Acorns Early Launches Free Financial Education on YouTube

Acorns Early, the kids-focused smart money app from Acorns, has launched its financial education curriculum Money Missions on YouTube, making it freely accessible to all American families. The move aims to address the nation's financial literacy gap by providing expert-designed, standards-aligned content as a trusted alternative to unverified online material.

The curriculum transforms complex money concepts—from "What is money?" to saving, investing, and compounding—into simple, engaging animated videos tailored for children and teens. Money Missions was built in 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 program includes 110 lessons across three levels for ages 6-18, now adapted into over 80 YouTube videos for easy discovery and on-demand learning.

"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."

Acorns' 2025 Money Matters report found that while 95% of parents have discussed money with their children, 62% lack confidence in doing so. U.S. Representative Young Kim (R-CA), Co-Chairwoman of the Financial Literacy and Wealth Creation Caucus, praised the initiative. "Financial literacy opens doors. It's never too late—or too early—to start the educational process," Kim said. She highlighted the importance of clear, trusted financial education for setting up children for a lifetime of smart decisions.

Within the Acorns Early app, children have completed over 2.1 million Money Missions, demonstrating strong engagement. The app also allows parents to reward kids with allowance for completing lessons or chores, turning educational milestones into real-world benefits. All videos are available organized by age and topic on YouTube at no cost.

Acorns is a financial wellness platform serving over 15.5 million people across multiple life-stage products. The company has helped customers save and invest more than $27 billion since its founding in 2014.