- NatWest appoints Child Genius star, Mog, as Junior Consultant to the bank
- Research reveals the majority of children worry about their financial knowledge
- NatWest’s MoneySense programme commits to teaching 1 million more young people about money by end of 2018
Maths genius and all-round whizz kid Mog Stinchcombe has landed himself a new role – as Junior Consultant to NatWest. Thirteen-year-old Mog, who found fame earlier this year as the breakout star of Child Genius, will be going behind the scenes at NatWest to uncover exactly what young people know, and need to know, about money.
His appointment follows new research[i] carried out by NatWest’s MoneySense programme, which found the majority (55 per cent) of children aged 7-15 worry about their lack of financial knowledge. Nearly two thirds of parents (62 per cent) also worry their child will grow up without a good grasp of managing money.
Mog is on a mission to get people talking about money. Two fifths of parents (41 per cent) admit they don’t talk about money management with their children, and nearly half (47 per cent) feel more comfortable talking to their children about sex and relationships than money.
In the first of a series of videos, Mog begins his journey as the first ever Junior Consultant at NatWest.
Commenting on his appointment, Mog said: “How to handle money is an extremely important topic to learn about – it’s really shocking that half of children worry about their money skills. I need to know how to manage my finances, and how me, and my peers, can be best prepared for the future.”
Kirsty Britz, Head of MoneySense at NatWest, said: “The need for financial education is clear. More than a quarter of parents (28 per cent) worry about their children asking them questions about money, that they themselves can’t answer.
“Young people today access and use money in very different ways. We can, and should, help parents and teachers have these conversations. By bringing Mog on board, we want to highlight the questions young people are asking about money, and equip them with skills and knowledge to be more financially confident.”
[i] The research for NatWest was carried out by Censuswide, online, between 17th and 20th October 2016 amongst a panel of 2000 UK parents with children aged between 7 and 15 years’ old and a panel of 2,000 UK children aged between 7 and 15 years’ old.
Through the NatWest MoneySense programme, over 3,300 schools have already begun to take big steps in improving financial literacy amongst their students. The bank has committed to educating 1 million more young people across the UK by the end of 2018. For more information visit My Money Sense.
Mog added: “I’m going to find out what NatWest already does to teach children about money, but I’m also going to come up with my own recommendations on how the bank can make sure that young people like me are prepared for adult life.
“I don’t know what job I’m going to have, or where I’m going to live, but I know that being able to manage my money is going to be essential – whatever I do. And what better place to start than asking my questions straight to a bank!”
You can follow Mog’s journey as Junior Consultant to NatWest to help uncover and improve the nation’s financial capability on the NatWest YouTube channel.
The research for NatWest was carried out by Censuswide, online, between 17th October 2016 and 20th November 2016 amongst a panel of 2000 UK parents with children aged between 7 and 15 years’ old and a panel of 2,000 UK children aged between 7 and 15 years’ old
About MoneySense
NatWest has been running MoneySense, an impartial financial education programme for 5–18 year-olds, for more than 21 years. By the end of 2018, NatWest will help another 1 million young people to understand and take control of their finances.
For more information visit My Money Sense
