Kool, kidz friendly e-banking :)

I came across this kids online banking website the other day, it is part of ING Direct Bank, one of the largest virtual banks in the world. I thought some of the readers might like to introduce it to their children. You should, this portal is educational and fun :)

Planet Orange is a website which advocates financial literacy and teaches children the importance of saving and financial planning at an appropriate level for their age. ING Direct got the inspiration to start this portal from customers’ emails requesting information on how to teach their children about financial planning. According to ING Direct this website supports its vision of “leading America back to savings”. Planet Orange acts as a resourceful tool for parents, teaches and children and young adults to realize the need of learning and discussion the topic of personal financing which opens the door to personal financing education at homes and at schools.

The winner of Financial Literacy Award website has a children-friendly design and layout that introduce users to a fun, simple, yet very educational experience. It also offers a level of sophistication that connects with parents and teachers.

The website has a dynamic structure and allows interactivity through two main characters, Cedric and Amy, who guide the user to different sections (continents) of the website. In each section, children are faced with a financial situation similar to what they could face in life such as unexplained loss of money without budgeting.

Just a thought: Why did not I have something like this growing up? I was so bad with personal finance as a teenager to the degree that my dad had to set down and have a talk with me about my debit card usage. His exact words were: "Dana, baba, ATMs are different from a Pac-man machine or a video games where you play and win redeemable coupons. You see baba, you don't win the money, truth is I WORK FOR IT."