Now that it has some tangible evidence from a nearly year-old project that provided training to credit union employees on investment education, the Wisconsin Credit Union League is gearing up to reach the poor and underserved.

Launched in October 2009, the "REAL Progress and Pathways to Prosperity," or RP3 project, engaged participants in approximately 10 hours of online learning about investing concepts. including setting goals, distinguishing among investment vehicles, managing risk, diversifying a portfolio, maximizing tax advantages, understanding mutual funds and working with investment professionals. More than 30,000 hours of online investor education was completed by 3,520 employees at 80 Wisconsin CUs.

The next phase of RP3 targets what some consider the least likely investors: the financially underserved and low-wealth individuals. In July, up to 25 Wisconsin CU employees can apply to enroll in 50 additional hours of online investor training this fall. Graduates will earn a certified financial educator designation valued at $1,700, according to the league. Each of these grads will then train at least 200 financially underserved or low-wealth individuals so they can turn modest contributions to investment accounts into significant assets.