Aldo's Allowance Academy has been featured by local and regional media covering financial literacy, parenting, and Vermont entrepreneurship.
Vermont's alternative newsweekly Seven Days featured Aldo's Allowance Academy in its Kids VT Money Issue, spotlighting how Jillian Minerva turned more than a decade of watching teenagers struggle at the register into a hands-on financial literacy system for families. The piece explores how the academy's three-level curriculum bridges the gap between invisible digital money and the real-world skills kids need before they ever earn their first paycheck.
Read the full story →WCAX covered the launch of Aldo's Allowance Academy, featuring Vermont families already using the system and creator Jillian Minerva explaining why she built it after watching teen employees at Barnard General Store struggle with basic money skills. "They are never actually handling cash, so they never have that tangible item in their hand to learn how to count back change," Minerva told WCAX.
Read the full story →Reporter Kassie Hull covered the launch of Aldo's Allowance Academy with an in-depth look at the system, featuring Barnard family the Kendalls using it with their three kids. The piece covers all three levels in detail and includes Jillian's vision for teaching kids to respect money as a tangible item. "The goal is to create a safe environment for kids to make money mistakes and ask questions. It's better for them to learn a lesson when they have a $2 rent to their parents instead of a $2,000 rent to a landlord," Minerva told the Herald.
Read the full story →The Mountain Times profiled Jillian Minerva and the story behind Aldo's Allowance Academy, tracing her inspiration from childhood babysitting jobs to over a decade of watching teenagers enter the workforce without basic financial knowledge. The piece covers the full three-level system and Jillian's vision for expanding into schools and libraries across the country.
Read the full story →Moxie Towns profiled Jillian Minerva as part of its Mainstreet Maven series, celebrating independent business owners and the communities they anchor. The feature traces her path from running Barnard General Store to founding Aldo's Allowance Academy, and how the two ventures are rooted in the same belief: that small-town life teaches you things no classroom can, and that the best lessons start early.
Read the full story →Jillian is available for interviews, podcast appearances, and media features. She brings a unique perspective as both a Vermont store owner who has hired hundreds of teenagers and a mom building real financial skills in her own kids.
Jillian@bgsvt.com →