Shay Olivarria Slated to Present Two Sessions at Adelante Mujer Latina Conference.

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Bigger Than Your Block

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Financial education speaker Shay Olivarria will be presenting two sessions of “Goal Boarding Your Financial Future” at Adelante Mujer Latina 2017. The 10am and 11am sessions will teach participants learn 5 vital personal finance concepts and help participants create an executable plan for reaching the financial goals she sets for herself.

The conference will take place at Pasadena City College in southern California.

Call (323) 596-1843 to talk with Shay Olivarria about setting up a financial education workshop for your group.

Shay Olivarria is the most dynamic financial education speaker working today. Previous clients include: the Yorba Linda Water District, Verizon, and Friends of Allensworth, among others. She has written three books on personal finance, including Amazon Best Seller “Money Matters: The Get It Done in 1 Minute Workbook”. Shay has been quoted on Bankrate.com, FoxBusiness.com, NBC Latino and The Credit Union Times.

Why Not Write a “Real”Book?

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Bigger Than Your Block

Einstein-simple-Quotes

I get asked this from time to time, “Shay, why not write a real book?” I think people appreciate the books I’ve written:Money Matters: The Get It Done in 1 Minute Workbook, 10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money, All My Mistakes, and now the 2nd edition of 10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money but they think the books are too small. When on thinks of a book, they think of “smart” people talking about subjects or creating characters that the average person couldn’t have put together. The more challenging the book, the better the book is.

Well, that’s not my cup of tea. There are so many really good in-depth books already covering advanced personal finance topics. What wasn’t there until I wrote 10 Things, was an easy-to-read and easy-to-understand book that explained the basics of personal finance for people that are just getting started. When I began learning about personal finance, I had to read with the book on one thigh and a dictionary on the other thigh! Lol I couldn’t understand HALF of the words and concepts that the books were throwing around. Young people and the uninitiated deserve to have a book too.

Shay Olivarria is the most dynamic financial education speaker working today. She speaks at high schools, colleges, and companies across the country. She has written three books on personal finance, including Amazon Best Seller “Money Matters: The Get It Done in 1 Minute Workbook”. Shay has been quoted on Bankrate.com, FoxBusiness.com, NBC Latino and The Credit Union Times, among others. To schedule Shay to speak at your event visit www.BiggerThanYourBlock.com.

Shay Visits Peru

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Bigger Than Your Block

Financial education speaker and author Shay Olivarria just returned from visiting her 10th country on her 4th continent: Peru. People always ask why her company is named Bigger Than Your Block and the answer is this trip.

The goal of Bigger Than Your Block is to show students, of all ages, that the world is massive and you can achieve any goal that you have as long as you work for it. Money has no intrinsic value. The only value money has is the value that we assign to it. Most people want more money, not to have more money but to do the things that we’d like to do. Money equals freedom. The place where some get confused is the idea that one needs more money instead of one needs to use the money that they have more efficiently.

Shay found a $300 round trip, including taxes, airfare on Avianca. The whole trip took 8 days, 7 cities and about $1,500. Not too shabby. She was able to spend a little time in:

Lima – Peru’s capital city.

Ollantaytambo – a beautiful, quiet town with lots of ruins.

Urubamba – a wonderful small town that’s close to the Moray ruins.

Pisac – know for it’s Sunday market and sun dial ruins.

Cusco – the major airport city to reach the Sacred Valley.

Puno – the city on the banks of Lake Titicaca.

Arequipa – the second (or third depending on what Trujillo is up to) major city in Peru.

It was a wonderful trip and Shay learned a lot about the different cultures that live there now and the cultures that lived there before the Inca. What countries have you been to? How did you learn that the world was Bigger Than Your Block?

10 Things on Kindle for $3.50! Order Now!

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Bigger Than Your Block

I know you’ve been thinking about ordering copies of 10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money for your children, grandchildren, cousins, neices and nephews but you wanted to read it first, right? You wanted to make sure that it was a good read with real information about personal finance. Well, here’s your chance! 10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money is now available on Kindle for only $3.50 per download!

Download yours on Amazon.com now.

Click the image to read more about Shay speaking at Cal State Long Beach.

Know the Fees that Eat Away at Your 401(k) on Mamiverse.com

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Bigger Than Your Block

My latest article on Mamiverse.com talks about the new rule that says that each person that has a 401k must get a statement that can actually be read! Lol Read to find out where the fees are going, the types of fees involved and why it matters. Find the complete article online at Mamiverse.com.

Employees that invest in their company’s 401(k) plan should be able to understand their statements. A new rule from the Labor Department will, for the first time, enable many investors to understand how much of their investment dollars are going up in fees. “I know it’s there and that there’s money involved for me, but other than that I really don’t know how to access how much I have etc.,” says Lupe Zuniga of Waco, Texas. Each person that has money in a 401(k) should have received a statement by August 30 detailing how much money they have invested in which funds and how much they pay for that privilege.

Read the whole article here.

Quick Facts for Latinas About 401(k)s on Mamiverse.com

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Bigger Than Your Block

My latest article on Mamiverse.com is below. Women of all ethnicities need to read this article. Too many of us are putting money into our 401ks and are not sure exactly what’s happening to the money we contribute or what to do with it once we leave jobs. Read the whole article on Mamiverse.com.

A new study from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that most Latinas will live an average of 83 years. That’s great news until you start thinking about how you’ll live once you stop working. According to the Ariel/Aon Hewitt Study 2012, Hispanics have considerably less—35% less—money invested than Asian-Americans and Whites. I’ve heard Latinas tell me that the number one reason they don’t actively invest for retirement is that they don’t understandhow to do it.

So, here are a few quick facts about the most common way to invest—with your company’s 401(k) plan.

WHAT THEY ARE
A 401(k) is a retirement planning option that, at most jobs, has taken the place of pensions. The role of a 401(k) is to invest your money (or “contribution”) in the stock market in hopes that you’ll have enough money to retire on when the time comes.

Read the other 3 here.

Student Loan Debt Infographic

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Bigger Than Your Block

In case everything we’ve been talking about isn’t clear …

It’s important to think about:

Order a copy from Amazon.com.

Choosing to attend college. (Look at the ROI)

Choosing which college to attend. (Look at the ROI)

Having a strategy for paying for that college.

Having a strategy for paying any loans taken out.

Shay Olivarria Quoted on FoxBusiness.com

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Bigger Than Your Block

Financial education speaker and author Shay Olivarria was quoted about credit unions on FoxBusiness.com.

As you know, Shay Olivarria and Bigger Than Your Block have always been huge advocates of credit unions. If you are thinking about moving from a traditional bank to a credit union, here’s an article to help you think through your options. Want the short version? Read Shay’s quote below:

Many credit unions have programs to coach you through saving, reducing debt, saving for short-term and intermediate goals, and investing for retirement, says Shay Olivarria, author of “10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money.”

“Not only will they help you get where you want to be, you’ll understand how you got there and why it’s important to stay there,” Olivarria says.

Event at Philadelphia Free Library

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Bigger Than Your Block

I’m thrilled to be presenting “Creating a Foundation for Wealth” at the Philadelphia Free Library. Creating a Foundation for Wealth Flyer.

Philadelphia Free Library

Central Branch

Thursday, April 5th

1pm – 2pm

1901 Vine Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Order your copy now

Order your copy of “10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money” now and bring your questions to the workshop.

Shay Olivarria is the most dynamic financial education speaker working today. She speaks at high schools, colleges, and companies across the country. She has written three books on personal finance, including Amazon Best Seller “Money Matters: The Get It Done in 1 Minute Workbook”. Shay has been quoted on Bankrate.com, FoxBusiness.com, and The Credit Union Times, among others. To schedule Shay to speak at your event visit www.BiggerThanYourBlock.com.

Passport Day 2012

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Bigger Than Your Block

Shay visited Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, and Osaka in 2011.

Why is there a photo of Shay standing in a train station in Tokyo? Saturday, March 10th is Passport Day! The company is named “Bigger Than Your Block” for a reason. We believe that travel is an integral part of education. We’re encouraging everyone to go get your passport tomorrow (even if you don’t know where you’d like to go or if you don’t have the money to pay for it) because taking that first step will start changing your mindset.

Officially, Passport Day is “On Saturday, March 10 only, apply for your U.S. passport at a Regional Passport Agency without an appointment. You will be able to apply for standard processing (4-6 weeks) or pay an additional $60 for expedited processing (2-3 weeks, door-to-door).”

Necessites un Passport de America?

Applying to a get a passport is SUPER easy. You just bring your birth certificate, two regulation sized photos (get ’em at AAA for about $10), a photo ID and pay your fee. Beware: the office is going to take your birth certificate (they will mail it back to you with your passport). The whole thing will last about 5 minutes and you’ll end up with the ability to travel the world!

U.S. Dept. of State website:

First-time applicants

Renewals

Minors (under 16)

Shay at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France in 2006.

Now, Americans can get a passport (for the WORLD!) and a card to travel to Canada and Mexico for about $25. When I was a kid, I started a file with all the the places I wanted to visit. It took me a while to get started (I was 27) but I’ve managed to visit 9 counties on 3 continents. I wish I would have known it was this easy a loooong time ago.

Read more about it at:
I’m Black & I Travel
Los Angeles Times

Happy travels!

Free Book

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Bigger Than Your Block

Get this book free.

For a limited time, “10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money is available for FREE in the Kindle Library.

Review from Until No More on Goodreads.com:

If you are the type that was never really scared of finances but kind of veer away from them because it just seemed boring and overly complicated. Then have no fear because the Financial Expert Author Shay Olivarria is here.

I purchased this book, read it and when I was done, I can honestly say that I felt very different about my finances in a good way. I know the book reads 10 Things College Students Needs to Know About Money but the truth is everyone can benefit from this book. So in a nut shell:

This book is funny, an eye opener, light but all in all everything you need to know. Now, usually I’m not one to say “go get this book” but seriously if you don’t have it go get it, especially if you care about you and your family’s financial future.

It had sure change my life!

Until…

Don’t have access to the Kindle Library? Buy it here.

What Will You Sacrifice to Get What You Want?

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Bigger Than Your Block

Today, I was reading an article about slowing down and I wanted to share it with you. Mostly, I wanted to get your feedback: what will you sacrifice to get what you want?

For some reason, people equate working hard with getting ahead. As I’ve mentioned before, that’s not how the world works. You have to work smart. You have to leverage your networks. You have to build a solid foundation for yourself and your family. The questions is …. what will you give up to create the life you want?

What’s more important, time with your loved ones or having a huge house that costs an arm and a leg in upkeep? I travel because I love having experiences. I’ve been to 9 countries (Japan, France, Netherlands, Spain, UK, Bahamas, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, and Canada) but I drive a crappy car. To me, it’s worth it. When you’re on your deathbed you probably won’t think about the reports you didn’t finish or 3% raise you got you’ll think of your experiences. I want to be able to say that my family was comfortable monetarily, but I also want to be able to say I spent time with them. I showed them that I loved them. I laughed and cried with them.

My goal is to work smarter and build the life that I want, I’m willing to forgo some of the things that people tell me I should have. What about you?

Shay Olivarria is the most dynamic financial education speaker working today. She has written three books on personal finance, contributes to multiple online media platforms, and is a foster care alumni. She’s been quoted on Bankrate.com, FoxBusiness.com, and The Credit Union Times, among others. Visit http://www.BiggerThanYourBlock.com to find out more about her work.

Join the conversation

Buy What You Really Want

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Bigger Than Your Block

Morgan Spurlock, pictured above, shows how far advertisers are willing to go in Pom Wonderful Presents ... The Greatest Movie Ever Sold!

What is marketing?
Commercials on the tv, print advertising in newspapers and banner ads on the internet are all various types of marketing/advertising. Companies that want you to buy something (spend money) or do something (“like” them on Facebook) use marketing and advertising to get you to #1 be aware of their opportunity #2 understand what action they’d like you to take and #3 take that action based on their prompting.

Hire Shay to come speak at your next event

Why does it work?
It works because we have all been indoctrinated to want things from the time we were born. Commercials are not only aimed at adults, they are aimed at children. How many times have you heard a young child tell you what material item they want and instruct you on where and how you can purchase it. The advertising has gotten so slick that more and more movies, music videos, and tv shows are using product placements to advertise to you when you don’t even realize you’re being advertised to.

Check out Pom Wonderful Presents ... The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

What do you not know about it?
Morgan Spurlock created a wonderful documentary about product placement named Pom Wonderful Presents … The Greatest Story Ever Sold. He shows viewers how product placements work by making a movie full of product placements. One of the best parts of the movie is when he goes to a neuro-marketer. The neuro-marketer shows him that the reason he likes Coke so much is that when his brain recognized the product, his brain squirts out a bit of a happy hormone. He tells Morgan that he is basically addicted to Coke.

Not only are advertisers ingenious enough to make us want their products, they don’t even want to know what they are doing because they know that the mystery of it all makes us want those products even more.

Mane and Tail ... .it's not just for people ... Lol

What you should do about it
#1 Become aware of the classic tactics that are used to get you want to things you don’t need and probably didn’t even know existed. I present a great workshop on this topic.
#2 Turn off the tv/radio. I know it’s not popular, but if you don’t put yourself in harm’s way you it’s harder to be effected.
#3 Check to see if your purchases are in line with your values. If you say that your family is really important to you then why do you spend all your money on depreciating items like clothes?

The key is to buy what you want, not what advertisers, your neighbors, or your family and friends tell you that you should want.

Resources
Great review of Pom Wonderful
Neuromarketing’s aims

Shay Olivarria and Cynthia Coleman at American Airlines Credit Union Financial Bootcamp event in Dallas, Tx.

Join the conversation

Are Women Waiting on Prince Charming?

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Bigger Than Your Block

Really?

I keep running into all these websites, blogs, etc. providing specific financial education for women. Many of the articles, posts, what-have-you seem to be focused on explaining to women why they need to plan financially. Are women still caught up in this I-don’t-have-to-be-proactive-about-my-money-because-my-husband/boyfriend/partner-will-do-it-for-me stuff?

As a woman that grew up in the booming 80’s and progressive 90’s it never occurred to me that I should be waiting for anyone to take care of me. All my heroes took care of themselves, both female and male. I grew up knowing that I would graduate from college, helm my destiny, grow my retirement fund, and create happiness for myself. Is this not true of all American women my age? Do we really need to be told that it’s important to be fiscally savvy?

I’m crazy, so maybe this is an area that I’ve overlooked. I put it you: women, what did you think your life would like like as an adult when you were a teen? How have you taken care of financial planning as an adult? Does your life look the way you thought it would?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below

Join the discussion

Invest in Yourself

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Bigger Than Your Block

Read Shay's new weekly personal finance column on Black Voice News.

Starting this week the most dynamic financial education speaker working today has a weekly column on personal finance at Black Voice News! You can read her pithy insights and personal views on all things money in the physical paper and online. Check out this excerpt from her first article “Invest in Yourself” and leave a comment on BlackVoiceNews.com:

Every day we make decisions about how we will spend our money. Most of the time we spend our money investing in things that will not increase the value of ourselves, our families, and our communities. In 2010 African-American buying power was valued at $836 Billion by the U.S. Census. How much of that money went into purchasing things that increases the net worth of African-American households?

There is an idea that you’ve had for a while now about generating more income. It could be starting a business. It could be furthering your education. It could be cutting unnecessary costs to create, or add to, your emergency account or retirement account.

What’s stopping you from investing in yourself? I bet you invest ….

Read the entire article here.

Bigger Than Your Block

Financial education for all.

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