To help young adults boost their proficiency in the basics of money management and banking, Wells Fargo is bringing its Fun of Money^SM Tour to the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival on October 17-18.

At this year’s Pumpkin Festival, Wells Fargo’s 28-foot, satellite-equipped trailer will be at the corners of Kelly Ave. and Main St. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Wells Fargo’s Fun of Money Tour blends together fun and financial education through a variety of interactive activities. Helping young adults learn the money skills they need for life is especially important when you consider these statistics:

• Americans spend $1.22 for every $1 they earn (Myvesta Foundation);
• Today, over half of U.S. high school students graduate without knowing the basics of banking (Jump$tart Coalition);
• The fastest growing group declaring bankruptcy is young adults age 20 to 24. Last year, 110,000 people under the age of 25 filed for bankruptcy due to their inability to pay off their credit card debts. (Generation Broke);
• Four in 10 high school seniors believe that credit cards and car loans have lower interest rates than mortgage loans. (JumpStart Coalition);
• The average amount of student loan debt rose from $12,393 in 2001 to $14,379 in 2006. (Experian).

“For young adults financial education is extremely important because during these years young people are preparing to leave home and become financially independent for the first time and doing so can feel complicated and even overwhelming,” said Elizabeth Perez, Wells Fargo’s Half Moon Bay store manager. “Young adults are invited to visit the live Fun of Money event to learn important lessons in areas like budgeting, saving, credit and investing.”

Attendees can compete in financial trivia “game shows;” take customized digital photos of themselves; access a kiosk featuring Hands on Banking®, Wells Fargo’s signature financial literacy program; and play Stagecoach Island^SM, a multi-player, online role-playing game developed by Wells Fargo to teach financial literacy (www.wellsfargo.com/stagecoachisland).

The Stagecoach Island game allows players to select a virtual character and participate in an “island adventure.” Participants can choose to explore the virtual island - lush parks, hip cafes, dance clubs, trendy shops, amusement parks, hair salons and more.  They can also interact in dozens of virtual, social situations – like skydiving, riding jets-skis, or dancing and talking to friends in a club.  Many activities on the island are “free,” but participants gain access to other experiences, such as dancing in a club or purchasing new clothes, by spending, saving and earning virtual money. Players can earn money by visiting the Virtual Learning Lounge and answering trivia questions about banking basics such as budgeting, saving and managing money. 

The Fun of Money Tour experience also features a stage with a DJ and karaoke, foosball, three photo booths, money vaults with prizes and a modern lounge area for participants to relax with friends. Attendees can enter a sweepstakes to win a 2009 Clean Diesel Volkswagen Jetta TDI and can win fun prizes at the event.

About Wells Fargo www.wellsfargo.com
Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company with more than 18,000 team members in the Bay Area and is ranked the #1 corporate giver among financial institutions by the San Francisco Business Times. Wells Fargo donated $14.4 million with 1,860 grants contributed to local nonprofits and schools serving the Bay Area last year; totaling nearly $40,000 in giving each day to local non-profit agencies. Wells Fargo has $609 billion in assets, providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage and consumer finance through more than 6,000 stores and the internet (wellsfargo.com) across North America and internationally. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. is the only bank in the U.S., and one of only two banks worldwide, to have the highest credit rating from both Moody’s Investors Service, “Aaa,” and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, “AAA.”