Program Spotlight: Money Coach
March 11, 2026
Turning Financial Knowledge Into Action
By 2012, SecureFutures had already spent several years teaching financial fundamentals through the Money Sense program. The results looked promising on the surface; students were learning the concepts. But when the team looked deeper into the data, something important emerged.
Teens in the city of Milwaukee were learning the lessons just as well as their suburban peers, yet many weren’t translating that knowledge into real-life financial behaviors. The gap was especially noticeable among students from under-resourced neighborhoods and communities.
Rather than accept the gap, SecureFutures set out to understand it.
The organization conducted student focus groups, asking teens directly what they needed to feel confident managing money. The answer was clear: they wanted guidance beyond the classroom. They wanted someone to talk to about real financial decisions.
That insight sparked the creation of Money Coach.
At the time, SecureFutures searched for an existing teen financial coaching model it could replicate in Milwaukee. When none could be found, the team decided to build one themselves, pairing trained volunteer mentors with teens for one-on-one and group financial coaching. To the organization’s knowledge, this made the Money Coach program the first of its kind in the nation.
The pilot launched in the 2013/2014 school year, serving 41 students at five schools. Early sessions were held monthly throughout the school year, but feedback from students and educators led the team to refine the structure. Over time, the program evolved into a semester-based model with weekly sessions that allow for deeper learning and stronger mentor relationships.
One innovative element helped bring the program to life for students: the participation scholarship. Students can earn up to $350 for reaching program milestones, money they are encouraged to use as they practice budgeting, saving, and making financial decisions. For teens who may not yet have a source of income, the scholarship transforms personal finance from a theoretical exercise into a real-world experience. It allows students to practice what they’re learning while building habits that can last a lifetime.
As the program proved its value, its reach began to expand. In 2018, SecureFutures received a three-year grant that funded a second program manager position, doubling the number of students who could participate. Since its inception, more than 3,394 students have completed the Money Coach program through partnerships with 48 schools and community organizations.
But the impact of Money Coach isn’t measured only by post-program behavioral outcomes. In 2016, SecureFutures launched a longitudinal study to track program alumni over time and understand how Money Coach influences their financial habits, confidence, and decision-making as they transition into adulthood. The results are encouraging.
Alumni report significantly higher positive financial behaviors like budgeting, saving, and confidence to achieve a financial goal, compared to the national 18-24 year age group. The habits they build during the program continue to shape how they manage money years later.
It’s the kind of transformation SecureFutures hoped to see when the program began, proof that when teens are given knowledge, mentorship, and the opportunity to practice with real money, they can take control of their financial futures.
And thirteen years after its launch, Money Coach continues to do exactly that