President’s message

Financial literacy is an essential life skill. It enables people to make financially responsible decisions, which are integral to our everyday life. However, comprehensive strategies for educating children and youth about personal finance have not yet emerged. 

With this in mind, the Institute delineated the approach of delivery and invited members to participate in this flagship corporate social responsibility programme “Rich Kid, Poor Kid” to fill in the gap in financial education at schools.  Since the programme’s establishment in 2005, our member volunteers, Accountant Ambassadors, have visited more than 600 primary and secondary schools, and held around 800 free financial seminars – reaching over 140,000 students in an interactive way, guiding children and teenagers through the financial learning journey. 

Financial education is especially vital to prepare citizens for period of uncertainty – such as the period we now find ourselves in. To ensure that the programme remains relevant, the Institute has developed new components, including introducing a new comic book set entitled “10 Lessons in Money Management” and a revamped school talk programme. 

We have also expanded the programme by promoting financial literacy to parents through a family budgeting talk series in partnership with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Child Education Centre for Teaching and Learning of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education.

Over the years, “Rich Kid, Poor Kid” has been recognized with multiple accolades from a wide range of bodies. These include winning the Asia Pacific PR Award "Corporate Social Responsibility Campaign of the Year", and the Investor and Financial Education Council’s “Financial Education Champion” for three years in a row.

We are proud to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the programme this year, and wish to express our gratitude to the over 300 Accountant Ambassadors who have joined us to make a difference in our society.  

As one of the largest professional bodies in Hong Kong, the Institute appreciates that it has an important role to play in society. In this regard, one of the key focuses of our Strategic Plan 2020-2022 is to promote financial education and social contributions of the accounting profession. This year, we plan to launch an index to record the money habits of the younger generation, to understand their spending patterns and determine how to improve their financial literacy. 

The last 15 years have seen significant improvements in financial education taking place in Hong Kong. We are pleased to have played a part in this process. With persistence, we look forward to growing with the city and the younger generation over the 15 years ahead.

Johnson Kong

President