Millionaire Mommy Next Door » Media

Want To Star On A New Reality Show? Free Financial Coaching? Respond ASAP!

Millionaire Mommy Next Door — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:25:20 +0000

MSN.COM is seeking financially stable individuals and families who need extra guidance with their financial investments to star in their new reality series. Those awarded a spot will be paired up with a financial expert who will teach you how to take your investment skills to the next level. Casting interviews are currently being held in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Denver, Miami and Dallas.

MSN.COM has requested an interview with me this Friday in Denver. If I am selected to participate in this series, I would love to be paired up with participants who live in the Denver area and would appreciate my time, focus and energy as their financial coach. Participants must be 18 years or older.

Here are a few examples of the stories they’d like to showcase (not all-inclusive):

Planning for Early Retirement
First-time Home Buyer / Seller
Newlyweds / Couple Getting Married
Parents Planning for Child’s Future
Divorced Singles
Laid-off Professionals
Cross Cultural Investors
Job Change / Pay Cut
Savvy Investor
Late Retirement Planning
Pre-retirement Couple (Persons in late 40’s)
Non-savvy Investor

If you are interested in participating, please send the following submission information — as soon as possible — to investorcasting@gmail.com:

NAME:
LOCATION:
CONTACT INFORMATION:
INCLUDE A RECENT PHOTO OF YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
(Note: While the casting company hasn’t specifically asked for it, I suggest including a paragraph that summarizes your financial story.)
Please tell them I sent you!

I hope to have the opportunity to work with YOU in this series! It’ll be educational and fun!

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Financial Illiteracy: An Epidemic With A Simple Cure

Millionaire Mommy Next Door — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:14:03 +0000

How do we learn about money? 80% of parents surveyed believe that schools provide classes for their children on money management and budgeting. (source)

Sorry to break the bad news, Mom and Dad — your kiddos probably aren’t learning personal finance in school. Our school system requires English, math and science, but not a practical life-skills class like financial literacy. Ridiculous, isn’t it? I am all in favor of a well-rounded education, but what good is it if students learn where Shakespeare was born, but not what a tax-deferred retirement plan is? Or that n² = x, but not that if you use Payday loans, you could pay an outrageous 1560% in annual interest!

Once we graduate from high school, the vast majority of us are responsible for earning an income, establishing and maintaining a respectable credit score, balancing our bank account, and saving for our future. We deal with money decisions almost daily — yet we are taught nothing about personal finance in school.

Braun Mincher (Braun Media, LLC) is currently producing a feature-length documentary film which exposes the financial illiteracy epidemic in order to bring awareness to this important topic. Braun’s goal is to show viewers why taking personal responsibility for their own financial wellbeing is so important. He wants to expose how little parents and the school system are doing to prepare the next generation for this growingly complex and relevant topic.

Braun conducted over 100 interviews with a wide variety of people: students, parents, educators, consumers, government officials, celebrities and personal finance experts. I was honored to be one of his interviewees. Here’s a short video teaser clip of my own money-life story and response to his million dollar question: “If financial literacy education is so important, then why are we not requiring schools to teach the subject, especially considering the current economic situation?”

(Email subscribers, click here to view the video posted on my blog.)

Incidentally, I think it’s supposed to look like I’m sitting at my desk but the office I was interviewed in is not mine — naturally, my office is wallpapered with family photos, colorful Treasure Maps (aka vision boards) and cute puppies!

I’ve served as a volunteer Junior Achievement instructor and taught eighth and ninth grade students basic economic, personal finance, and small business management concepts. The kids and their teacher loved the program. So did the parents — in fact, several of the student’s parents had their kids ask me pressing, personal finance questions for them. Yet the only administrators in my area interested in offering the course were those managing private schools. There is a pathetic 2.3% percent national market penetration at the high school level — and Junior Achievement classes are offered for free!

What about you: Did your parents pass along their financial literacy skills to you? Were you taught personal finance in school? Do you think schools should be required to teach money management skills? And finally, if the cure for financial illiteracy is so simple, then why aren’t we doing it?

Read my tips on how parents can teach kid’s about money management.

CNN Inspire Summit

Millionaire Mommy Next Door — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:11:19 +0000

CNN honored me with an invitation to participate as a featured guest panelist at their Inspire Summit: Women’s Empowerment Conference held at the Turner – Time Warner building in Manhattan last week. The program was moderated by Kyra Phillips, anchor of “CNN Newsroom”, and opened with special guest Whoopi Goldberg.

Eight women (including me) followed Whoopi’s down-to-earth, humorous and entertaining opening to share our stories and humanitarian projects that evening. Our panelist interviews concluded with the L’Oreal Paris Women Of Worth Awards.

Meeting all of these amazing women was such a thrill! Everyone’s dedication towards their special projects and causes was incredibly inspirational. The experience served as a reminder that when we follow our passion, anything is possible.

Here are abbreviated introductions of the women Kyra Phillips (CNN anchor) interviewed in front of a live audience:

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg, multiple award-winning actress, comedienne, producer and television host, is also well-known for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of children, the homeless, human rights, education, substance abuse and the battle against AIDS. Whoopi is a Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations.

Incidentally, wearing jeans, a baggy shirt and bright yellow rubber shoes, Whoopi shared why she dresses for comfort rather than high style. In a nutshell, feeling comfortable makes her happy, and when she’s happy, the people around her, in turn, feel more comfortable and happy. Makes perfect sense to me! What else makes Whoopi happy? Toto toilets. I guess you had to be there…

Molly and Carly Houlahan, Hives for Lives

Molly and Carly Houlahan, ages 16 and 14, launched Hives for Lives four years ago when their beloved grandfather died of cancer. These sisters wanted to honor his memory by raising money to find a cure. They raise bees, harvest the honey, then spin, filter and bottle it by hand. Their honey is now being distributed by nine Whole Foods regions and they’ve raised $150,000 towards a cure so far. Way to go, girls!

Patricia Hall, H2O for Life

Patricia Hall, after participating in a variety of volunteer service projects in Africa and witnessing the plight of women and girls caused by lack of water and sanitation, was compelled to bring water projects to schools in third world countries. Patricia is a teacher in Minnesota. H2O for Life was formed in 2007 after overwhelming student response to the first service learning project she initiated in her school. H2O for Life has now grown to over 80 school projects during the current 2008-2009 school year.

Majora Carter, The Majora Carter Group

Majora Carter, a South Bronx native, pursues resources and ideas to improve the quality of life in environmentally challenged communities. She founded Sustainable South Bronx and implemented the Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training program — a green-collar job training and placement system – seeding communities with a skilled workforce that has both a personal and economic stake in their urban environment.

Jessica Flannery, Kiva.org

Jessica Flannery is co-founder of Kiva.org, the world’s first peer-to-peer online microlending website. Kiva makes it possible for internet users to lend money to specific entrepreneurs in developing countries, empowering these individuals to lift themselves out of poverty. Since I pledge my blogging profits as loans to the women I find on Kiva’s website, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet one of the masterminds behind this brilliant online organization!

Jen Smith, Millionaire Mommy Next Door

Jen Smith learned to make, save and spend money in ways that she and her family find rewarding. Now financially-free, she’s on a mission to inspire and empower other families through financial education so they too can enjoy the life they want to live. She freely shares her recipe for success, happiness and wealth on her blog. As part of her commitment to our world-wide community, Jen pledges her blogging revenue as 0% microloans, through Kiva.org, to small businesses operated by working, impoverished women in developing countries.

Eve Ensler, Vagina Monologues

Eve Ensler, playwright, performer, feminist and activist, is best known for her play The Vagina Monologues. In 1998, Ensler launched V-Day, a global non profit that has raised over $60 million for women’s anti-violence groups.

Doris “Granny D” Haddock, Political Activist

“Granny D”, at the age of 90, walked across America to rally against the influence of big money in elections. At 94, she ran for U.S. Senate. Since then, she’s given speeches around the country to promote campaign finance reform; specifically, public funding of elections. May I live as long and as strong!

After the Summit event, my family and I stayed in New York City for three additional days to sight-see. I was in NYC during the same week last year when I appeared as a guest on The Montel Williams Show, but this was the first visit for my husband and daughter. Coming from a small western city, Manhattan is an eyeful –- especially for a three-year-old during the holiday season. We rode the (free) ferry past the Statue of Liberty, navigated the subways, ate dim sum in Chinatown, strolled around the historic Seaport Village and enjoyed views of the Brooklyn Bridge, weaved between the tall buildings and narrow streets around Wall St and the NY Stock Exchange, visited the Museum Of The City Of New York, checked email from the magnificent NY public library on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street (marble, stately columns, European-like painted ceilings, amazing two-story carved wood bookcases), gawked at the ostentatious Christmas display windows and mega-caret diamonds along 5th Ave, stomped on the Big Piano at FAO Schwartz toy store, watched kids get their American Girl dolls dolled up at the store’s “Doll Hair Salon”, dropped in on a Santa convention, rode the carousel at Bryant Park, and saw disturbing pictures of dead people at the International Center of Photography.

What a marvelous trip!

I’ve asked CNN for permission to post video and/or photos of the Inspire Summit on my blog (I’m waiting for an answer) and I plan to interview some of the other panelists here on my blog, so stay tuned!

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