Blog

My short personal financial story began in 1979 when my husband joined the Navy. We struggled with the same personal financial challenges that young Sailors and Marines still face today. They included living paycheck-to-paycheck, mismanaging checking accounts, not building savings and making poor choices with credit. I have worked with...

May 01, 2019

 My name is Janeil Pierre, I am an aspiring AFC and this is my personal finance story…I was born and raised on a tiny island in the Caribbean by the name of Trinidad. I was the first of 3 children and my mom was a single parent. Growing up it...

April 30, 2019

 I have been a social worker for almost 20 years and have worked with survivors of intimate partner violence. Over the years, survivors would share with me that one of the main reasons that they remain with or return to their abusers was because they could not financially care for...

April 29, 2019

 Independent. Bold. Resourceful. When you are 19 years old, these are the words you are expected to be described as before even having the experience and yet, these were the words that I lived by at such an early age.#MyFinLitStory was just beginning to unfold as I was leaving my...

April 26, 2019

 Financial literacy equates to social freedom and independence from consumerism that stunt our upward mobility. We are bombarded with these images of status and unrealistic comparison of what life could be like if we had things. In contrast we see in real life the consequences to over spending, lack of...

April 25, 2019

My name is Renee McElroy and I am a Financial Coach for MakingChange, a nonprofit organization that offers financial wellness programs in Maryland. My financial journey started from childhood, as I was raised by a single mother in the projects of Washington, D.C. Even though my mother never had a...

April 24, 2019

I am currently an Active Duty U.S. Coast Guard and I make twenty years of service this month! I have truly enjoyed my time in the USCG but my true passion is my side hustle! I have a great passion for finance and truly enjoy seeing people change their relationships...

April 23, 2019

I used hate money.Okay, so hate is a tad strong. Maybe not so much hate, but I definitely was afraid of it, and I was fascinated by it. From an early age I saw how it affected the people around me. Namely, the adults.My first memories about money were pretty...

April 22, 2019

In my childhood, my parents didn’t speak about money. I didn’t know how to save money. I didn’t know how to manage my finances. I thought a piggy bank was the cool thing to have sitting on top of your dresser in your bedroom. I grew up thinking money grows...

April 19, 2019

 I am an AFC® candidate. The road that lead me here began with a financial course I participated in years ago. It changed our lives dramatically. So much so that I found my passion and direction in life. I finished my Bachelor’s degree in Finance and am now studying for...

April 18, 2019

 I began my career as a “homemaking teacher” and taught students in a rural school how to use their talents to both make and use money to build their future. Two years later I became a Family Economics Specialist with Texas A&M Agrilife Extension and created puzzles, lesson guides, and...

April 17, 2019

 Growing up in a very old school home environment we did not talk about money.  We did not talk about salaries, bills, or savings.  Everything I teach was NOT discussed and if you brought it up you got in trouble.  Needless to say, when I finally went out into the...

April 15, 2019