Walmart debuting financial literacy courses for associates, customers
Walmart is partnering with Khan Academy as its founding sponsor in an effort to bring financial literacy courses to its associates, customers and communities. Citing the American Psychological Association’s findings that 72% of Americans reported feeling stressed about money during the past month, the retailer is rolling out a virtual course that offers articles, videos and exercises to help people master personal finance skills.
The course lets users learn at their own pace through a classroom-style approach, and covers several key financial topics, including:
- Budgeting and savings
- Consumer credit
- Financial goals
- Loans and debt
- Insurance
- Investments and retirement
- Scams and fraud
- Careers and education
- Taxes
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“We know from listening to our associates and customers that financial well-being is an important component to their total well-being,” wrote Kim Lupo, Walmart’s SVP of global total rewards, in a company blog post. “Our partnership with Khan Academy is an example of one of the many commitments we’re making to invest in financial tools to help people live better. We believe offering these unique financial offerings will empower people to live their best lives – in and out of the workplace.”
Walmart associates interested in taking the course can go to One.Walmart.com/FinancialLiteracy to take the course for free, while community members can access the course at KhanAcademy.org.
“At Khan Academy, our mission is to provide a free, world‑class education for anyone, anywhere,” said Sal Khan, CEO of Khan Academy. “We’re pleased to partner with our founding sponsor Walmart to offer financial literacy for all, enabling its associates — and learners everywhere — the opportunity to achieve greater financial success for themselves and their families.”
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In May, Walmart reported that its U.S. education program, Live Better U, had more than 104,000 participants from Walmart and Sam’s Club since its inception five years ago, and the company saved employees nearly half a billion dollars in tuition costs.
Live Better U has evolved over the last five years based on lessons learned and associate feedback, and now includes more than 70 programs. As part of that evolution, Walmart removed the initial $1 a day fee for associates in 2021 and saw a 66% increase in enrollment year over year. The company also added more programs to support growth in areas such as supply chain.
Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart operates more than 10,500 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 20 countries.
This story originally appeared on Progressive Grocer.