100 Black Men of America, Inc.
Mentoring the nation’s African-American youth to achieve financial security is the goal of The Chronicles of Black Wealth, a two-volume collaboration from 100 Black Men of America Inc. and the National Endowment for Financial Education.
The material in Volume I: Building Wealth for You and Your Family covered African-American beliefs about money, the power of income, character and credit, and homeownership. It also provided a framework for family discussions about earning, saving, spending, and investing. Volume II: Pathways to Entrepreneurship focused on entrepreneurial spirit, business funding and marketing, training, and other topics related to starting, growing, and owning a business. Both volumes contain profiles, personal experiences, and financial philosophies of African-American business leaders.
NEFE joined forces with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund to create The Money Manual: A Personal Financial Guide, a 64-page booklet designed to help Hispanic students get a handle on their personal finances during their college years and beyond.
The booklet began with a "Dear Student" letter encouraging young Hispanic students to consider how financial decisions will impact their future. The following chapters focused on how to prepare for college, explore financial aid options, manage money, and plan for life after college.
The closing section was "A Special Note to Parents," emphasizing the role of families in supporting their children emotionally during college and providing planning tips for college needs and expenses. Additionally, the booklet featured a list of contact information for important financial aid resources.
"I Have a Dream"® Foundation
"I Have a Dream"® Foundation created a workbook that brought comprehensive personal finance information to several thousand at-risk children, called "Dreamers," nationwide.
The Future Belongs to Dreamers: A Personal Finance Workbook (64 pages) covered a broad spectrum of personal finance topics and information, from setting financial goals and saving wisely to preparing for college and a career. It included worksheets and quizzes and provided practical tips on subjects, such as spending money, cutting expenses, and avoiding credit card debt. Dreamers were encouraged to invite family and friends to participate in all the booklet's activities and to learn from their life experiences.
The booklet was distributed to "I Have a Dream" Projects throughout the United States.
International Association of Jewish Vocational Services/Bank of America
To help immigrants and refugees from the former Soviet Union, Bosnia, and Iran build the groundwork for grasping basic American personal finance concepts, the International Association of Jewish Vocational Services (IAJVS) and NEFE published
Putting Your Money to Work: A Simple Guide to Financial Education. This 24-page booklet, printed in the Russian, Bosnian, and Farsi languages, offered general information about saving, spending, banking, paying taxes, building credit, buying a home, and planning for retirement.
For more information about Bank of America and “America/Banks,” its national initiative to promote financial literacy, visit http://www.bankofamerica.com.
Jewish Women International
During the past decade, thousands of Jews from the former Soviet Union have immigrated to the United States, often without an understanding of English, American financial institutions, and money management skills.
To assist Russian-speaking female immigrants in learning about the U.S. economy and developing personal financial skills, NEFE and Jewish Women International together produced a bilingual booklet, Creating Success: Russian-English Guide to Financial Security in the USA.
The booklet covered topics such as: setting financial goals; budgeting basics; using financial institutions; managing credit and debt; obtaining work permits and "green cards"; making oneself employable; understanding job benefits; assessing insurance needs; estate planning; and comprehending issues of domestic violence, divorce, child custody, and child support.
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
Latinos are the fastest-growing minority group in the United States. To help them navigate through cultural and linguistic obstacles so that they can establish a sound financial future, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), in cooperation with NEFE, put together Making the Most of Your Money: A Guide to Family Finances for Latinos Living in the United States.
This 78-page booklet, which was used in MALDEF’s Financial Literacy Project (FLP), was designed to educate Latinos about money management and financial planning. In addition to addressing cultural and language issues, the booklet was divided into 11 learning sessions that discuss setting goals, avoiding financial predators, banking, budgeting, using credit, saving, paying taxes, owning a home, and investing to fund retirement, a college education, or a major purchase.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Allstate Foundation
A partnership between the NAACP, NEFE, and the Allstate Foundation produced the NAACP Financial Empowerment Guide, a 72-page booklet, explaining personal investing, homeownership, and business development—the three primary means of developing financial assets. The booklet was divided into four parts and features tips and worksheets, as well an extensive resource list that include books, organizations, and Web sites.
Part 1 was titled Use Money Wisely Now and Build A Legacy for the Future and covered the basics of credit and debt. Part 2, Homeownership—The Gateway to Building Wealth, described the borrowing process and potential risks. In Part 3, Building Wealth—Investing in a Brighter Future, readers learned how to plan and begin investing and saving. Part 4, Owning Your Own Business, discussed entrepreneurship and cited several African-American role models.
Through collaboration with the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA), NEFE produced a guide titled Leaders of Tomorrow: Financial Literacy and You, which explained the role of money in life and society and stressed the importance of taking responsibility for both short- and long-term financial planning.
Worksheets enabled readers to list their needs and wants; describe short-, medium- and long-range goals; identify "spending leaks"; track income and expenses; plan how they will get into college; and determine the best sources of financial aid.
Copies of the booklet were distributed through NBMBAA chapter mentors and program leaders.
National Coalition of Asian Pacific American Community Development
Planning for Prosperity: A Financial Guide for Asian Americans is a collaborative project aimed at helping Asian immigrants navigate the plethora of U.S. financial institutions and services.
The Internet outreach program of the National Coalition of Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD) and NEFE was developed in three phases. Information about budgeting, tax filing, banking, credit, loans, housing, and more appears in PDF format in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Hindi, Urdu, Samoan, Cambodian, Thai, and Filipino. Audio files for the same material were offered in Hmong.
National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
In partnership with La Raza, a leading Latino advocacy and human services organization working to improve opportunity for the more than 22 million Americans of Hispanic descent, NEFE created One Step Closer to Your Dreams: Making Your Paychecks Work for You.
This personal finance and career development guide covered employee benefits, retirement planning, and other personal finance issues. NEFE created English and Spanish versions of this booklet to benefit those facing not only economic challenges, but also language barriers. One Step Closer to Your Dreams was distributed to the more than 215 La Raza affiliate offices around the country.
Native American Community Development Corporation
To encourage Native Americans, especially those living on reservations and tribal homelands, to make the best use of their finances, the Native American Community Development Corporation and NEFE created Strengthening Financial Wisdom in Native People and Communities.
The informational Web site, located at www.nacdc.org/financial/main.htm, provided personal financial literacy tips, discussions, and personal accounts about financial goals, budgeting, banking, purchasing and owning a home, and types of investments. Calculators, a glossary of financial terms, worksheets, and resources also were included.
Native Financial Education Coalition/First Nations OWEESTA Corp.
To foster financial awareness in Native communities, a clearinghouse of tools, information, and activities is available at www.nfec.info. This Web site was created by the Native Financial Education Coalition (NFEC) and First National Oweesta Corp. in partnership with the National Endowment for Financial Education. It brought financial education resources to Native schools, tribal leaders, social service providers, tribal colleges and universities, Indian housing authorities, and individuals and families. The Web site also provided curriculum information for individuals bringing financial education programs to Native audiences.
Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America
The National Endowment for Financial Education and Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America (OIC of America Inc.) teamed up to provide a resource to help poor, unemployed, underemployed, and youth populations make the most of their finances as they become productive members of the workforce.
Helping Others Help Themselves: A Practical Guide for Financial Independence was a 40-page guide containing tips about budgeting, understanding and managing credit, saving and investing, preparing to own a home, and pursing and paying for higher education and training. The booklet also listed additional resources.
United Negro College Fund
In an effort to provide basic money management information to students with limited financial resources, NEFE worked with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to create Becoming a Money Savvy Student: Thriving Financially During Your College Years.
The 70-page booklet explained that college is a major financial commitment, as well as an investment in a student's future. It emphasized basic areas of collegiate financial concern, from securing funds to planning for spending and saving, as well as avoiding common money scams.
The goal of the booklet was to help students develop skills that will serve them as individuals and help them contribute to their communities as working adults. UNCF distributed the booklets to all students at its member colleges and universities, as well as to prospective students in need of financial information.
NEFE developed Weaving Your Future With Money and Wisdom in partnership with United National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc. (UNITY), to reach Native American youth with an approach that appeals directly to their experiences and beliefs.
The booklet was based on input from young Native Americans who attended the mid-year UNITY Conference in February 2001. The guide emphasized that money is a tool which helps people attain a better lifestyle for themselves and their families and encouraged young people to explore their options and consider education and career possibilities. The booklet also stressed the importance of commitment to family and community.
Weaving Your Future with Money and Wisdom was distributed through local UNITY chapters and major Native American conferences.
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