FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 15, 2005

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Steve Burke
CRC
703.683.5004 ext. 108
sburke@crc4pr.com

Maria Hatzikonstantinou
CRC
703.683.5004 ext. 131
maria@crc4pr.com

San Francisco, CA - April 15, 2005 - As part of its ongoing commitment to provide much needed money management and financial literacy tools to the public, Visa USA is marking April as “Financial Literacy Month“ with a re-launch of its award-winning website, Practical Money Skills for Life.

When students are taught money management lessons, they become more financially literate. Visa USA conducted a study of college-bound seniors last summer, testing their knowledge both before and after receiving lessons from the Practical Money Skills for Life curriculum. The findings revealed that after only one day of testing, the students personal finance grades improved overall by 13%, going from a “D“ to a “B“ average.

“When it comes to financial literacy, knowledge is truly power,“ said Rosetta Jones, vice president, Visa USA. “One of the greatest things we can do is arm young adults with the skills necessary for a financially fit life. A fiscally smart young adult becomes a savvy consumer - and that is good for business, the economy, and for personal growth and success.“

Practical Money Skills for Life gives educators the tools they need to teach practical money management lessons in their classrooms. With complete lesson plans, the curriculum includes presentation materials, in-class activities, quizzes and more. It's also mapped to state educational standards ensuring that activities not only teach important life skills but also keep classes on target to meet state requirements.

Recognizing that learning does not stop once the last school bell rings, Practical Money Skills for Life includes materials to help parents work with their children to develop strong financial skills at home. With worksheets on setting an allowance and curbing their teens spending habits, children can enter the world prepared to make the most of their financial situation.

“While most children get the majority of their personal finance lessons at home, we need to ensure that personal finance education also extends to the classroom,“ Jones added. “Research shows that personal finance curriculums improve the financial literacy of students. Teachers who integrate lessons on financial management into the classroom are making a significant contribution toward their students' futures.“

Additional components of Visa's ongoing campaign to enhance personal financial literacy include:

• An effort to increase the financial literacy of America's youth by sponsoring the third annual Practical Money Skills for Life Educator Challenge. This contest awards teachers who creatively incorporate money management education in the classroom. Winners will be announced later this month.
• A program that bridges the digital divide by donating computer equipment to schools in need and providing training for teachers. Visa is continuing this program in 2005 by donating computer labs to 10 high schools across the United States. To date, Visa has donated more than 45 computer labs nationwide.

About Practical Money Skills for Life
The Practical Money Skills for Life curriculum is teacher tested and teacher approved. At the 2001 National Education Association Expo, teachers graded and evaluated the program. Nearly 100 percent of teachers who reviewed the website approved of it; 98 percent said they would recommend the site to other educators; and 94 percent gave the program a “B“ or better. The curriculum currently reaches 2.5 million teachers, 37 million students, and 100,000 schools. Additionally, this program won the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators 2002 Achievement in Consumer Education Award (ACE) for the best innovative program for the private sector, and was named an “Honorable Mention“ by the Jumptart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy's 2002 Soaringtar Award.

About Visa USA
Visa is the world's leading payment brand and largest consumer payment system, enabling banks to provide their consumer and merchant customers with a wide variety of payment alternatives. Nearly 21,000 financial institutions worldwide rely on Visa's processing system, VisaNet, to facilitate $2.5 trillion in annual transaction volume with virtually 100-percent reliability. Consumers in more than 150 countries carry more than 1 billion Visa-branded cards, accepted at millions of locations worldwide. Within the United States, nearly 14,000 financial institutions issue 429 million Visa cards, accounting for more than $1.1 trillion in annual transaction volume. Visa offers a trusted, reliable and convenient way to access and mobilize financial resources - anytime, anywhere, any way.

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