We have teamed up with financial professionals to bring the “Money Talks” program to teens and young adults in SLO county.  The “Money Talks” program was started by the University of California Cooperative Extension. It was created to improve the economic well-being of youth in America.  The program is usually 5 class sessions, but this summer Mr. Ryan Caldwell from Wacker Wealth Partners will be teaching Personal Finance 101, a condensed two hour version of the material.

This fun, interactive class will focus on the most critical aspects of financial literacy for young adults: the emotion behind financial decisions, the mechanics of building and maintaining a good credit score, various forms of debt and how to stay out of trouble, basics of taxes, goal setting, saving, and investing.  

Teaching young adults about their money personality - the set of ideas that govern spending, giving, and investment decisions - is a pivotal step in securing a strong financial future.  Knowing their money personalities early on helps young adults understand what motivates their financial behavior, and allows them to make meaningful and lasting changes to create the financial future they want.

The teens and young adults will also learn about the importance of setting realistic and attainable money goals.  One helpful strategy they will learn is to pay themselves first, establishing the habit of setting aside money into savings before paying bills or buying groceries.

We will illustrate how starting a savings plan early has a profound impact on one's ability to save towards long-term goals because time and compounding do some of the work for you!  The class will also focus on the basics of using credit cards, bank accounts, investing, debt management, and credit reports.  Understanding these basic financial concepts from a young age will allow the young adults to make wise financial decisions now and in the future.

There will be two Personal Finance 101 classes this summer: July 27 and August 21, both from 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.  The workshops are free and lunch will be provided.  Registration is required.

For more information or to register, visit our website, or call Rachel Cementina at (805) 541-1234. These workshops will be an invaluable experience for young adults ages 16-22.

Our friends at the San Luis Obispo chapter of United Way have made volunteering easier, more rewarding, and even funner! Yesterday they introduced us to VolunteerSLO.org. 

This social network allows people seeking volunteer opportunities in the county, to be connected with the perfect organization to volunteer for. Not only are there companies seeking individuals, but groups of people will also find a way to contribute. This comes in handy for clubs or organizations such as fraternities or sororities, or even the local high-school club with a mind toward community service.

We had a couple staff go through the process of signing up, and we all had the same reaction, "that was so easy". In order to begin surfing through San Luis Obispo volunteer jobs, we simply completed 5 steps. After that, we had our own "wall" created for us (slighlty reminiscent of FaceBook circa 2005). The "wall" displays our updates, and hours worked (which can auto-populate, depending on the listing you respond to. 

After poking around for a bit, we noticed perhaps the feature with the widest appeal/need in our community. You are able to add more details on your profile, which will enable you to help out in a major crisis. The details they ask for, will be added to a database, which is accessed in an emergency. This is in order to quickly bring together residents with particualr skills that may be in need. There is more than just "are you a doctor or a mechanic?" type of question about your skills. Everyone from cooks, to executives, teachers and landscapers can find a way to be included in this vital list of designated volunteers.

If you want to know more, you can read the United Way's press release, or simply head on over to VolunteerSLO.org to get started helping out in our community right away! Volunteering is aNOTHER perfect way to embrace San Luis Obispo County's motto - "NOT FOR OURSELVES ALONE"