A+ Federal Credit Union (A+FCU) has been working with the Scouting America Capitol Area Council since 2010 to help Scouts earn the Personal Management Merit Badge, a key step toward the Eagle Scout rank.
The partnership uses webinars and an online classroom to make financial education more accessible. The A+ Community Education team manages the program, allowing Scouts to interact with experts on topics like credit, debt, saving, investing, insurance, risk management, goal setting, and career exploration.
The curriculum covers all ten requirements for the merit badge through six live webinars. These sessions include videos, storytelling, polls, Q&A segments, and interactive activities. Scouts also complete a 13-week budgeting exercise where they create budgets each week, track their income and expenses, and review any differences between their planned and actual spending.
“It helped him think of and learn about a lot of topics (e.g. savings to insurance to planning) which I think he heard about but never really had structured instruction,” said Colin L., parent of a recent merit badge recipient. Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend sessions with their Scouts to better understand the material and continue discussions at home.
A+FCU states that building financial skills early helps young people achieve long-term success. Through its ongoing partnership with Scouting America Capitol Area Council, A+FCU has supported over 1,280 Scouts in earning this merit badge.
Sessions are offered in Spring, Summer, and Fall. More information about the program and membership can be found on A+FCU’s Scouting America webpage. Questions can be directed to communityeducation@aplusfcu.org or by calling 512.533.4390.
A+ Federal Credit Union was started in 1949 by 50 teachers from Austin, Texas. Today it serves more than 190,600 members through 22 branches in the community and provides a range of financial products as well as educational programs. The headquarters is located at 6420 E. US 290 SVRD in Austin.
