Middle school students in Austin were recently visited by Million Bazillion Live as a part of their financial literacy tour. Middle schoolers at O. Henry Middle School and John P. Ojeda Middle School participated in Million Bazillion Live’s program “Who Wants to be a Bazillionaire?”
According to a press release, Million Bazillion Live! is based on the Webby-winning kids’ podcast Million Bazillion from Marketplace, which teaches kids and their families financial literacy. This financial literacy tour is presented by American Public Media’s Marketplace, a business and economic news programming company, and Greenlight Financial Technology, a fintech company who tries to help parents raise financially smart kids.
The program is presented in a fun and accessible game show format, and includes portions such as personal finance trivia, challenges, and prizes. During the program, students cheer on their fellow classmates as they learn about financial matters such as budgeting, saving, and investing.
Million Bazillion Live! mentions how there are 27 states that do not require a personal finance course, even though teens score an average of 64% on the National Financial Literacy Test. However, according to a survey conducted by Greenlight, 93% of students and 97% of parents say they need financial knowledge and skills to achieve their life goals.
As a company, Marketplace’s mission is to “raise the economic intelligence of the country” through several of its programs, such as the Marketplace Morning Report and Marketplace Tech, which are broadcast nationwide on hundreds of public radio stations. They also have several podcasts, including Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly, The Uncertain Hour, This Is Uncomfortable and Million Bazillion.