1. Helping The Next Generation Have a Brighter Financial Future

2. D ISCOVER ’ S P ATHWAY TO F INANCIAL S UCCESS About Pathway to Financial Success The state of American’s finances is in need of an upgrade: In other words, it’s time we do something about our children’s financial future. The good news is that teens have an appetite for financial education. Fifty-two percent of teens say they want to learn more about how to manage their money. That is why Discover created Pathway to Financial Success – to help bring financial education into classrooms across the country in a fun, exciting and interactive way and help children graduate understanding personal finance as well as science, history and math. We’re creating this movement with parents, educators and a community of partners that includes national experts. Together, we can break the cycle and make a positive change. We are underwriting curriculum for students in grades 9-12 and awarding grants to schools. A better financial future for our children needs to start with the type of learning that helps students succeed long after classes end. This issue is too important to ignore. Our goal is simple: Arm parents and children with the skills they need to succeed, preparing them for a brighter, responsible financial future. The Pathway to Financial Success program is committed to doing just that by local advocacy, easily accessible curriculum and awarding grants. You can be instrumental in helping to make this program available to Arizona schools by learning the issue and spreading the word about bringing financial education into your community. Details are inside.. More than half of Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck (ProFutures Investments, More on the Financial Literacy Crisis, 2011). Almost 90 percent of teachers agree that students should take a financial literacy course or pass a test for high school graduation (National Endowment for Financial Education, “Teachers’ Background & Capacity to Teach Personal Finance,” 2010). Graduates of high schools in which personal financial education is mandated achieve higher savings rates and net worth than those graduating in states where financial education is not mandated (The Department of the Treasury).

3. D ISCOVER ’ S P ATHWAY TO F INANCIAL S UCCESS How To Get Involved Below are five ways you can become an advocate for financial education in your community: 1.Get informed: Explore facts about financial education, tips and tools to sharpen your own personal finance skills and other resources on the Pathway website: http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/resource- center.http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/resource- center 2.Involve your school: Give your school access to online curriculum and more information about how to implement financial education in the classroom: http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/in-schools/classroom- lesson-plans.http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/in-schools/classroom- lesson-plans 3.Have your high school apply for a grant: Learn how to obtain the funding your school needs to incorporate financial education into its current curriculum. For more information, visit http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/get-a-grant. http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/get-a-grant 4.Write your local paper or administrator: Make your voice heard on why financial education is important to you and your children’s future. This packet includes sample letters you can send to your local paper and school administrators in order to make them aware of this financial education opportunity. You can also find the contact information for where to send these letters to your school on the Pathway website: http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/in-schools/involve-your-school. http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/in-schools/involve-your-school 5.Spread the word: Financial education should be available for all children. Tell other parents and teachers about the Pathway program and how they can get involved!.

4. Securing Our Children’s Financial Future Sample letter to the editor from a parent Dear Editor, In a challenging economy, it is important to equip our children with the tools they need to live successful lives. In most public education institutions, we do a good job of teaching the three “r’s”: reading, writing and arithmetic. However, we have seemingly overlooked a key piece to our children’s future success: financial education. Currently, 55 percent of Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck and 54 percent of college students overdraw on their bank account. My worry is that the next generation will not really know how to manage their money if left in a similar situation. In order to prepare the next generation for the future, it is important to give them access to the best education available to them. That’s why I am writing in support of Discover’s new Pathway to Financial Success program. Discover Financial Services has committed to a five- year, $10 million investment to get financial education curriculum into public high schools across the country. This investment will bring financial education to thousands of classrooms across the country and reach more than 500,000 students. The grants to public high schools will cover the cost of implementing a personal finance course, give access to a standards- based curriculum and offer teachers the trainings they need. And that is only the beginning. Please visit www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org to learn more and apply for funding. School administrators in Phoenix should take advantage of this program for the next generation’s sake. Let’s do more than the generation before us to make our children’s futures more secure. Taking advantage of a financial education program like Discover’s is a first step in that direction.www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org Sincerely, [SIGNATURE]. D ISCOVER ’ S P ATHWAY TO F INANCIAL S UCCESS : L ETTER T O THE E DITOR

5. Securing Our Children’s Financial Future Sample letter to school administrator Dear Administrator, We need financial education in the classroom today more than ever. Millions of Americans are in debt and more than half are living paycheck-to-paycheck. To break this cycle, we must take action. According to a recent study, 52 percent of teens said they want to learn more about how to manage their money. They want this! In addition, graduates of high schools in which personal financial education is mandated achieve higher savings rates and net worth than those graduating in states where financial education is not mandated. Financial education pays off. As a parent of a student, I am writing you today to urge you to incorporate financial education into the school curriculum. I send my children to school to give them the best chance for a bright future, but I believe those odds will be improved when financial education is offered in addition to science, history and math. Doing so not only benefits the children, it helps strengthen the community by creating responsible, contributing citizens. Discover Financial Services’ Pathway to Financial Success program is providing grants to schools that implement financial education into the curriculum. Please visit www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org to learn more and apply for funding. www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org Curriculum and training for teachers is available through The Council for Economic Education (www.councilforeconed.org).www.councilforeconed.org Please help our children learn how to make good financial decisions, so future generations can succeed and have brighter financial futures. We can't afford not to. Sincerely, [SIGNATURE]. D ISCOVER ’ S P ATHWAY TO F INANCIAL S UCCESS : L ETTER T O Y OUR A DMINISTRATOR

6. Frequently Asked Questions How does Discover’s Pathway to Financial Success work? Discover is investing $10 million over five years through grants to public high schools to incorporate financial education in the classroom. This will include covering the costs of implementing a course on personal finance, giving schools access to a standards-based curriculum, and emphasizing teacher training. What is the grant process? There is an open grant process that commences in January for the following year. Discover accepts applications on a rolling basis. As part of the application, Discover also requires evidence of measurement and asks teachers to upload a sample of their measurement tool: http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/get-a-grant http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/get-a-grant Who can apply for a grant? Individual teachers at public high schools, individual public high schools or public high school districts can all apply for grants. What tools are available for parents? The Pathway website has several tools to help parents become more financially educated, including an online library of resources and tips on ways to talk to your teenager about their finances: http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/resource-center/tips-and-tools http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/resource-center/tips-and-tools What tools are available for students? The Pathway website has several tools for students, including tips to sharpen their financial skills, games and videos. There are also more resources for parents in the Resource Center: http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/resource-center http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/resource-center Where is Pathway working? Are there models of its success? Discover will receive the first round of pre- and post-test results in June 2013. Visit the Pathway blog to see success stories and learn more about the program’s progress: http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/blog http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/blog How do teachers integrate Pathway into already existing curriculum and Common Core Standards? Our grants are designed to give teachers the flexibility to integrate the Pathway program in to their lesson plans or to develop new curriculum. Pathway also includes the underwriting of the Council for Economic Education’s (CEE) financial education curriculum: Learning, Earning and Investing. This curriculum is specifically designed to meet the Common Core Standards education initiative: http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/in-schools/classroom-lesson-plans http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/in-schools/classroom-lesson-plans What happens after the five-year, $10 million investment is over? Discover is now looking to bring in other partners since Pathway has already been so successful. We want to continue our commitment and build on our initial success! D ISCOVER ’ S P ATHWAY TO F INANCIAL S UCCESS : F REQUENTLY A SKED Q UESTIONS

7. Other Questions and Comments? Please contact us through the Pathway website: http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/about-pathway/contact-us http://www.pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org/about-pathway/contact-us THANK YOU!