Russell Wilson and Ciara are known as the modern day power couple, but they are not merely talking the talk, but they are walking there and putting their money where their mouth is!
The couple imparted sound financial advice to students of the Denny International Middle School in West Seattle and left them with their very own financial startup to begin investing. Nine hundred (900) students received the benefit of a surprise virtual visit by the Seattle Seahawks star Russell Wilson and performing artist Ciara after which they disclosed that they are making a donation to ensure each student has their own bank account.
The donation is worth $35,000, which will be enough to ensure that each student of the West Seattle public school will have their savings account as well as $40 as their first investment from the Wilsons. The funds and accounts are for specifically investing, and the accounts cannot be touched until the students are 18 years old.
The donation is part of activities for Financial Literacy Month undertaken by Russ and Ciara’s Why Not You Foundation, the NFL Players Association, and the New York-based financial technology company Goalsetter.
The lesson to the children began with Goalsetter’s CEO Tanya Van Court giving the students a presentation on ‘Building Wealth- A Blueprint to Financial Freedom inspired by Hip Hop’ as she used rap mogul Jay-Z whose business acumen led to sound investment decisions that made him a billionaire. The Wilsons popped in to give advice before they made the announcement, much to the delight of the students.
“Financial literacy and building wealth is so important,” said Wilson to the students who joined live from their classrooms and some from home. “Ciara and I really wanted to talk to you all because we didn’t come from much and we had big visions, we had big goals, big dreams.” He said the couple learned about personal finance along the way as their successes accrued. He is now one of the highest-earning football players in the game, and Ciara is an equally accomplished artist.
Meanwhile, Ciara also spoke to the children as she noted that investing can be a powerful tool and “it will also allow you to create an opportunity to build legacy for your family.”
The students will also have a Goalsetter account which runs as a 5-year program providing financial literacy to the students. As they grow up, they will eventually receive a debit card designed for teens and tweens. Students will need to complete financial lessons in order to use the card.
The goal is to cultivate the mindset in children that they can be ‘the Russell Wilson’ of the financial field and not necessarily a sportsman to achieve the heights of success, Van Court is quoted as saying to the Seattle Times.
