The Educated Consumer Project ("ECP") provides youths in low - and moderate-income ("LMI") areas in Washington, DC with a comprehensive financial education program. Our mission is to help teens in LMI areas realize their full potential: to be empowered managers of their personal finances, informed and aware of traps that may impede their earnings, and well-versed in financial services and products that can aid in their success. We aim to stimulate the entry of LMI individuals into the formal banking sector to bring about smarter management of debt, movement from renting to owning homes, and elimination of the use of check cashing and payday lending services.