NGPF Podcast

In this episode of the NGPF Speaker Series, former teacher Kathy Cuevas shares her career journey into education and the real-life experiences that shaped her approach to teaching—especially serving students with disabilities and students from low-income communities. She offers practical, classroom-tested advice for educators who are new to teaching personal finance, including how to get creative when resources are limited and how to seek support beyond your own school building. Kathy also walks listeners through hard-earned lessons from her own financial life. She talks about the mistakes, setbacks, and turning points that ultimately helped her retire with confidence. The conversation dives into teacher-specific retirement topics like 403(b) plans, real estate, and why building multiple streams of income can create flexibility in retirement. They also break down advanced strategies in accessible language, including Roth conversions, required minimum distributions, and how to think about risk over the long term. Overall, it's a candid, motivating conversation that encourages teachers to start planning early, keep learning, and build a retirement roadmap they can actually feel good about.

This episode of the NGPF podcast features Walter Green, founder of the Say It Now movement, who shares how expressing specific, heartfelt gratitude to people who have impacted our lives can strengthen relationships and create lasting meaning. Walter describes his personal "gratitude journey," including traveling to thank 44 people in person, and explains how that experience inspired a global initiative now reaching tens of thousands of schools worldwide. Yanely and Walter discuss why students and educators often get stuck in short-term stressors, and how intentional reflection and gratitude can help shift mindset, build connection, and support well-being. The conversation offers simple, classroom-friendly ways to bring the practice to students, such as writing letters, recording short messages, or making gratitude more routine without needing a special holiday. They also connect gratitude to life readiness, emphasizing that relationship-building is a key skill that supports long-term success, including financial and professional opportunities. Prospective listeners will leave with practical ideas and inspiring stories that can help students, and teachers, feel more connected, valued, and motivated.

In this episode, Yanely sits down with Certified Financial Planner Gloria Garcia Cisneros to break down what it really means to work with a fiduciary and how teachers can protect themselves from high-fee, commission-driven products often pushed in the 403(b) space. Gloria explains the key differences between independent advisory firms and broker-dealers, why "free" advice can still come with hidden costs, and the questions educators should ask about fees, incentives, and what is actually inside their retirement accounts. They also unpack how insurance products like annuities and permanent life insurance are sometimes marketed as "investments," why that can be risky, and how to spot red flags like guaranteed returns and salesy, one-size-fits-all pitches. Gloria shares her journey from first-generation immigrant to CFP and highlights why holistic financial planning goes beyond investments to include taxes, insurance, benefits, and long-term goals. The conversation ends with mindset shifts, like remembering that wealth is often what you don't see, and encouragement for teachers to build confidence, ask better questions, and stay on a steady path toward financial security.

This episode features Yanely interviewing Lizbet (@LizbetTalksMoney) about how she teaches her two young daughters practical money skills at home through a simple, repeatable allowance system. Lizbet recently grew an audience of hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram by sharing her parental-money strategies in a relatable, highly practical way. Lizbet explains why she treats school like a "job" (rather than paying for chores), how her kids split weekly cash into spending, saving, and investing, and how she keeps it hands-on so children stay connected to what money means. For teachers, the conversation is especially useful for parent engagement and real-life classroom connections, highlighting age-appropriate language for money concepts, how to build habits over time (starting simple and adding complexity later), and why home-based routines can reinforce what students learn at school. Lizbet also shares how she maintained this system while paying off significant debt, and why adults don't need to be "money experts" to start teaching financial literacy to the next generation.

In this NGPF Speaker Series episode, Tim interviews Keon Haley of FICO to unpack how credit scores work and how to teach them effectively. Keon shares his personal journey from limited financial conversations at home to discovering financial education's impact while working at a college Small Business Development Center, a passion that now drives his work at FICO's consumer credit education initiatives. They explore the 5 components of a FICO Score: payment history, credit utilization, length of credit history, new credit, and credit mix. Keon dispels myths about checking credit, joint scores, and rate shopping. They also discuss how credit reports influence more than borrowing, affecting rentals, insurance, and jobs. The episode concludes with audience Q&A on topics like buy now, pay later reporting, aging mortgages, and medical debt, with Keon highlighting FICO's free Score A Better Future tools and classroom-ready resources.

In this episode, Yanely Espinal sits down with Philip Olson and Julia Lorenz-Olson, the creators and hosts of PBS's 2 Cents, to talk about what it takes to make personal finance education engaging, relevant, and truly useful for students. Philip and Julia share how their unconventional path—from theater backgrounds and early adulthood money lessons to launching their own financial planning firm—informs the way they approach financial storytelling on YouTube. They discuss how 2 Cents episodes are developed, from choosing timely "news and systems" topics versus practical "kitchen table" topics, to researching, scripting, and filming content designed to be accessible without oversimplifying. They close by reflecting on the changing landscape of public media funding, the role of AI in financial education and planning, and practical ways teachers can better capture student attention by giving them more voice in what they learn.

In this NGPF Podcast episode, Yanely interviews Jonathan Cohen about sports gambling in America. Jonathan unpacks how legalized sports betting exploded after the 2018 Supreme Court decision, and what that rapid expansion is doing to Americans' financial lives, mental health, and culture. He shares his research about why young men are disproportionately drawn in, how betting companies market to vulnerable audiences, and why gambling is uniquely recognized as a behavioral addiction. He also breaks down the jaw-dropping scale of legal sports wagering, explains where the money goes (and why states are so motivated to legalize it), and explores emerging threats like prediction markets and "gamified" investing apps that make betting even more accessible. The episode closes with practical, classroom-ready takeaways for educators, focused on harm reduction, teaching expected value, and adding "friction" to interrupt the cycle that keeps the house winning!

Tim Ranzetta interviews NerdWallet writer and personal finance expert Kate Ashford about entrepreneurship, financial education, and lessons from her career in journalism and freelancing. Kate shares early money memories, key insights she's gained from covering a wide range of personal finance topics, and practical advice for young entrepreneurs. From identifying a problem worth solving to funding a startup on a shoestring budget, the discussion explores business planning essentials. They discuss the evolving impact of AI, the importance of curiosity and communication skills, and why early jobs (even tough ones) can teach invaluable lessons. Kate offers guidance on mentorship, business structures, estate planning basics, and cultivating traits like perseverance, adaptability, and the "squeaky wheel" mindset. Packed with practical wisdom for educators and students alike, this conversation highlights what it really takes to build skills, start small, and stay flexible in a changing world.

In this episode, Yanely Espinal talks to Mellody Hobson, Co-CEO and President of Ariel Investments and New York Times bestselling author of Priceless Facts About Money. Melody shares the inspiration behind her new children's book, which she intentionally crafted as a "gateway" book that teaches adults through kids by making financial concepts fun, accessible, and rooted in real facts. She discusses her long-standing concern about America's financial literacy gap and explains how the pandemic finally gave her time to write the book. Drawing on examples like money slang, everyday decision-making, and historical origins of currency, Melody emphasizes that children are far more capable of learning complex financial ideas than adults often assume. She also highlights the importance of early exposure by describing the Ariel Community Academy model, where first graders receive real dollars to invest and learn financial concepts progressively through graduation. The conversation explores Melody's personal journey and how those experiences inform her mission to help the next generation build confidence and knowledge.

Tim Ranzetta talks to Lucretia Ryan, the founder of FinancialFreedomforwomen.org. She is a financial educator and writer focused on helping women make informed retirement and investment decisions without fees or commissions. Lucretia explains key Social Security concepts such as how benefits are earned based on contributions, the importance of choosing the optimal age to claim benefits, and dispels myths about Social Security running out. She covers the impact of laws like the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Social Security Fairness Act, especially for teachers in certain states. The podcast also clarifies spousal, divorced spouse, and survivor benefits, emphasizing maximizing payout by delaying claims until age 70 when possible. Throughout, Lucretia answers listener questions with clear examples to help listeners make educated decisions about Social Security.