Financial Wellness: Our Passion at TS Bank
Financial Wellness Program
In 2009, TS Bank committed $250,000 toward increasing the financial wellness of our community and started a new department called TS Institute®. A K-12 financial wellness program was initially launched in the Treynor School District. Then in 2012, committed to funding a portion of the TS Institute’s $1 million commitment while working alongside the TS Institute to secure the remaining funding from non-profit and private donors in the coming years. The new grant helped support the hiring of additional employees and expand the program in southwest Iowa. The team will serve in a consultative role for each participating school as well as be a resource for students, parents and community members.
“We believe it is part of our responsibility as community bankers to invest in the lives of our community members and arm individuals with the financial facts. The more educated they become, the better decisions they can make about their financial futures. And the earlier they learn it, the better!” stated TS Banking Group CEO, Josh Guttau.
Financial Wellness Mission
To transform our community by offering financial, economic and entrepreneurial education to local schools, non-profits and community organizations.
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Traci Dresher is the Programs Manager at TS Bank in southwest Iowa. Prior to joining the team in January of 2019, Traci worked for the Council Bluffs Community School District in several roles. Traci excels in working with people and helping others flourish. She is a graduate of the CBCSD and holds a BA in Journalism/Communications from Truman State University. Traci currently serves on both the TeamMates of Treynor and the Friends of the Council Bluffs Public Library boards. Traci’s husband John is an agency owner with American Family Insurance. Their son Nolan, also a CBCSD graduate, returned to SWI after receiving a BS in Civil Engineering from Kansas State University. Traci and her husband John reside in Council Bluffs.
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Elementary Schools
After a decade of listening, learning and executing highly effective financial wellness programs in local schools, TS Bank is proud to provide grade level specific classroom offerings for elementary classrooms. These programs meet or exceed the Iowa state requirements for financial literacy. If you are an administrator or teacher reach out to us for more details. If you are a bank looking for resources scroll down to our, “Products and Services” section.
In-School Banking
Our in-school bank branches are designed to:
- Introduce the economic concept of saving money at an early age and reinforce this idea throughout the elementary curriculum
- Demonstrate that saving money should be part of a student’s personal financial plan for their future
- Increase parental involvement in children’s lives through banking activity
- Provide unique learning experiences for participants
2010 – Treynor Elementary Cardinal Branch – Treynor, Iowa
The Treynor Cardinal Branch at Treynor Elementary in Treynor, Iowa was established as the first capstone experience for students. This in-school bank was the beginning of a five-year pilot project that integrated comprehensive classroom financial literacy programming. The K-12 financial literacy programming was designed to meet Iowa Department of Education 21st Century Financial Literacy standards. Our goal for the classroom and banking capstone was to prepare students for life after high school. Our findings from this pilot have helped to shape financial and economic education in the state of Iowa. We are proud to be a partner of Treynor Schools.
2013 – Rue Elementary Junior Jacket Branch – Council Bluffs, Iowa
The Rue Junior Jacket Branch at Rue Elementary in Council Bluffs, Iowa is the second elementary in-school bank we opened. This branch was modeled after our Treynor branch and is supplemented by our well-known classroom programming. In partnership with Council Bluffs Schools, this branch allows students to save in their school without having to open their own bank account creating fewer barriers for the students to begin saving. We are proud to be a partner of Council Bluffs Schools.
2015 – Franklin Elementary Junior Jacket Branch – Council Bluffs, Iowa
The Franklin Junior Jacket Branch at Franklin Elementary in Council Bluffs, Iowa is the third elementary in-school bank we opened. This branch was modeled after our other in-school banks and is supplemented by our well-known classroom programming. In partnership with Council Bluffs Schools, this branch allows students to save in their school without having to open their own bank account creating fewer barriers for the students to begin saving. We are proud to be a partner of Council Bluffs Schools.
2017 – College View Little Lynx Branch – Council Bluffs, Iowa
The College View Little Jacket Branch at College View Elementary in Council Bluffs, Iowa is the fourth elementary in-school bank we opened. This branch was modeled after our other in-school banks and is supplemented by our well-known classroom programming. In partnership with Council Bluffs Schools, this branch allows students to save in their school without having to open their own bank account creating fewer barriers for the students to begin saving. We are proud to be a partner of Council Bluffs Schools and to offer student savings all over the city.
Community
In any city there are those who have had the privilege of learning and forming habits around sound financial education and behaviors. We know not everyone grew up in a context where money and savings were talked about in a positive light. The goal of our community classes is to educate, equip and send those who attend our classes back into the community with hope that they can faithfully manage their personal finances. If you are a non-profit, government agency or business in the area of a TS Bank, reach out and ask about our community classes.
TS Bank offers a wide range of community classes related to the following topic areas:
- Class 1: Needs, wants and budgeting
- Class 2: Debt, credit, credit scores and credit reports
- Class 3: Jobs, paychecks and taxes
- Class 4: Savings, checking and other financial services
- Class 5: Insurance, risk and future planning
- Class 6: Identity protection and how the market works
In August 2022, Kyle Osborne had a chance to share tips on how to best manage your money with Isabelle Basco from KMTV 3 News Now. To see the whole interview, click the video below.
Products and Services
In the spring of 2020, we celebrated 10 years of community impact related to financial education. Starting slow and developing our school and community programs was not an option. In 2010 because of teaching mandates requiring financial literacy to be taught in the classroom our services were in high demand. With many schools and community organizations recovering from the housing market crash of 2008-2009 TS Bank has helped hundreds of teachers and hundreds of adults in our communities find their financial footing. Our easy to use and turnkey classroom programs are welcomed back year after year in our local schools. Our community classes are engaging, practical and action orientated. If you are interested in putting these types of resources to work in your community, you will not regret it. Contact us for more into today.
Partnerships
Since inception, TS Bank has partnered with the following organizations:
For more information or to talk with someone from our team, please fill out the form below.