Your college-bound student deserves a foundation for financial success

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Give them a trusted financial resource. The earlier healthy financial habits are formed, the better. Citi helps make it convenient to shape those habits with digital tools, fraud protection, ways to avoid fees, and resources to help manage their money. Learn more.

As a parent, you’ve probably had a lot of talks with your child. But among them all, the money talk may be one of the most important.

That conversation—and the lifelong journey in financial responsibility—can be supported by the right banking partner. That’s where Citi comes in. Its personalized guidance, budgeting resources, and thoughtfully designed digital tools all play a part in helping young adults manage their money, build good habits, and establish a banking relationship that will support them well past their college years.

Today, tomorrow, and beyond

The Citi Access Checking account is designed to give them a strong start and grow with them from college to career. It supports them on their journey to developing financial independence, starting with the transitional moment of leaving the nest.

Citi makes the onboarding process convenient so the experience feels exciting, not intimidating, with digital tools to track spending and automate savings. While the Citi Access Checking Monthly Service Fee is waived for account owners 23 and under, as customers continue their Citi journey, they can avoid this fee by having $250 in direct deposits or other qualifying transactions, or by being in a Citi Relationship Tier. And the account has no paper checks, no overdraft fees, and no minimum balance requirement at opening. Why? Because it was designed to help people build financial confidence.

To fit the digital-native lifestyle of young adults today, Citi Access Checking pairs with mobile wallets for ease of use and simplifies getting paid with digital direct deposit enrollment for most employers, as well as mobile check deposit. And whenever the need for cash arises, account holders can access their funds through 65k fee-free ATMs nationwide—one of the largest ATM networks in the US.

But Citi support extends beyond these features. It offers customers personal guidance as they navigate the financial world, whether online, over the phone, or in-person at one of its 650+ branches. Citi Personal Wealth Management Senior Wealth Advisor Andrea Osorio met with us to explain how she helps families navigate the unique challenges today’s young people face when starting their financial journey.

“One of the common blind spots that I see with younger people is the invisibility of digital spending,” Osorio said. “Before, you would have to hand over cash or balance a checkbook. Nowadays, people tap to pay or pay digitally with their phone, so it’s easy to underestimate how quickly things can add up. That’s why Citi checking accounts offer tools like low balance alerts. It gets customers more familiar with sticking to a budget and understanding how money works early on in their financial journey.”

Strength in numbers

Citi Access Checking doesn’t just benefit the account holders. With Family Linking, you can pool balances with immediate family members you live with to access more benefits that you and your family can enjoy through varying Citi Relationship Tiers, such as Citi Priority, Citigold®, and Citigold® Private Client.

Osorio said she encourages parents to continually educate their children as they progress on their financial journey.

“Oftentimes, I see parents assume their children have received sufficient financial education in traditional school, and that’s not necessarily the case,” Osorio said. “It’s something that we partner with parents on at Citi. The parents provide mentorship, their children are willing and active participants, and Citi provides a supportive environment where we can talk about the basics of financial literacy together.

“Today it might be a checking account, but tomorrow it might be an investment account. As their financial needs grow, we can build together with IRAs, maybe a mortgage,” Osorio continued. “But it all starts with the foundation of a checking account and having that relationship with a bank and a trusted advisor. Our goal is to create a safe place to learn, just like one would find in college.”

The metaphorical launchpad

The financial habits young, college-bound students build early on will echo into their 20s, 30s, and beyond. A Citi Access Checking account can help provide the essential financial foundation, offering a gateway to financial literacy and the broader Citi ecosystem.

To learn more, visit citi.com.

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