Core Values

Our Mission

Financial literacy is essential for young people but it has been deprioritized in public education and reduced to surface-level information in many nonprofit programs.

Students are often taught what money tools exist, but not how decisions, confidence, and real-world constraints shape financial outcomes over time.

Bag Talk Academy exists to fill that gap.

We help teens build financial confidence and decision-making skills through project-based financial wellness programs that connect money, mental health, and real-life choices.

BELIEFS

What makes Bag Talk Academy different

We treat financial health as a pillar of mental health, not just math or budgeting

We teach decision-making before financial mechanics, using a clear framework students can apply immediately

We use real financial projects, not simulations or worksheets, starting on Day 1

Financial Health Is A Core Pillar Of Mental Health

Trust & Relevance Drive Retention To Serve Students

Decision-Making Skills Come Before Financial Mechanics

Confidence

Comes

Before

Correctness

Engagement & Real-World Application

Programming Must Come Before Technology

The Life Equation

At the core of Bag Talk Academy is the Life Equation:

Your outcomes = your decisions + external factors

Students use this framework to understand:

How to build confidence and agency without shame or fear around money

How everyday financial decisions compound over time

Where systems, luck, and constraints play a role and where they don’t