Luna and Carmen are visiting the bank for the first time!

Luna and Carmen were excited to buy some sweet corn from Mrs. Rosie, the friendly parrot. They also needed money to purchase art supplies for school. Carmen asked her mother for ten Silver Dollar seeds to pay for the sweet treat and the school supplies. However, her mother told her she did not have any money at home and needed to go to the bank to get the Silver Dollar seeds to pay for everything.

What is a Bank Account?

The girls were curious about their mother's visit to the bank to get Silver Dollar seeds to pay for things. Carmen's mother explained that she had deposited the family's harvested Silver Dollar seeds at the Greengrass Bank, La Fortuna's largest forest bank. She explained the bank was a safe and secure place for animals to keep their valuable Silver Dollar seeds for future use.

She emphasized the importance of having a bank account for every animal in the forest, as it enabled them to save for their future and prepare for unforeseen challenges such as storms, fires, or unwanted visitors that could take them,

The Beauty of Compound Interest!

Carmen's mother explained how the bank pays interest on Silver Dollar seed deposits, helping animals save and grow their savings through "Compound interest." The more seeds you save, the more interest you earn, making it a smart way to increase your money!

The Earlier, the Better!

The Mom let Carmen and Luna know she had opened a Seed Pod Savings Account for Carmen when she was still a baby bunny. The purpose of this account was to make sure that Carmen would have enough Silver Dollar seeds when she grew up. The Mom then showed them a small booklet from the Greengrass Bank that had the number of Silver Dollar seeds Carmen had already accumulated in her account. Carmen was thrilled to see that she had already saved one thousand Silver Dollar seeds in her account.

The little sloth Luna was curious and asked Carmen's mother if she knew a savings account had been opened under her name. Carmen's mother responded kindly, saying that she wasn't sure, but she remembered Mama Sloth mentioning the option of opening an account at the Big Oak Credit Union. A credit union is similar to a bank, but it has some significant differences. Mama Sloth, who is known for her careful nature, most likely opened an account for Luna too.

It's not a Scary place!

The group headed to the Greengrass Bank to gather the Silver Dollar seeds needed for their sweet corn and art supplies. Upon arrival, Lila, an elegant and gracious deer who was the Branch Manager, greeted them. They also met Maria, Dina, and Louisa, the Bank Tellers, friendly Capuchin monkeys eager to help them.

Lila, the Manager, showed them around the bank facilities and explained the bank's responsibility for keeping the Silver Dollar seeds safe and ensuring their growth. Also, she shared how the bank is actively involved in supporting and assisting the Forest community.

The girls were delighted to meet the friendly staff. They were relieved and glad to know that the bank was not a scary or intimidating place but an inviting and interesting one. The experience had a positive and lasting impact on the girls.

Do I Really Want that?

The girls learned the value of being responsible for saving their Silver Dollar seeds and securing them for future use. As a result, they chose not to buy the sweet corn treat and only spent their money on art supplies. But, they were still eagerly looking forward to visiting the Monkey Stand for a delicious banana milkshake - a treat too tempting to resist!