Voya Recognizes 100 Best w!se High Schools Teaching Personal Finance

NEW YORK, April 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), announced today that its nonprofit partner, Working in Support of Education (w!se), has released its annual ranking of the 100 Best w!se High Schools Teaching Personal Finance . The No. 1 ranked school of 2017 – the High School of Math, Science & Engineering at the City College of New York – was recognized during a ceremony this morning which was sponsored by Voya. Angela Harrell, SVP of Corporate Responsibility and President of Voya Foundation, addressed a room filled with students, educators and honorable guests during the event.

"The 100 schools being recognized today are investing time and energy in real-world life skills that are essential to achieving financial security in the future," Harrell said. "Students that participated in this programming during the 2015-2016 school year had an 80 percent pass rate, and the knowledge they've gained will benefit them far beyond graduation. We're thrilled to support w!se in its efforts to develop financially resilient students, who have the skills they need to make sound financial decisions throughout their lives."

w!se is a leading educational nonprofit based in New York City with a mission to improve the lives of young people and at-risk adults through programs that develop financial literacy and readiness for college and the workforce. The organization's award-winning personal finance education program provides teachers with a curriculum and resources to teach and measure financial literacy through the w!se Certification Test. This year, schools in 46 states participated in the certification program, up from 36 five years ago. The 100 Best w!se High Schools Teaching Personal Finance ranking seeks to highlight the importance of personal finance education. 2017 marks the third year that Voya has sponsored the annual ranking ceremony.

"Support from Voya Financial and other members of the business community has enabled us to consistently expand the reach of our program, year over year," said Phyllis F. Perillo, Founding President and CEO, Working in Support of Education. "In total, we have provided nearly 6 million hours of personal finance instruction to children across the country. This is a milestone, not only for our students, but for our partners in the business community and the economy overall."  

Voya Foundation accepts grants that align with its new focus on financial resilience, which is defined as an individual's ability to make educated financial decisions, take advantage of growth and development opportunities as they appear, as well as weather difficult times. Financial resilience programming includes science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, financial literacy and higher education support through the Voya Scholars program.

Media Contact:
Nicole Vasile       
Voya Financial                                                           
Cell: (860) 839-1589                                      
nicole.vasile@voya.com                               

About Voya Foundation
Voya Foundation's mission is to improve the quality of life in communities where Voya Financial operates and its employees and customers live. Voya Foundation provides grants and establishes signature partnerships in the areas of financial literacy and children's education and fosters employee engagement to deepen our positive impact on the community. For more information, visit www.voyafoundation.com.

About Voya Financial^®
Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), helps Americans plan, invest and protect their savings — to get ready to retire better. Serving the financial needs of approximately 13.6 million individual and institutional customers in the United States, Voya is a Fortune 500 company that had $11 billion in revenue in 2016. The company had $484 billion in total assets under management and administration as of Dec. 31, 2016. With a clear mission to make a secure financial future possible — one person, one family, one institution at a time — Voya's vision is to be America's Retirement Company^®. Certified as a "Great Place to Work" by the Great Place to Work^® Institute, Voya is equally committed to conducting business in a way that is socially, environmentally, economically and ethically responsible and has been recognized as one of the 2017 World's Most Ethical Companies^® by the Ethisphere Institute, as well as one of the Top Green Companies in the U.S., by Newsweek magazine. For more information, visit voya.com. Follow Voya Financial on Facebook and Twitter @Voya.

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SOURCE Voya Financial, Inc.