With the introduction of our Spanish programs we brought on a Spanish-Language Curriculum Outreach Intern to help us launch these programs into classrooms this school year.

Margarita Gonzalez is currently working towards her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology & Criminal Justice with a minor in Environmental Studies. Margarita is expected to be graduating this Fall 2014 from Portland State University. Throughout her years at PSU, Margarita worked as an Orientation Leader, Resident Assistant, and as a receptionist providing customer services to current and prospective students at PSU. Through her experiences, Margarita’s found her passion towards helping people, the importance of understanding how to manage your personal finance in college, and her interest towards becoming a Geographic Information System analyst or related field.

Through her volunteer experiences, Margarita had the opportunity to work with Western Worker Association where she served as a translator, as well with the Portland Guadalajara Sister City Association where she worked as the Children Area Coordinator. As a Financial Beginnings Spanish Outreach Intern, Margarita will gain more knowledge and outreach skills to keep helping her community on understanding and be aware of their personal finances. Margarita also works at Advising & Career Services as a part-time employee.  In her spare time, Margarita enjoys playing soccer and dancing.

In addition, with some staff movement, a new Program Intern was hired! We introduce, Mackenzie.

Mackenzie is currently a student at PCC and PSU working towards her Bachelors degree in Biology. While volunteering with Americorp, she got to be a part of Self Enhancement Inc. (SEI), where she worked with tenth and eleventh graders at Jefferson High School during their summer program. While working with these students she taught the Financial Literacy course and became interested in educating and making sure our students of all ages are well informed about personal finance and provide them with the right tools for a successful future.

We are looking forward to a great 2014-2015 school year with two new bright interns on board!

Five years ago I drove cross-country from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon. After six days on the road I rounded a bend on Route 84 and there stood snow-capped Mount Hood sparkling in the sun – it took my breath away.  Of course the journey that brought me to Financial Beginnings was longer that that six day road trip.

After more than 20 years in senior banking positions in Maine and Massachusetts, I was ready to leave my banking career behind and try something new. Over a period of eight years I owned and operated three small businesses in very diverse industries, from a sole proprietorship to a $1.4M weekly publication with distribution in Maine and Southern New Hampshire.

From the challenges of growing small businesses, I decided to join the nonprofit sector and accepted the position as Executive Director at the YWCA of Central Maine. During the three years I guided that 135+-year-old institution we were able to expand our child care offerings, make major improvements to the building, and expanded our earned-revenue as a self-sufficiency strategy. The YWCA was located in one of the two poorest census tracts in the state and served a low-income and culturally diverse membership. Sustainable fund development had always been a challenge for this urban organization and earned-revenue helped to fill the gaps in fundraising.

But all good things come to an end and after three years at the YWCA I had to make the difficult decision to leave in order to care for an ailing family member. When my tour of duty ended I headed west to become part of the Platinum City of Bicycling at the Community Cycling Center.  I embraced the outdoor life, gave up my car, and became a dedicated bicycle commuter. My position as COO gave me the opportunity to guide the growth of earned revenue at the full-service bike shop, created analyses that provided strategic focus on self-sustaining program design, and mentored middle managers as they developed their own careers.

Joining Financial Beginnings as Director of Operations gives me the wonderful opportunity to reconnect with my financial background. I am delighted to work with staff, volunteers, contributors, and stakeholders to advance the mission of Financial Beginnings and bring my operations and entrepreneurial experience to this vital nonprofit organization. Please reach out and introduce yourself if the opportunity presents itself. I look forward to meeting many of you over the next weeks and months. And, of course, if any of you are interested in joining me for a bicycle adventure, just say the word. I would love to explore more of this wonderful corner of our country rolling along at 15 miles per hour.

Hello Financial Beginnings readers!

I am the current Volunteer Coordinator Intern and the newest addition to Financial Beginnings. I am currently a senior at Portland State University (Go Vikings!) and will be graduating at the end of this term with a business degree in marketing. Besides enjoying numbers, being creative is a really important part of my life, which led me to marketing.

Most of my work experience in my adult life has been in health care administration; working in senior care facilities, nurse staffing agencies, and currently working for a local physical therapy company. I have been extremely lucky with my work history, but the best decision I ever made was to go back to school and finish my degree.

When not in school and studying I am an avid outdoor person; I love skiing, hiking, biking, swimming, yoga, and running. I can also make some pretty great knit and crochet items and pretty much any other crafting project. I like to travel, read, cook, and spend time with my friends and family. I am also a local, born and raised in Portland, Oregon.

I feel really lucky to get to spend this next term with Financial Beginnings! I really enjoy learning new things and working with people. Thank you so much for letting me introduce myself, I am looking forward to the next few months, you never know what will happen.

-Gina Hilbert

I love shopping at discount stores, especially Dollar Tree.  I recently read an article that discussed the things you should and shouldn’t purchase from dollar stores and I wanted to share some of the pros an cons of these bargain stores.  First of all, I will admit that I cannot leave Dollar Tree without spending at least $10 every time!  Even if I am just going in for a few items, it seems like $10 is the amount I always spend.  I am definitely guilty of purchasing the items the article said not to like batteries, toothbrushes, grocery items, knives etc.   Maybe if I spent a few bucks more, I wouldn’t have had to throw away knives that the handle broke off the first time I used it.  Some of the items that I will only get from Dollar Tree are greeting cards and giftwrap.  These were items the article said were a great deal to purchase there.  Well, of course, why pay more than $3 for a greeting card when you can get 6 for that price!  I have had my share of success and failure with purchases from the Dollar Tree.  I think the next time I head to Dollar Tree I will only take enough money for the amount of items I need to get, well maybe I’ll take at least one or two dollars more.

-Sarah Janda

CALL FOR PRESENTERS FOR OREGON’S FIRST FINANCIAL LITERACY TEACHER CONFERENCE

Portland, Oregon, March 17, 2014  — Financial Beginnings is seeking proposals for presenters at its first Financial Literacy Teacher Conference in Oregon.  The conference will take place August 19th and 20th at Portland State University.

Financial Beginnings is bringing this conference to Oregon in response to the recent revision of the Oregon Social Science Content Standards.  The new standards incorporate personal finance earlier and in more depth in K-12 instruction.

Financial Beginnings is seeking qualified financial and education professionals to deliver presentations at the conference.  Financial Beginnings is accepting proposals for two separate speaking categories:

1. Presenters who will deliver curriculum developed by the Jump$tart Teacher Training Alliance. 

Jump$tart Teacher Training Alliance curriculum topics:

-Global Economics and Personal Finance

-Spending and Financial Planning

-Saving and Investing

-Enhancing Earning Capacity

-Risk Management and Insurance

-Managing Credit and Debt

-Financial Services and Identity Theft

2. Presenters who wish to deliver presentations at breakout sessions that are relevant to K-12 educators in helping them to either deliver financial education lessons in their classroom or further understand personal finance.

Breakout session presentations should be based on personal finance best practices/ideas and not attempting to sell attendees on a product.  Presentations must include learning objectives and provide attendees with tools they can implement in their everyday lives and/or in the classroom.

– more –

Presentation and Conference Objectives

Qualified presenters should:

-Have several years of industry experience in the presented topic

-Be an engaging speaker

-Expand on the provided curriculum with up to date information

Our objective is to help K-12 educators increase their own personal knowledge about personal finance topics and provide them with tools they can use in the classroom to educate their students.

Deadline for Submission

The deadline for submission is March 31, 2014.   To find more information and to submit your proposal, please go to: www.financialbeginnings.org

For more information on the Financial Literacy Teacher Conference: http://www.financialbeginnings.org/teacher-training/

###

About Financial Beginnings

Formed in 2005 and based in Portland, OR, Financial Beginnings is a nonprofit organization that provides free financial education programs throughout the Pacific Northwest. Financial Beginnings’ largest program educates youth and young adults in the basics of personal finance through visits to schools or community groups. Financial Beginnings’ courses incorporate all aspects of personal finance to provide individuals the foundation needed to make informed financial decisions. More information is available at www.financialbeginnings.org.

In addition to Financial Beginnings, the Financial Literacy Teacher Conference is sponsored by Portland State University School of Business, Bank of America, Allen Sakai & Co. and Point West Credit Union.  The  Conference utilizes the Jump$tart Teacher Training Alliance model developed by the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, the National Endowment for Financial Education, Junior Achievement USA and the Take Charge Institute at the University of Arizona with insight from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the U.S. Department of Treasury and the U.S. Department of Education, the conference will increase educators’ competency and level of comfort in personal financial management, as well as offer age-appropriate Oregon financial literacy standards-teaching strategies to use in the classroom.

– END –

Like many, one of my biggest goals is to be debt free, but with student loan payments, a credit card I used irresponsibly, and a car that needs to be paid off, that finish line seems very far away. I am a very goal oriented person, and checking items off on my list is what keeps me motivated, so I decided that for me, starting with my smallest debt balance and working my way up would be best the plan. Yesterday, I marched myself down to Chase and made a huge dent in paying off my credit card, but it felt even better this morning when I checked the account and saw how drastically that number went down, and I was instantly motivated to keep going on bringing that balance to $0.

Quite the coincidence, I found an article published on Business Insider that spoke to my exact plan and emotions that come with paying off large debts. The authors suggestion is to write a list from top to bottom of your debts, starting with the smallest balance and work on paying that one off, while making the minimum payments on your others. Once you are done paying off that debt, you can you use that extra money on the next debt, and continue this process until your debts are paid off.

If the feelings of excitement and accomplishment continue to happen, this is definitely a strategy I will definitely stick to.

Curious to read this article? Click here.

-Basha Gitnes

COUNTRY Financial awards nearly $300,000 in grants
for financial literacy programs

Most recent grants bring program’s total to $775,000                                                                                        

Feb. 18, 2014, Bloomington, IL— COUNTRY Financial^® has awarded nearly $300,000 in grants through its Count on COUNTRY Financial community grant program. Funds were awarded to fifteen organizations across Chicago, Atlanta, Portland and Minneapolis.

The grant program awards organizations that provide educational opportunities and resources to help single parents and their children achieve financial security. Since 2008, COUNTRY Financial has awarded nearly $775,000 to nonprofit organizations with programs that are improving the financial security of families. This was the first year the program expanded to include deserving nonprofits in Atlanta and Portland.

“We believe strong families lead to strong communities. By helping single-parent households achieve financial security, we’re contributing to the overall strength and success of the community in which they live,” said Tim Harris, COUNTRY Financial agency field executive. “Our goal at COUNTRY is to make sure that all families, along with the neighborhoods they reside in, have a financially-secure future.”

This year’s grant recipients include:

Portland: Financial Beginnings

Chicago: Fathers for the Future, Heartland Human Care Services, Instituto del Progreso Latino, Jane Addams Resource Corporation, North Lawndale Employment Network, Northwest Side Housing Center, Spanish Coalition for Housing

St. Paul/Minneapolis: The Boys and Girls Club of the Twin Cities, EMERGE Community Development, Jeremiah Program

Atlanta: 100 Black Men of Atlanta, HomeStretch Transitional Housing Program, Urban Asset Builders/The Community Foundation for Financial Literacy, Warrick Dunn Charities 

“We believe providing financial literacy programs and resources to single-parent households is a crucial part of building a strong community,” said Melody Bell, executive director of Financial Beginnings, a 2013 grant recipient. “The generous contribution from COUNTRY will help support our financial education programs, which includes hands-on workshops and the opportunity to be paired with a financial mentor.”

A recent COUNTRY Financial Security Index found nearly 82 percent of single parents have had to cut back on spending to make ends meet due to the overall state of the economy. This reinforces the need for a grant program, such as the Count on COUNTRY Financial grant program, that is geared specifically to supporting nonprofit organizations that help single parents and their children achieve financial security.

Following is an overview of the Portland program that will be supported by funding from the Count on COUNTRY grant program.

2013 Portland Grant Recipient

Financial Beginnings

This organization provides free, unbiased financial education to youth and adults in the Portland and surrounding communities. Financial Beginnings offers Financial Foundations program with hands-on workshops and the opportunity to be paired with a Financial Mentor, to provide additional personal finance assistance.

For a complete overview of the grant recipients, please visit www.countoncountryfinancial.com.

About COUNTRY Financial

COUNTRY Financial® (www.countryfinancial.com) serves about one million households and businesses throughout the United States. It offers a full range of financial products and services from auto, home and life insurance to retirement planning services, investment management and annuities.

Fortunately, all of my experiences in booking flights for travel have been for good reasons, vacations, visiting family, weddings, etc.  However, my most recent experience in booking a flight was to attend my grandfather’s funeral.  When I found out about my grandfather I was notified a few hours later that the funeral would be held two days later.  I had heard of bereavement fares before so I started checking with airlines I had previously flown.  I first went to United airlines website and they had the option to search directly on their website for bereavement fare.  Needless to say, even at the bereavement rate, the options still weren’t very affordable due to it being last minute.  I then checked with Delta and the only option to check bereavement fares is to call.  After waiting on hold for about 15 minutes I was able to speak with a customer service representative.  Their rates were a little bit cheaper, but still not ideal.  I then decided to do a quick Google search and found an article that suggested Hotwire.  Hotwire focuses on booking last minute travel (airfare, hotels, cars).  I decided to check it out and was pleased to find rates about $150 cheaper than the bereavement rates offered through the other airlines. Those low rates do come with a catch; you do not receive any flight details until you book the non-refundable airfare.  They do give you a time frame that your flight departs, but that’s really it.  I wavered, but I wasn’t in a position to be picky, I just knew that I wanted to get back to be with my family.  I went ahead and booked the flight and was fairly pleased by the convenience of the flight.  So, if you are ever in an unfortunate situation and need to get somewhere quick, but have some flexibility, I would suggest Hotwire.

Greetings! I am Adrienne Prevost, Financial Beginnings Volunteer Coordinator Intern. I am a student in the School of Business at Portland State University, and I am majoring in both Finance and Marketing.  Along with being an intern for Financial Beginnings, I am also a volunteer.

I began volunteering at Financial Beginnings in August 2013, shortly after Melody Bell taught my personal finance course at Portland State. I was originally a marketing major, but Melody made the subject of finance interesting and relatable. My feelings about finance completely changed during her course and I went from thinking it was the most boring subject on earth, to declaring myself a finance major.  I then joined the Financial Management Association at PSU, and became a member of Women in Insurance and Finance. I believe that financial education is a lifelong journey and we can always improve our situation.

Once my undergraduate degree is completed, I intend to continue my education and get a Master’s in Science in Financial Analysis. After that, I would like to become a certified financial planner and help clients achieve their retirement goals.

As a Finance major, volunteer, and intern at Financial Beginnings I frequently teach the subject of Banking and often the fact that I have no savings account comes up in class. I have been making excuses for myself to explain this and I would say to the students “Oh I used to have one, but now I’m in college full time and can’t maintain the minimum balance”. So I have decided that 2014 is a new year for me and I need to start following my own advice. I got the idea to start saving again while browsing the subject of “Finance” on Pinterest. I came across “The 52 Week Money Challenge” and all you have to do is save the dollar amount of the week you’re in for the year. For example in week 1 you would put away $1 and in the last week of the year you would put away $52. At the end of the year you should have saved $1,378.The first two weeks were so easy to save for, but then it started getting more difficult. I learned in Personal Finance (taught by Melody Bell) that the hardest thing about using your money wisely is actually doing it, and I am discovering how true that is. Since I still do not have a savings account, I have to withdraw the cash I save from my checking account and ended up getting behind. However, in week 5 of The 52 Week Money Challenge, I am actually ahead of the game. Instead of having the planned $15 saved for week 5, I am already up to $23. I look forward to saving even more and I intend to stay ahead of the savings plan from now on.

Adrienne Prevost