Canadian Students Enthusiastic to Find Inner Money Personality

Award-Winning¹ "Brandes Scholarship Program" Call for 2013
Now Open from Coast-to-Coast for Ten $1,000 Tuition Scholarships

Brandes Investment Partners & Co. President: "Encouraging Canada's Youth
to be Money-Smart to Help Carry Tomorrow's Economy."

TORONTO, April 3, 2013 /CNW/ - Canadian students 16-22 years-old are invited to discover their inner money personality starting today. The award-winning Brandes Scholarship Program kicks off a second year of offering ten $1,000 cash scholarships to youth who demonstrate insights into financial literacy.  In 2012, the Brandes Scholarship Program received an overwhelming response, with more than 3,500 essay submissions across the country - with winners from Nova Scotia, Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia. (Visit www.brandesscholarship.ca to meet the 10 winners and read the winning essays from 2012.)

The annual scholarship opportunity is accessible through www.brandesscholarship.ca and is designed to impart lifelong lessons in financial literacy that will help young Canadians as they move into their earning (and saving) years.  The Brandes Scholarship Program guides students through a quiz to discover three aspects of their money personality:

• Are they spenders or savers?
• Are they risk-takers or risk-avoiders?
• How interested are they in financial things?

Students will take away insights from the quiz and profiles that will arm them with important information designed to deliver greater understanding of and success in the world of investing.

In its inaugural year, the Brandes Scholarship Program won the 2012 IFIC Investor Education Award at the Morningstar Investment Awards.  This award is given to an investment fund manager, dealer or integrated firm that has produced an exceptional financial educational initiative designed for investors, either directly or through their advisors.

"It is important that I learn the basics now, so I know how to manage my own finances when I get out of the house. The most important thing to remember about investments is that risk and reward must be balanced."

--2012 Award Winner Zach, 17 years old from British Columbia

Brandes Investment Partners & Co. President, Carol Lynde says, "Canada's youth need to be money-smart to prepare for their futures, and help carry tomorrow's economy.  This means they must be financially literate.  The Brandes Scholarship Program provides tools and incentives for teens and young adults not only to learn more about finances and investments, but to implement sound financial strategies."

Highlights of Brandes Scholarship Program 2013:

• Call for submissions (in English and French): March 31, 2013
• Close of submissions: July 2, 2013
• Open to all Canadian students 16-22  years of age
• Students are asked to discover their money personality by completing a short quiz and;
• Write a 400- to 600-word essay explaining what they learned about their inner financial self
• Ten winning essays will be selected, and each winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship towards tuition
• Winners will be announced by August 15, 2013 after judging by a panel of qualified financial professionals

"I learned that gambling with money is not always smart even though it is tempting. However, even though being a risk avoider can be beneficial, sometimes it is more beneficial to take some risk depending on the reward." 

--2012 Award Winner Olivia, 20 years old from Ontario

All entrants are required to complete a custom money personality quiz (developed by MarketPsych LLC, a leading behavioural economics consultancy) to determine their fundamental attitudes and behaviours towards money and investing.  Once they complete the quiz, entrants are asked to write an essay based on what insights they gained from the quiz.  Both the tailor-made quiz and essay are intended to help Canadian youth become more financially aware and more effective in managing their money affairs by assessing their tendency to save, risk tolerance and how interested they are in financial matters.

About Brandes Scholarship Program:
This program is Brandes Investment Partners & Co. initiative to advance financial literacy and responsibility among Canadian youth. The Brandes Scholarship Program and the money personality quiz were specifically developed to address recommendations from the federal Task Force on Financial Literacy. In February 2010, the Canadian government launched this task force to investigate the financial literacy of Canadians of all ages. It released its recommendations on how to improve financial literacy for all Canadians in its February 2011 report, "Canadians and Their Money."

"Saving for retirement is an endeavour that we should all start the moment we enter the workforce. The most important story I have learned about in the current economy is that it is never too early to start saving for the future."

--2012 Award Winner Sharon, 19 years old from Alberta

About Brandes Investment Partners & Co. (Brandes Canada):
Brandes Investment Partners & Co. is the Toronto-based manager of the Brandes Funds and affiliate of Brandes Investment Partners, L.P., of San Diego, California (Brandes), which is a sub-advisor to certain Brandes Funds. Brandes is a leading global investment advisory firm, managing assets for institutional and private clients worldwide, including assets for Canadians in separate accounts, wrap, private client investors and through Brandes Canada's family of mutual funds.

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1} IFIC Investor Education Award at the 2012 Canadian Investment Awards

SOURCE: Brandes Investment Partners & Co.