Zogo is a new financial literacy app created by the students and faculty of Duke University. PECU is partnering with Zogo to offer you the opportunity to download the award-winning app, complete quick learning modules, gain more financial literacy, and earn gift cards from your favorite brands such as Amazon, Starbucks, Apple, Nike, Target, CVS and Walmart. What follows is the story of how Zogo started, and why your family needs it.
Research firm Raddon says 44% of American consumers say they are “very” or “extremely” financially literate. According to pymnts.com, the reality is that roughly two-thirds of Americans can’t pass a basic financial literacy exam. In fact, George Washington University economics professor Annamaria Lusardi says that in the U.S. only 21 states require financial education. She says this means what the majority of consumers learn about finances during their young lives comes courtesy of their parents. She notes that people can’t pass on knowledge they don’t have, meaning most people enter adulthood without any kind of financial education.
22-year-old recent Duke grad and Zogo company founder, Bolun Li, remembers surfing on his phone and texting people in high school while a local bank offered a money management presentation that didn’t connect with his class. Later, as a Duke student, he and his friends had trouble learning about taxes. Now thirsty for financial education, he worked to turn his problem into an opportunity. The result is Zogo. Li describes Zogo as an app-based financial education tool that is something like a Rosetta Stone language course, except for personal finance. It’s designed to break down the bigger topics in a typical consumer’s financial life into “bite-sized” teaching modules that are easily consumable. Zogo started with 300 modules, each designed to be completed in about two minutes. What sets Zogo apart is its realization that learning to be financially literate isn’t as immediately appealing as, say, learning to speak French. Therefore, Zogo uses gamification and adds a direct incentive. Each module you do earns you fun Pineapple Points. When you get enough Pineapple Points, you can trade them in for gift cards. You can also earn extra points by referring family and friends.
Users often download the Zogo app to get the free gift cards. Most soon realize, however, how many things they can learn that offer even greater rewards. These things include saving money, budgeting, shopping smartly, getting better car loans, doing taxes, investing, and handling credit cards. Even though Zogo is designed to appeal to Gen Z and Millennials, it is quickly growing in popularity with anyone interested in gaining more financial knowledge. That’s why Zogo won the NACUSO Next Big Idea Competition as judged by 100+ credit union leaders. Plus, 1,500 financial industry experts gave it “Best of Show” at Finovate. Try the Zogo app today. Click below to download the Apple or Android version and use the access code “PECU.” Say hello to Zogo!
Download the Apple version of Zogo