Hills Bank providing financial literacy education to students

Hills Bank and Trust Company is giving 15,000 students across 43 schools in Eastern Iowa free access to Banzai, an online content library that teaches financial literacy.

Banzai courses show K-12 students how to manage a budget, save for a goal and deal with unexpected financial pitfalls. According to a press release, students also learn how to file taxes and how health insurance works through virtual presentations.

“Thanks to Hills Bank and Trust, area students will now have access to a wide array of courses and resources designed to help prepare them for our increasingly complex world,” says Morgan Vandagriff, co-founder of Banzai, in a press release. “We wouldn’t be able to provide these tools without their support.”

After finishing a course, users will have a better understanding of financial literacy trade-offs and be able to view their progress on printed workbooks.

Students will be able to visit and meet with Hills Bank and Trust experts at branch locations in-person.

Banzai resources are used by more than 97,000 teachers across the country.

On Nov. 14, Hills Bank named Lisa Shileny as president and COO. Prior to becoming COO, she served as the general counsel, director of operations, and director of administration.