NGPF Podcast

The NGPF podcast's first international guest, Kendall Flutey, is one hard-working entrepreneur—she set aside time on a Saturday (NZ Time) to talk to us! She saw a gap in financial literacy education in primary schools through her brother's eyes, and decided to change things for the better. Fueled by this desire to close this knowledge gap, the former accountant signed up for coding bootcamp, and 6 months later she was equipped to bring the vision of her startup to life. Banqer was born in 2015, and it’s been helping students learn how to manage their finances ever since. With 40% market share in New Zealand, Kendall has started to look beyond to Australia and other foreign markets to continue to grow her base of users. Listen to this podcast if you’re ready to be inspired by this go-getter from the Land of the Long White Cloud!

Alan has transferred his coaching abilities from the sport's fields to the classroom, and now he trains future business leaders and entrepreneurs at Century High School in Santa Ana, California. Thanks to a grant the school received, he was able to fund the Virtual Enterprise program which inspires students to compete in the real world with passion and a wealth of knowledge. Students not only experience first-hand all of the trials and tribulations of starting a company, but compete with other schools to see how they stack up. The icing on the cake is the creative way that Alan weaves personal finance into this entrepreneurship simulation. Enjoy!

From a trading desk on Wall Street to a classroom in an underserved community and then back again to an investment firm, Tony Isola has seen 403(b) plans from all sides, and he doesn't like what he sees. High fees, weak transparency, teachers not being well-served or as Tony likes to say "What isn't wrong with 403(b) plans?" He’s disrupting this broken system by creating an alternative at Ritholtz Wealth Management, which he refers to as “the Amazon of 403(b) plans," for a fraction of the cost. He empowers teachers and instills in them the confidence they need to face their financial planners and complacent school districts. His end goal is to fight for a solution to give teachers the return on investment on their retirement accounts that they deserve.

How do we get more women into promising careers in finance?  That’s the question that Devon Mercurius, Program Director for Invest in Girls, thinks about every waking hour. From relating stocks to pizza pies to taking field trips to the New York City Financial District (the first time most have ever set foot on Wall Street), Devon's program provides young girls with the tools and confidence to pursue a career in finance. For him, it’s all about the eureka moment in the classroom that lead to conversations at home. Whether his students remember his name or not, he hopes that he’ll be able to make a lasting impact through the power of knowledge.

Whoever said discussions about personal finance curriculum standards were reserved for adults? Enter into the spotlight two West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North students, Neha Narayan and Stanley Jian, who want to spark a debate about the effectiveness of personal finance courses in New Jersey. Students by day and advocates by night, these two have spearheaded a research initiative, Project Finance, so New Jersey’s education department can understand how personal finance courses are implemented in high schools throughout the state. Give this podcast a listen and be inspired by these two students whose research may change how personal finance is taught in the state! Hat tip to Barbara O'Neill for the introduction!

Hat tip to NGPF's Melissa Belardi for letting us know about her "amazing friend, Elizabeth!" Where does the tale of amazing Elizabeth begin? Its starts with a stint in the Peace Corps in Rwanda, While there, she ventured out into the rural community of Zaza and befriended, Christine, who approached her with the idea of creating a social enterprise for stigmatized women. The dynamic duo worked tirelessly through the highs and lows (entrepreneurs know of what I speak) to make Christine’s vision of helping the underserved community of Zaza a reality. With a grant from the U.S. AID in hand and a lot of sweat equity, the Duterimbere bakery was born. Years after the bakery was founded, Elizabeth returned to Rwanda with a film crew to chronicle the lives of the women that this bakery has impacted. Be ready to be amazed. Enjoy!

If you are an avid reader of personal finance news, chances are that you have come across Greg McBride's name on multiple occasions. As Senior VP at Bankrate.com, Greg has been quoted in thousands of articles over the years which makes sense given his ability to simplify complex financial concepts and providing both pithy and insightful advice. He is often explaining the results of Bankrate.com's research also. Their research on checking accounts, pay raises and credit card usage has appeared in the NGPF Blog and also as a source for many Questions of the Day. Listen carefully to Greg's message and you may find yourself saving more from your next paycheck. Enjoy!

In this NGPF Podcast, Candice Webb of Meredith College shares the details about her Strong Points program. Strong Points is a holistic program that provides Meredith's students with the skills they need to succeed at college and in the "real world." This advising and personal coaching program includes a significant helping of financial education. Listen to Candice describe the ways she guides students through their college journey. Enjoy!

To say Brett Shifrin is overscheduled is quite an understatement. Looking at his teacher profile at Gould Academy, one is left wondering how he gets it all done: Certified Financial Education (he built the course from scratch), Road Cycling Coach, Director of Ninth Grade Program, Advising Team Leader, Soccer Coach...and my favorite, Prep Snowboarding Coach (yes, Gould Academy is only minutes from the mountains) Brett is an accomplished math teacher (Maine Teacher of the Year in 2016) who was looking for ways to get students to apply these concepts to real life. He developed "The Mathematics of Finance" to accomplish that goal. Listen to the engaging approach he uses to get students interested in stocks. Think college basketball's March Madness brackets applied to individual stocks. As our podcast progressed, Brett's students arrived for class so you will also get the opportunity to hear from them too. Enjoy!

It had been almost two years since I last checked in to talk tech with Jackie Prester of Mansfield High School (listen to our first podcast here). Jackie is one of those passionate personal finance teachers always looking to hone her craft by staying abreast of tech tools to boost student engagement and enhance their learning experience. She attends the conferences, demos the products and if a tech tool makes her Top 5 Short List you know that it has passed her "classroom test" too. Oh, and lest I forget, she is also a social media guru and will share how she uses it to collaborate with other educators. Enjoy!