The Be Money Wise Project
The Be Money Wise Project (bemoneywise.org) begins a series of six Zoom-based online financial education events over five weeks, beginning June 16, 2021, at 4:00 PM PST.
The series will be conducted by a group of NFEC Certified Financial Education Instructor located all over the country, and who are conducting a case study per the criteria set forth by NFEC specific to certification guidelines.
Live Financial Education Online Series
The Be Money Wise Project (bemoneywise.org) offers a program that provides learners with real-life money skills that enable them to immediately take action toward achievement of their dreams & goals. Attendees will gain insight into solutions designed to improve their financial well-being. Topics to include– Money & Emotions, Spending Plan (Budget), Savings, Credit, Debit, Insurance, Investment, and Career Planning. The sessions are best-suited to 22- to 35-year-olds but are open to all.
Further Details
To Take Part: Sign up by emailing help@bemoneywise.org. The Zoom link will be emailed to anyone registered prior to the event date. The events are free.
Time and Date: Six sessions at 4:00 PM PST every Wednesday, beginning June 16, 2021 and ending July 17, 2021.
Instructors
Beza Asrat
Beza Asrat is a passionate financial literacy advocate, coach, and NFEC certified financial education instructor. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, with a degree in management and a concentration in accounting. She is also a certified public accountant (CPA).
Her mission is to educate and empower others with simple personal finance tools and knowledge to help people achieve their financial goals. As a coach, she helps her clients to develop a positive mindset and a good habit to become financially fit.
Beza was inspired to move into the personal finance space because she needed a financial education. As an immigrant, she had no financial information when she first moved to the United States; however, after she taught herself personal finance concepts, she was able to pay off her student loan within three years and learned how to live by a budget and how to meet her financial goals. Now, with her finance background and personal experience, she wants to make a difference in others’ lives, by actively advocating financial literacy and educating as many people as possible.
She has been involved in various organizations such as Junior Achievement and David Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, and she has been coordinating financial literacy workshops in her community and church groups. She also voluntarily serves as a coach to equip and empower others.
Beza enjoys sharing wisdom on money matters on her social media platforms and in workshops and events she hosts.
Brandy Speer
On A Mission:
To help people help themselves achieve their dreams and goals through education and skills training on how to avoid living payday-to-payday. Assistance with life improving personal financial skills that enables anyone to redesign their personal relationship with and about money. Step-by-step guidance to improve their personal finances — A way to rethink their approach to money, so they can get ahead financially through increased net worth. A way to go from dreaming about the future to doing something about it. A ’Human Resource’ for families & businesses on a path to financial empowerment.
Her Story
Brandy before becoming an entrepreneur dedicated 18 years working her way successfully up the ‘corporate ladder before giving up her 9 to 5 in corporate management as a human resource and accounting professional. As a Certified Online Business Manager, she started All About Her Business, a small business support center assisting entrepreneurs & small business owners in how to start, protect and grow their businesses.
Brandy has a deep and abiding passion and cares about bringing the power of personal money skills to all who seek financial security. In 2012, personally motivated by the effects of a negative economy on her family, friends, and community, she expanded her business to include the All About Money Wise an independent social enterprise that provides personal money management skills to all ages. To further her aim in achieving this vision, she created BOSS – Business Online Support Solutions incorporating strong personal money management services to show entrepreneurs and small business employers how they can improve their bottom-line by helping their employees gain healthier personal money management skills. Because of her business knowledge and experience she provides a unique perspective that garners success for both employer and their employees.
Financial Literacy Advocate
Brandy is seen as the go-to motivational speaker, she hosted a global radio broadcast, and for 20 years she has motivated and inspired audiences with her engaging and fun personality to step outside their comfort zone, believe in themselves, take-action and follow their dreams. She is someone who knows what it’s like to work hard building a dream, she knows from personal experience about financial hardships — the fear, shame and stress that goes along with it. She understands very well the economic reality of ‘not enough’. She has fought those battles and understands what it takes to win.
Brandy says, “It is a fact, that choosing a career, spending wisely, saving money, borrowing money, making investments, like buying a house or automobile are all important actions that can make or break us financially. Being financially literate is critical to securing a strong financial future. Every day these decisions are being made without the proper comprehension about the language of money”. Brandy speaks and trains audiences from Junior High to Senior Citizens, she is an Ambassador and member of NFEC Speakers Association and Her Blog: YourMoneyWisdomNow.com hosts her Radio Broadcasts that are listened to throughout the United States and around the World.
Chris Flores
Chris Flores is an NFEC Certified Personal Finance Consultant. His passions for helping people and financial wellness were developed through roles in the non-profit and financial service sectors.
Becoming a CPFC enabled him to merge these passions into a fulfilling career of empowering clients to be confident and make solid decisions about their money.
He will be available for participants interested in continuing their financial wellness journeys upon completion of the Be Money Wise Financial Education course.
Donna Cirillo
As a Certified Financial Education Instructor, Donna Cirillo knows that the key to a secure and successful future is a solid Personal Financial Education that not only teaches financial knowledge, but also develops positive financial habits and good decision-making skills to last a lifetime. The motivation to teach Personal Finance comes from Donna’s personal and professional background and experiences.
Donna earned her B.S. in Finance and her M.B.A. in Marketing Management, both from St. John’s University in New York. Her professional background is in the financial services industry, having spent 14 years in Bank Officer positions at U.S. Trust and J.P. Morgan Chase. As a Second Vice President and Manager in Operations and Investor Services, she was responsible for training new Representatives on all of Investment and Financial Products and concepts necessary to successfully handle over one million inbound calls annually. During this time, Donna met many customers who were very successful in their chosen fields, but who were essentially illiterate in their financial life. Since critical financial skills are rarely taught in schools, Donna became determined to fill the need people have to learn basic concepts in order to make better financial decisions.
Through these experiences, Donna was inspired to earn her Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI) designation from the National Financial Educators Council (NFEC) and has earned over 100 Professional Development hours of credit from Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF) and the Council for Economic Education (CEE).
Donna has volunteered with Junior Achievement to provide Financial Literacy to elementary and middle school students in the New York City area. She feels there is no greater reward than to teach financial skills to the next generation to provide them with the key to their own secure and successful futures.
Terraine Patman
Terraine is a financial literacy advocate, a natural educator and passionate about empowering youths in under-represented communities with financial literacy skills aimed at closing the wealth gap by giving access at an early age. She continues her passion for educating, by helping individuals with becoming 1st time homebuyers, the importance of having a good credit score and the value of compound interest to start the journey for generational wealth.
Terraine is the creator of Cash Money Matters Academy, a social initiative, designed to provide financial literacy access to under-represented youths. Her, pilot program, Cash Money Matters Academy is designed to improve the financial capability for youths (13-18) to make sound financial decisions and develop a saver’s identity for life of financial well-being.
In addition to being a Certified Financial Education Instructor, Terraine is also a Certified Financial Health Counselor and a member of the National Association of Certified Credit Counselors. She takes a “down-to-earth” approach to teaching Financial Literacy to connect with those who need this information the most. When earning a six-figure salary, living paycheck to paycheck with no future financial goals and always stressing about money, “I knew something was not right”. After extensive research, “I realized I was financially illiterate”. “This is when I decided to help others avoid life-long money struggles”.