Ok, so I know all the preaching we do to you about savings your dollar bills, I know you wonder “well, can I even enjoy life??” And the answer to that difficult question is “of course!” Wait, Wait… before you bust out your debit card or bombard your parents for a ridiculous amount of money, take a breath and finish reading this full article missy! Ok, so yes life is about enjoying all your moments on this beautiful earth. The trick is finding the balance of having a ball in life without splurging every 2 seconds. Truthfully, if you are constantly in need to buy new things ALL the time, you may be in search for something much deeper that money can’t buy (that’s a whole different article though!). But back to the matter at hand how, what is and when you should create your wish list!

Hmm so you want to know what it is…Huh?- So what is a wish list?? A wish list is a list of all the items you want or all the things you want to do but just currently can’t chuck out the cash for it. You can either have a written list of everything you would want to do or visual pics of what you want. The key is to keep it in a place where you will see it pretty often. On your bulletin board, in your locker, on your ceiling …all awesome places for your list.

Why?? Why?? Why??-The next question that is sputtering from your lips is “Why do I need to create a list, am I getting graded for this??’ Well, since you asked I guess, I can spill the magic behind your wish list! A “wish list” is VERY useful because it helps you stay on your budget and allows you to focus on achieving one item at a time rather than trying to walk out with the entire mall. With any goal in life you focus,work hard, and bam! You achieve it! Well, it’s the same idea with savings! It will give you discipline. When you do get to cross out things off your list, you will appreciate so much more! It’s true, when you spend your own money, you’ll treat it like gold! Yes, GOLD!

But When??– Now…duh! Yes, at this very moment pick up a pen and a piece of paper and go at it! Create a list of 5 items you want or things you want to do and doodle away. Now the key is to save up from allowances and your part time gig to buy one of your wishes. Once YOU save for it (not your parents) you will get in a groove that you will have you saying “Hey, this is not sooo bad after all.” And will have you playing Ne- Yo’s “She Got Her Own” on repeat! Go for it!

-C.O.R.E Fam

Being smart about your funds is just as important as sporting the hottest fashion trends out right now. Hmmm… think about it. If you don’t know how to save then how are you going to buy those hot shoes for your bestie’s party next month? Your parents are going to start giving you that good ol’ side eye the next time you kindly reach your hand out for more money. So hey, before they even give you the “You need to start being responsible” speech beat them to the punch and watch your account grow! Ok, ok enough of the speech let’s see if you are a Budgetnista or not?

Closet Check!– Yes, I know the feeling of fresh clothes in your closet is somewhat addictive! You can feel yourself wanting to rip off the tags as soon as you pull it out the bag and find the perfect place to debut the new piece to your clothes collection. BUT ask yourself how often do you buy new clothes? And where are your fave stores? Do you give yourself a spending limit before going out? Oh how I know you love all these wardrobe is a mixture of higher, lower and thrift pieces!

A Foodie??– You’re telling yourself look, I’m not in 2nd grade anymore and packing lunches are the most annoying thing in the world. I know it seems like all 5 minutes of you preparing a meal the next day is life threatening but its not. How many times do you go to the drive thru after summer school? Or how many McGriddle wrappers are in the back of your car? Setting aside 10 extra minutes to eat breakfast at home or throwing a snack for after school will save up! You’ve probably spent 10 bucks in just vending machines already…Think about it.

Small Temptations– Well, you know that they say it’s not the big problems that drive you crazy but the small bumps in the road that will drive you up the wall. Well, it’s same for your budget. Is it easy for you to get sidetracked? Do you make a lot of thoughtless purchases? It’s not always the huge purchases that makes your account slowly dwindle, it’s more of your small daily temptations that add up! From the Redbox station to the Passion Fruit Ice Tea from star bucks to the new nail polish you snagged at the drugstore. If you really added up a week of your random buys, you just saved up for your prom shoes…Yes, it’s true.

Being smart about your funds is just as important as sporting the hottest fashion trends out right now. Hmmm… think about it. If you don’t know how to save then how are you going to buy those hot shoes for your bestie’s party next month? Your parents are going to start giving you that good ol’ side eye the next time you kindly reach your hand out for more money. So hey, before they even give you the “You need to start being responsible” speech beat them to the punch and watch your account grow! Ok, ok enough of the speech let’s see if you are a Budgetnista or not?

Closet Check!– Yes, I know the feeling of fresh clothes in your closet is somewhat addictive! You can feel yourself wanting to rip off the tags as soon as you pull it out the bag and find the perfect place to debut the new piece to your clothes collection. BUT ask yourself how often do you buy new clothes? And where are your fave stores? Do you give yourself a spending limit before going out? Oh how I know you love all these wardrobe is a mixture of higher, lower and thrift pieces!

A Foodie??– You’re telling yourself look, I’m not in 2nd grade anymore and packing lunches are the most annoying thing in the world. I know it seems like all 5 minutes of you preparing a meal the next day is life threatening but its not. How many times do you go to the drive thru after summer school? Or how many McGriddle wrappers are in the back of your car? Setting aside 10 extra minutes to eat breakfast at home or throwing a snack for after school will save up! You’ve probably spent 10 bucks in just vending machines already…Think about it.

Small Temptations– Well, you know that they say it’s not the big problems that drive you crazy but the small bumps in the road that will drive you up the wall. Well, it’s same for your budget. Is it easy for you to get sidetracked? Do you make a lot of thoughtless purchases? It’s not always the huge purchases that makes your account slowly dwindle, it’s more of your small daily temptations that add up! From the Redbox station to the Passion Fruit Ice Tea from star bucks to the new nail polish you snagged at the drugstore. If you really added up a week of your random buys, you just saved up for your prom shoes…Yes, it’s true.

So you have a sickness. You haven’t admit it to anyone and the doctor say no matter how much antibiotics you take or sleep you get, they can’t patch you up. Ok, here it goes, for some reason every time money touches your hand it runs through you like water! As soon as you reach out to receive it you already know that is going to vanish within the next 24 hours.  So you need to find a cure asap!! Because trying to save for the homecoming dress you spotted 2 weeks ago and still try to get the perfect shoes, your allowance and part time gig is just not cutting it like it used to. Here are a few key ways to stretch that dollar bill!

Food– Yes, every type of fast food joint is just “oh so conveniently” placed right around your school. So picking up a breakfast sandwich or banging out a Whopper is as easy as 1, 2, 3! But as quick as you are to pull out your wallet to pick up the “addictive but unhealthy” foods, have you been just as quick to add how much you spend in a week or even a month on food?? I know you love running away from the truth… but it will set you free! Ok, so you already know what I’m going to say. Instead of constantly swiping your card, carry snacks you can throw in your bag. Munch on healthy snacks throughout the day so not only you save money but then you’re not scarfing down the closest big mac in hands reach when you get a chance. So you can’t cut cold turkey?? Ok so make it a treat, maybe just treat your self on Fridays until you ween yourself off completely.

Clothing– Clothes are a slice piece of heaven for you. You love everything about fashion and style so you feel like that’s where should your money go, right?? Wrong! You can still scream “style icon” on a budget! You can give yourself mini shopping sprees and not come up broke. So thrifting is one of our faves ways to get unique clothing on a budget. But even if “thrifting” is not your thing all your fave boutiques and stores have great sales atleast a couple of times a year! So I know that getting tons of emails can some what be annoying but they may be you ticket to saving you a good amount of money a month. So the next time you shop make sure you receive their email blasts so you can hold out your shopping spree until it hits. So the best way you can save up a good portion and get more for your dollar!

Entertainment– Give yourself a weekend budget in order to not over spend. Sooo headed to the movies?? Have a pitch in meal before you go! The money you guys spend on individual snacks you could have a hefty feast between the 4 of you guys! So instead of spending 20 bucks you guys can have taco night for the whole night.Also as a new driver you’re just realizing why your mom would silently curse to herself each time she passes a gas station…because it is no where near cheap to drive! So instead of driving aimlessly around the city have a set map of your stops so you can cut down on gas money also

Well its better to learn it now then being old and unfabulous, right??

Long before it was used as an adjective to describe rap music or before Denzel’s depiction of Frank Lucas in the movie, America has had a running obsession with gangsters. Names like John Dillinger, Al Capone, Whitey Bulger and Demetrius Flenory will infamously be a part of American history. I believe American fascination with gangsters stems from three things; the adoration of rags to riches stories, our subconscious appeal to rebellion and American proclivity to violence, dating back as far as the philosophy of manifest destiny.

Today, the American gangster is no longer a machine gun toting bank robber or a drug kingpin. The most notorious criminals today hide under the auspices of politicians and financial professionals who deviously work to alter the fabric or our country for their own financial gain. Just as our criminals are smarter, it is time for our students to become smarter as well. Besides, if you are going to protect your rights in the land of opportunity, education is going to be paramount. The game is far more sophisticated than it used to be and is evidence as to why the number of scholarship offers is more important than the number of instagram followers.

The process of achieving happiness and success in this country requires intelligence, fearlessness, and heart; Characteristics that all notorious gangstas possess. Problem is, today, being a criminal doesn’t have the same payoff it once did. Think about it. What are the benefits to being a gangsta? Money or, better yet, fast money? Living on the edge? We live in the richest country in the world with more self-made millionaires than anywhere you can Google. If it’s fast money you desire, start a website that allows people to link up with friends, post status updates and like pictures. Then go public (the process of selling ownership stakes in a company to the public) and become a billionaire before age 25. Or better yet, start a blogging platform which you can later sell to Yahoo for $1.1 billion at age 27. To me, that’s fast money! For the thrill seeker, if you want to take risks, start a business. It’s a process filled with unexpected realities and the potential of lucrative rewards that don’t require looking over your shoulder or keeping an attorney on retainer.

I get the infatuation with gangstas. Their stories are interesting, the music is bumpin and the movies are classics. Although we live in the greatest country in the world, even it was established by treasonous murders. Rapper Plies put a verse in a song that says, “I don’t know if 25 years is worth 2 years of ballin.” It’s definitely not and anyone who argues the math struggles with algebra, doesn’t know the true value of ‘X’ and didn’t carry the 1. To paraphrase def poet Tommy Bottoms, “America was designed for the get rich, there are a million and one ways to get paid and most of them are legit.” In, 2013 smart is the new gangsta and gangsta, figuratively speaking, looks a lot more like Steve Erkel than Big Meech or Larry Hoover. I understand that we are not all gonna be like Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, so don’t stop hustlin, just change your hustle.

The message in this article is inspired by positive propaganda, tshirt design company, Dangerous Negro. Check out their many educational and inspiring designs at dangerousnegro.com.

-Courtney Hale

Being smart about your funds is just as important as sporting the hottest fashion trends out right now. Hmmm… think about it. If you don’t know how to save then how are you going to buy those hot shoes for your bestie’s party next month? Your parents are going to start giving you that good ol’ side eye the next time you kindly reach your hand out for more money. So hey, before they even give you the “You need to start being responsible” speech beat them to the punch and watch your account grow! Ok, ok enough of the speech let’s see if you are a Budgetnista or not?

Closet Check!– Yes, I know the feeling of fresh clothes in your closet is somewhat addictive! You can feel yourself wanting to rip off the tags as soon as you pull it out the bag and find the perfect place to debut the new piece to your clothes collection. BUT ask yourself how often do you buy new clothes? And where are your fave stores? Do you give yourself a spending limit before going out? Oh how I know you love all these questions I’m tossing your way! Just remember that giving yourself a limit of how often and what you spend can save you extra money ! And even if you are a fan of boutiques or stores like H&M . Make sure your wardrobe is a mixture of higher, lower and thrift pieces!

A Foodie??– You’re telling yourself look, I’m not in 2nd grade anymore and packing lunches are the most annoying thing in the world. I know it seems like all 5 minutes of you preparing a meal the next day is life threatening but its not. How many times do you go to the drive thru after summer school? Or how many McGriddle wrappers are in the back of your car? Setting aside 10 extra minutes to eat breakfast at home or throwing a snack for after school will save up! You’ve probably spent 10 bucks in just vending machines already…Think about it.

Small Temptations– Well, you know that they say it’s not the big problems that drive you crazy but the small bumps in the road that will drive you up the wall. Well, it’s same for your budget. Is it easy for you to get sidetracked? Do you make a lot of thoughtless purchases? It’s not always the huge purchases that makes your account slowly dwindle, it’s more of your small daily temptations that add up! From the Redbox station to the Passion Fruit Ice Tea from star bucks to the new nail polish you snagged at the drugstore. If you really added up a week of your random buys, you just saved up for your prom shoes…Yes, it’s true.

Just because summer is here doesn’t mean you have to break the bank to stay in style! Check out these summer trends you can snag without spending your entire first check from your summer gig!

Fringe is in! Snag this trendy fringe bikini for only $14.99 at Target

There’s nothing better than jazzing up your ears this Summer! Icing- $8.50

Give your nails a treat for only 8  bucks with the hottest color ‘Naughty Nautical’ from Essie!

Two weekends ago I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of young ladies about the importance of establishing healthy financial behaviors as young women. Here’s the rundown of my presentation:

• I advised the group to mimic the professional behaviors of women like Beyonce, Michelle Obama and Oprah who have all excelled in their respective careers while maintaining admirable public images.

• We discussed the consequences of debt and emphasized the importance of saving money.

• The most impactful advice I gave the girls was to “Ball on a Budget.”

As you all know by now, budgeting is a topic that I am super passionate about. Too often people stretch themselves thin to meet an irrelevant standard or impress people that do not matter.  It is extremely important to stay in your lane when managing your personal finances. I thought my “Ballin on a Budget” explanation was pretty thorough until I received a question at the end of my presentation. A young lady asked, “How do I ball on a budget with no job?”  It was a very good question considering all the girls participating in the workshop were younger than the legal working age. Plus, you must have income in order to budget and ball. My answer was simple, I told the girls to change their perception of what “working” means.

Most people think about working as being an employee. An employee is hired by a company to perform certain duties, during specified hours of the day and in return, the employee is paid a set amount of money at the end of their pay period. There is a less common approach to working referred to as entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is when person organizes and operates a business that they started. They become their own boss and assume all responsibilities related to running their company. Instead of being hired by a company, an entrepreneur does the hiring. They are the BAWSE!! Entrepreneurs make their own work schedules and they have the potential to earn more money than an “employee” who works for someone else.  Although the potential rewards of being an entrepreneur exceed those of being a traditional employee, there are some risks to consider when pursuing an entrepreneurial career. In the early stages of your business, income (if any) can fluctuate. Entrepreneurs encounter a lot of rejection and they work long hours. It is the individual’s responsibility to determine if the risks are worth the reward. If you are a high risk, high reward type of individual, keep in mind that entrepreneurs make up the biggest segment of millionaires in the U.S., whereas entertainers account for less than 1% of all millionaires.

So back to the question, how can you ball on a budget without a job? Make a job! Ok, ok. I can hear your grumbling questions over the internet, “Well how do I make a job?” Here are 8 tips to pursuing your first entrepreneurial venture:

1. Write down your talents.

2. Write down your strengths.

3. Write down your hobbies.

4. Write down the things that other people like about you.

5. Review your list.

6. Circle the things on the list that people are willing to pay for.

7. Put a box around the item that has the most potential.

8. Develop a strategy to launch your business around the item in #7.

Once you put #8 into action, you will have become an entrepreneur. And don’t think you are too young. There are thousands of youth across the world that have already started businesses who are younger than you. Here are a few:

This is Zoe Damacela, she is the CEO of Zoe Damacela Apparel. She started her first
business at 8 years old.

This is Thomas Suarez, a 14 year old app developer and founder of CarrotCorp, a
company that designs games for mobile devices.

This is Leanna Archer. She started her company, Leanna’s Inc at 9 years old.
Leanna’s Inc makes all natural hair care products.

There is an old saying,”If you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life.” I want our
readers to never work a day in their lives. Working for other people is so 1990. Develop your strengths
and talents early while you don’t have anything to loose. The older you get, the harder it gets to
become an entrepreneur. So get started now. You do not have to be a businesswoman, you can BE the
BUSINESS!!

…then you can really Ball on a Budget

-Courtney Hale

You often see me refer to The Knowledge Bank’s Four Core Values of sound money management which are Work, Budget, Save and Give. In most of my writings and workshops, the middle two values, “Budget” and “Save”, get most of the attention, but today I finally have an opportunity to focus on the core value “Work.” Did you know that many females struggle balancing their careers and personal life while battling issues like salary inequality and corporate discrimination? According to Bloomberg Businessweek, women make 82% of what men make. In addition, women often have many internal battles about whether or not they are capable of fulfilling their womanly duties while working a fulltime job. The relationship between women and their careers is more comparable to algebra than to arithmetic. There are many factors that females must consider as they prioritize the value of working in their lives. The struggle hit mainstream media outlets a couple weeks ago with the announcement by Yahoo CEO, Marissa Mayer that the company would ban telecommuting, which allows people to work from home as opposed to driving into the office.  Telecommuting is convenient for women because it allows them to balance their commitments at home with their commitments at work. Pair the controversial decision at Yahoo with the release of “Lean In”, the book by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, the first half of March has been an awakening of the feminist movement. So what’s the problem?

“Lean In” is Sandberg’s personal testimony about how she climbed the corporate ladder and how she overcame the personal insecurities of being a woman in the male-dominated tech industry. Mayer and Sandberg, being executives at two of the most recognizable companies in America, have the platform to address the issues of inequality and discrimination against women in corporate America, but many critics feel that the two have not used their positions to the benefit of the plight of women. Critics believe that Mayer set, not only women, but corporate culture back 10 years by banning telecommuting. Sandberg is criticized for almost suggesting that women’s perceived inferiority in the workplace is because of their lack of effort and focus. I bet you never thought working could be so complicated past the normal strains of the job itself. But don’t fret. I’m going to give you some advice that should alleviate some of the pressure that females face as they make tough personal and career decisions.

Much of the drama related to the issues above relate to the predetermined notions of what women should be and what women should do once they get in positions of power. It’s nothing but adult peer pressure. You deal with adult peer pressure the same ways you deal with peer pressure as a child. Know who you are, be true to yourself and make your own choices. Set goals and identify your likes and dislikes. Figure out how your career aspirations affect the goals you have set for your personal life. Some women are ok with working 40 hours a week and not having a husband or kids. Some women are ok with working 40 hours a week with a husband and kids, relying on outside help from family members or nannies to assist with the duties at home. Some women don’t want to work at all and allow their husbands to support the family financially. All three of these scenarios are acceptable on the condition that they align with your personal values. Don’t ever let anyone affect your ability to make your paper. If it’s legit and admirable, keep putting in “Work” because budgeting, saving and giving can’t happen on their own.

-C.Hale
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As we begin February, I have two things on my mind, tax season and catfish. Yeah, it’s weird to me too. For 29 years of my life, catfish meant bring light bread, mustard, hot sauce, pickles, spaghetti and your wallet because if you weren’t at a family function, you were probably at a fundraiser. So you can imagine my astonishment when I found out that there is a documentary and tv series about catfish that didn’t involve a deep fryer. For those who don’t know what I am talking about, a “Catfish” is a person who pretends to be someone else on social media with the intention of getting other people to fall in love with them. This activity is so prevalent in our society that two guys made a documentary about it and MTV created a spinoff television series. The “lifestyle” hit mainstream last week when it was reported that the assumed deceased girlfriend of Notre Dame star football player Manti Te’o never really existed. That’s heavy! People fall victim to Catfish schemes because they allow their vulnerabilities to affect their grasp on real life. So, to make sure you have a firm grip, I am going to dispel arguably the longest running Catfish scheme known to youth of lower and middle class families. Your parents’ income tax check isn’t really what you think it is!

When I was a child, I thought that income tax checks were like awards for being American. In reality, a tax refund isn’t a gift, a bonus or a guarantee. It is the result of an overpayment on a federal tax bill. Every time a person gets paid, the government deducts a certain amount from their paycheck in which it uses to help fund the operations of the federal government. At the beginning of each year, they are required to report their income and certain details about their personal lives to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The IRS uses this information to determine their tax liability for the previous year. If it is determined that the amount withdrawn from their paycheck was more than their tax liability, they are awarded a tax refund. It’s like giving a cashier $60 to pay for a pair of $50 heels. The cashier will give you $10 in change. The $10 is equivalent to your tax refund.

Typically, the more money you make, the less likely you are to get a tax refund and this is where things get deceptive. Although I haven’t done an official survey, I think most people would prefer an extra lump sum of money every year. I also think that most people would prefer an increase in salary every year. However, in regards to income tax refunds, it is rare to get both consistently. So which is better? It is best to have your money during the year as opposed to a refund later. From the perspective of common sense, I am more comfortable holding my own money as opposed to allowing someone else to hold it.

From the perspective of financial discernment, money earned during the year can immediately be used as an investment to earn more money. This is an example of the time value of money. If you wait a year, you forfeit the potential to earn interest on your money. So regardless of the perspective, it is best to have your money during the year. Unfortunately, too many people have an impoverished mentality and share my childhood perception of tax refunds, valuing that one time a year where they strike gold, green or both. These are the people looking for happiness in all the wrong places. Thank goodness I matured and stopped dating online.

C.Hale