Bank of Saipan launches video series ‘Dollars & Sense’

Bank of Saipan has launched a new financial literacy video series titled, “Dollars & Sense, a Guide to Personal Finance and Banking for Ages 7 to 107” that aims to teach the basics of personal finance for all ages.

The premiere of the first episode of the video series took place last Saturday at the new Bank of Saipan office on Beach Road, along with the introduction of the cast and crew members behind the project.

Episode one, titled “Introduction to Money Matters!” introduced the characters Koku, a fourth-grade boy played by voice actor Tahekide “TJ” Naputi; Kaya, a 13-year-old girl in the eighth grade and is Koku’s first-cousin, played by voice actress Teihawny Villagomez; and Nana, Koku’s and Kaya’s grandmother, who is a retired accountant, played by voice actress Daisy Villagomez-Bier.

The video touched on the correct use of credit cards, the importance of knowing where your money is coming from, and how to prevent yourself from spending money that isn’t available.

When asked about what they’ve learned from being part of the project, Naputi and Villagomez said they learned the importance of budgeting money and how to save it.

Laura Kyonka, a mental health specialist at the Public School System; Daisy Villagomez-Bier, program manager at the Community Guidance Center, and Koniko Nakazato, who is pursuing her master’s degree in special education and mathematics at Walden University and is also a U.S. Army veteran, are the team of educators that provided the expertise in developing the lessons that were taught in this first video. In all succeeding videos, they will continue to help formulate the lessons so that it could be received and understood by the targeted audience and will devise the most effective way to deliver the lessons. They wrote the script, envisioned the learning situations, created the characters, and chose the talents.

Behind the scenes, the technical support crew consisted of MG Muzik Productions who helped with the sound production; and Glimpses of Guam, Inc. who rendered the video production, illustration, animation, and editing.

The first episode of Bank of Saipan’s ongoing financial literacy video series can be viewed on Bank of Saipan’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFY81FdlXu9p5rcKYamszcQ).