The Children’s Immigration Law Academy (CILA) is excited to announce the release of Be Smart With Your Money: Financial Tips for Unaccompanied Youth. This youth-friendly financial literacy guide is available in English and Spanish.
Establishing healthy money management habits early is key to building long-term financial security. CILA developed this guide to help unaccompanied youth become familiar with essential financial concepts so they can make informed decisions as they transition into young adulthood. This guide reviews how to open and use bank accounts, the benefits of budgeting, the types of financial accounts, the differences between credit vs debit cards, key features of various loan types, credit scores and credit history. The resource also provides a sample monthly budget and tips to avoid credit fraud, identity theft, and financial scams. The guide includes a list of additional helpful resources, and a monthly budget template for the youth to use.
CILA hopes this resource helps youth feel more confident in understanding and managing their finances so they can build a reliable foundation for their future success.
We welcome your feedback for future editions of the guide. If you have suggestions or ideas for additional content, please don’t hesitate to reach out to CILA!