarks on the importance of financial literacy and how the Hour of Finance challenge and Intuit’s interactive games and simulations can help introduce core personal finance concepts to young people in a fun and engaging way.
And engage they did. There was a trivia game that introduced the theme of financial education. Then, Saweetie performed, to the excitement of the participants. A highlight of the event was the influencer panel with Saweetie and former L.A. Clipper Lou Williams. Their appearance was part of Intuit’s strategy to connect with young people through familiar voices.
The panel was a candid conversation about money, success, and the financial lessons they’ve learned along the way. The students were particularly engaged during the Q&A, with one student asking Lou Williams about his biggest financial regret. “I bought a bunch of cars—14 or 15 at one point,” Lou admitted, much to the laughter of the crowd. Saweetie shared lessons from her own financial mistakes, advising students to avoid impulse buying. “If you find something you love when shopping, just put it on hold and come back a week later. If you still want it after a week, then buy it,” she said.
Making Financial Literacy Fun
After the panel, there were break out sessions where students had the opportunity to dive into financial challenges like Prosperity Quest, a game that simulates money management in real-life scenarios. They also participated in a tax challenge, engaging with tools like TurboTax to complete mock tax returns. Many students seemed particularly drawn to these sessions, especially when they realized they were using the same tools that real people and businesses rely on every day.
As I participated in the Prosperity Quest game myself, I was reminded of how powerful it can be to gamify education. Not only was it fun, but it was also a practical exercise in managing finances—something that many students will be doing in just a few years. Whether it was using Credit Karma to manage credit scores or QuickBooks for bookkeeping, the event provided real-world applications for the financial tools they were learning about.
What stood out most to me was how the event effectively kept the students engaged. The inclusion of celebrities like Saweetie and Lou Williams, both of whom shared relatable financial stories, kept the students’ attention and made the lessons feel more personal. It was evident that these students—many from minority backgrounds—could see themselves in the stories of these successful individuals, making the advice and tools all the more relevant.
Final Thoughts
Intuit’s commitment to making financial literacy education accessible, fun, and useful was clear throughout the event. By connecting the dots between real-life financial tools and gamifying the learning process, they created an experience that was both educational and enjoyable. As I walked away from the Intuit Dome, I couldn’t help but think that these students—armed with knowledge and the right tools—are now better prepared to make smarter financial decisions in their futures.
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