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KEYS Live in action: How real conversations shape financial confidence

KEYS® by GM Financial is a financial literacy program designed to help empower people in their financial knowledge and decision-making. The program’s website is home to a variety of free, approachable, self-paced modules and the Our Two Cents podcast, where the show’s hosts cover personal finance topics like car buying, managing credit, investing, budgeting and much more. KEYS Live ambassadors complement the program by presenting these tools and resources through frequent in-person, engaging experiences. Ambassadors like Brian Lockhart and Kris Morris personally connect with the audience, truly bringing the material to life.

When Kris and Brian walk into a high school classroom for a KEYS Live presentation, they know what to expect: Students with earbuds still in, heads down on desks and skepticism about what two finance professionals could possibly teach them.

By the time the bell rings, that picture almost always changes. The same students are debating financial decisions; asking thoughtful questions about credit, investing and homeownership; and sometimes lingering after class to talk through business ideas and career paths. That transformation is exactly what KEYS Live is designed to do.

KEYS ambassadors and Financial Literacy Month

Brian, Vice President of Fleet Credit, and Kris, Vice President of Commercial Vehicle Lending Operations, have found a winning formula in the two years since they joined the KEYS Live program as ambassadors.

They shared their success stories in honor of Financial Literacy Month, observed each April to empower Americans to build financial knowledge, security and confidence through education and resources.

They’ve teamed up multiple times to present modules of KEYS Live at high schools around Fort Worth, Texas, and discovered that the buddy system is a big help in making the sessions resonate with students.

Meeting students where they are

Most of the KEYS Live sessions they lead are for high school juniors and seniors, and they’re consistently surprised by how much today’s students already know.

Many students come in with a basic understanding of credit cards, budgeting and even investing. That foundation allows Brian and Kris to focus on real-life scenarios: How unmanaged credit card balances can spiral, how early mistakes can affect the ability to buy a home and why today’s financial decisions follow students far longer than they realize.

From indifference to engagement

Kris describes the early minutes of many sessions as a slow warm-up. But once the conversation becomes personal, everything changes.

Discussions around real costs such as housing, transportation and lifestyle choices tend to flip a switch. Students who seem disengaged at first become vocal participants, especially during interactive exercises and friendly competitions built into the presentations.

By the end, the students leave with financial tools they’ll carry for years.

Tailoring the message to the room

Before diving into a slide deck, Brian and Kris often ask students about their plans after graduation. At some schools, nearly every hand goes up for college. At others, students are considering the military, trade schools or entering the workforce directly.

By reading the room and adjusting in real time, they ensure every student sees themselves in the conversation.

• College-focused groups explore tuition, living expenses, financial aid and the real costs beyond the bill.
• Non-college-bound students learn about trade schools, the military and alternative routes to financial stability.
• Across all audiences, the core message stays consistent: Early decisions matter, and there are many valid paths to success.

Why the buddy system works

Their system isn’t scripted or rehearsed. They rotate slides, add personal examples and clarify points, preventing the “single speaker drone” that can lose an audience. The students benefit from the real-world perspectives of two complementary viewpoints.

The experience is better for the presenters, too. Teaching alongside a colleague makes the sessions more dynamic and enjoyable — and ultimately more effective.

When a student raises their hand to ask about starting a business, investing in real estate or preparing financially for life after graduation, it means KEYS Live has done its job.

And sometimes, all it takes is showing up together.

By Sonny Bohanan, GM Financial

Sonny Bohanan is a writer who loves telling stories and has a special passion for writing about life events that help foster diversity, equity and inclusion. Libraries and used bookstores provide the ideal backdrop for Sonny’s penchant for reading and writing fiction.