Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities (hereafter referred to as MUMSS), one of the core business companies of Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Holdings, has been providing financial and economic education programs as one of its social contribution activities. We interviewed Kanako Terao and Haruna Kuramochi of Corporate Communications Division, MUMSS, leading the engagement to the activity in the company.

“At first, children showed very little interest in financial and economic education topics, such as money or stocks, and naturally they were not absorbed into the program. However, as the program progressed to the group work session, they gradually, but clearly, became more drawn into the program. At the end, they made positive remarks about the program, such as ‘I enjoyed the program’, ‘I will read newspapers because I want to learn more about money and stocks.’ Indeed, I witnessed firsthand the changes being made to their mindsets through the class,” says Terao (Senior Manager).

MUMSS started providing financial and economic education programs in 2014. Its first program “Power of Stocks” was tailored for junior high and senior high school students to increase their financial literacy by helping them deepen their understanding of the functions and roles played by stocks as well as by the securities market and securities companies. Subsequently in FY2019 the company also started to provide the program “Power of Stocks for University Students”. In FY2020, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan embarked on revising the National Curriculum Standards under the slogan, “Zest for living: learning and beyond,” and accordingly in FY2022 financial and economic education started to be provided at senior high schools, including that on risk management and asset formation through investment and others. In response to such social needs, the securities company also expanded its financial and economic education in FY2022 to provide elementary school students with the “Power of Money-VALUE-” program to help them acquire knowledge about money and develop the ability to think independently about how to live a better life. Moreover in FY2023 the company started to provide junior high school students with “Power of Money-WILL-” and senior high school students with “Power of Money-CHOICE-.”

“MUMSS Corporate Communications Division took a leadership developing the programs jointly with Educa & Quest Inc., which is a developer of educational programs and by incorporating opinions of MUMSS employees. Through the demonstration tests carried out for the program, we also asked opinions of schoolteachers. Participants are to attend five to six class hours. The program may seem to be relatively long, but all the curriculum are held in an active learning format, not in a one-way manner. In the program for elementary school students, participants have hands-on experience through dialogue using cards and group discussions. In the “Power of Stocks” program held for junior high school students, participants can virtually experience entrepreneurship in a simple format while also experiencing making investments using “Chips” to understand the stock mechanism and functions, and then they also make newspaper ads based on what they have learned in the class. The programs are thus designed to make participating children and students to think and speak about finance and economy through group work,” says Kuramochi (Associate).


Worksheet
Think about Money and Life (1)
(Name of the team)

About the famous quotes shown below, please discuss to guess whose words they are.


It does not require money to live neat, clean and dignified.

Money can buy even love and courage (for capitalists).

You could lead the happiest life not by earning money but by enriching your mind and doing what you want to do without causing problems to anyone.

Money is coined liberty.

Money provides the basis of independence, so don’t despise it.

Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.


Father of the Nation in India, who upheld the principle of non-violent resistance: Mahatma Gandhi
Leading Russian novelist in the latter half of the 19ths: Fyodor Dostoevsky
Leading thinker and educator of the Meiji period in Japan, who founded Keio University: Yukichi Fukuzawa
Cofounder of Apple: Steve Jobs
One of the most influential economists in the 20th century: Karl Marx
Founder of Honda: Soichiro Honda


Elementary school students who had participated in the program made positive comments, including, “I have found that valuing money means to think carefully to use it, rather than just saving it,” and “It was interesting to exchange opinions with my friends and find differences in our mutual values about money.” Also, participant junior high and senior high students gave comments, such as “I thought investing in stocks means gambling but have found that it is an important mechanism that supports our society.” Their parents also made comments, including, “The program has provided me with a great opportunity to talk about money within the family.”