CheckWise

The United Way of America recently identified in its 5-year plan its goal to reduce the unbanked and under banked by 25%. Similar to United Way’s initiative, the US Department of Treasury has created a pilot program to identify and target under and unbanked consumers. The goal of CheckWise is to increase access to financial services and financial education for low- and moderate-income individuals. According to the Department of Treasury, there are currently 10 million unbanked and 15 million under banked households in the US.

what is it?
Many times, the reason consumers don’t have a relationship with a financial institution is simply a lack of financial education. CheckWise is the solution to reaching these consumers. CheckWise is the most current and comprehensive checking account program available. It is ideal for individuals who have never had an account, those who would like to know how to better handle their checking account, and those who would like to re-establish a relationship with a financial institution.

This program is available in textbook format as well as completely online, providing virtual service 24/7. The online option features extensive tracking that provide many benefits to you, the student, and various community partners. We can provide reports that track the student success rate. When a student completes the program, a financial institution can log onto our Certificate Verification site and verify the student certificate in addition to noting their intention to open a new account in a secure online student file. This will help track student success and help to prevent student account abuse. The court system can also use the site to verify completion in the event that CheckWise is used as part of a check offender’s sentencing.

You are free to choose and establish your own automated registration and payment platform. We have also established an automated registration platform with a major electronic payment processor, and there will be more payment options to follow. Vanco Services can provide your agency with a customized payment platform for your CheckWise students to use. The payment page transfers paid students directly into the CheckWise system, allowing them to pay and complete the program entirely unassisted.

Upon completing CheckWise, students will understand the benefits of working with a mainstream financial institution for their financial service needs. Through interactive activities, students will learn how to:

• Choose the right account
• Open an account, endorse a check, and maintain a checkbook register
• Reconcile an account to the checking account statement
• Take advantage of tools available for managing an account
• Keep the account balanced
• Keep the account safe
• Maintain an ongoing relationship with the financial institution

The online program provides tracking for both online and classroom students. Agencies can enter classroom student data. The program is capable of printing numbered certificates that commemorate your online and classroom students’ achievement.

what’s in it for you?
The CheckWise tracking features allow you to report all student activity in dozens of useful ways. The reports can be accessed by delivery method (classroom, Internet, telephone, or all combined), date range, or type of student. The reports feature:

• Demographics
• Student referral source
• Students currently using the system, with information on their progress
• Students who have completed the program and their unique certificate number
• Pre- and post-test scores
• Total time spent in the system
• Evaluation data and comments
• Fee information

If your agency would like to become a CheckWise partner, you’ll be happy to know that we offer more than just the program. A CheckWise partner will have access to marketing materials to distribute to potential lending institutions, along with marketing materials that both you and lenders can use to market to consumers. Here is the complete list of what you’ll get with your CheckWise partnership:  

• Course Goals and Objectives
• Evaluation Form for classroom students
• PowerPoint presentation for your classroom students
• ACCE’s experience in online and telephonic classroom services
• Marketing materials for both lenders and students personalized with your agency’s logo and information
• Online software that provides tracking for all classroom and online students
• Full technical support- the knowledgeable staff at ACCE handles all your student questions.

Offering a program that emphasizes the importance of becoming financially responsible gives you increased opportunities to partner with creditors, financial institutions, and other organizations. In addition, offering CheckWise will allow you to reach a wider consumer base and increase your revenue, all while helping you to meet your educational mission.

CheckWise is a versatile, well designed, and affordable financial education program. We have a full-time support staff to handle your questions and to provide help with your students’ technical questions. ACCE is a 501©3 non-profit organization.

For more information on how your agency can become a CheckWise partner, please contact us at 888.830.3104 or acce@acce-online.com.