Rarely is a mutual fund firm’s website synonymous with the word “entertainment,” so T. Rowe Price has clearly gone against the grain by teaming up with Walt Disney Resorts Online to create the Great Piggy Bank Adventure online game. The new game is a good way for parents to introduce children to basic money management principles, allowing users to select a goal that can be achieved through earning and saving “truffles” (the game’s monetary system) and making wise financial decisions throughout the game’s multiple levels. Goal items include a pet rabbit, an art canvas, a toy helicopter, a tree-fort and a basketball hoop.

While the premise of the game and its animation are good, the goal items are questionable. Why not offer more realistic, long-term goals such as a first car or an exotic vacation? Or, if choosing a short-term goal is a must, why not pick items that are relevant to pre-teen children today, such as a Playstation or an iPod? It’s also worth pointing out that none of Disney’s major stars seem to make an appearance in the game, which may be a missed opportunity to broaden its appeal and leverage Disney’s existing brand power.

While the game’s goal items could be improved, this hardly renders the Great Piggy Bank Adventure a failure. On the contrary, it successfully communicates lessons about money management to children and adults alike in an entertaining way. Other financial services firms like ING Direct and Wells Fargo also offer these kinds of online games to children to encourage effective savings habits. We review all three in our soon-to-be published study, Consumer Financial Education Today: Best Practices. You can learn more about this comprehensive, cross-industry study by clicking here.