#MyFinLitStory: Jenelle Davis

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 on trees. However, my perspective on money changed when I entered adulthood.

After making a few mistakes with managing my finances in college, I wanted to make sure others didn’t have to suffer like I did. I wanted money to be a topic of conversation with everyone, but especially with children. I began to fight for self-efficacy, for myself and for others, and started working in a credit union in late 2013. After working my way through the organization and developing my career, I accepted my newest role as a Financial Wellness Educator at SEFCU in Albany, New York in 2018. I now work as a part of a team in SEFCU’s Institute for Financial Well-Being and recently celebrated with the organization as they received a National Award from the Credit Union National Association (CUNA). SEFCU was recognized for their ongoing efforts to deliver free, dynamic financial education to young people with its Desjardins Award for Youth Financial Education in the more than $1 billion in assets category.

As an educator with the Institute, I travel every week educating children, youth, and adults in the community. We have traveled across the state to provide free Financial Education and look forward to, one day, crossing state lines. As a professional in the field, I feel that my passion for financial education contributes to my connection with the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education^® because it means I’ve joined a bigger vision to ensure that all people achieve financial wellness regardless of their backgrounds or income. I don’t want people to just live, I want people to thrive with their finances, and it means making the decision to positively impact everyone I connect with.

~ Jenelle Davis

#MyFinLitStory #FLM19