Resolved x JP Morgan Chase:
Financial Literacy in Action
May 21, 2025 | By Ranner Faugas
Resolved cohort students explore the world of personal finance.
My favorite simile that I like to use when I’m asked to describe Resolved is to compare it to a barbershop. Though I barely have a reason to frequent a barbershop anymore, as I’m follicly challenged, I still do. I still go because it’s one of those places where the art of spontaneous discourse is very much still alive; it’s the land of hot takes, the battleground of well-trodden sports debates—argued with so much zeal that you’d be led to believe that something was truly at stake.
But there are times when I think that metaphor misses the mark. I found myself having just such a thought this spring when we partnered with JP Morgan Chase for a five-week Financial Literacy workshop series. This was a series born out of the students’ interest in learning more about finance, curated to meet them where they are, and that served the additional purpose of giving the students access to banking professionals who were so gracious with their time and eager to share their knowledge.
During those sessions, the students learned about personal finance and the fundamentals of banking: how to open an account, how to determine if a financial institution is trustworthy and accredited, and the role and importance of credit. And beyond the more technical aspects of banking, they also got the chance to examine their relationship with money. This was a conversation that many of them had never had before, and because we had spent a lot of time building trust in the space, they were able to be vulnerable with each other and share with their peers their concerns, ideas, and plans for “securing the bag.”
While the students were navigating the world of finance, they were also preparing for a debate at the JP Morgan Chase branch in Mattapan. This debate pitted both of our cohorts—Madison Park & Higginson-Lewis—against each other to debate this claim: If you were opening a new bank account, which bank would be the best choice?
The debate gave the students the chance to synthesize all the information they had learned during the series and to make an argument on behalf of the bank they chose. This allowed us to reinforce the debate skills they had been learning all year long and to solidify their understanding of CER: claim, evidence, and reasoning. So, here, unlike in a barbershop, it wouldn’t be enough to make pronouncements with the confidence of someone who has never been wrong. They would have to use evidence from credible sources to support their claims and explain to the audience why that evidence mattered.
As is usually the case, many of them were nervous, afraid to be embarrassed, and uncertain of their skills and preparation. This was a good sign. It signaled to us that they were taking this opportunity seriously and cared about doing well. This gave us the opportunity to remind them of something we often say in the sessions: “You will never be fully ready, and you’ll never have enough time, but you can be resolved to do it… even if it means doing it poorly, doing it uncomfortably. What’s most important is that you do it.” And on that Saturday, with their voices uneven, they began. As the debate went on, they grew more confident, and in that moment, I thought to myself, “this is much, much more than a barbershop.”
