5 No Cost Things You Can Do to be Financially Stable

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Bigger Than Your Block

black woman smiling

People that teach financial education often talk about lowering your expenses and increasing your income to increase your financial stability. Of course those things are good but today I want to focus on the five free things you can do to increase your financial stability.

For all of my personal finance tips, order my book “10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money“. If you already have a few challenges, order my Amazon Best Seller “Money Matters: The Get It Done in 1 Minute Workbook“.

blog credit union cartoon

#1 Open an Account at a Credit Union

One of the best financial decisions you can make is to open a checking account at a credit union. It costs nothing to open an account and the benefits are many: better customer service, often lower account fees, usually cheaper car loans, mortgages, and credit cards, and the opportunity to build a relationship with a financial institution with all these great benefits before you need to ask for a loan. Check here to find the credit union closest to you.

blog check credit reports

#2 Check Your Credit Reports

You may know that there are three credit reports and three credit scores for each of us but did you know that you can have free access to your reports? The credit bureaus have the right to control who has access to the scores that they’ve created the mathematical formulas to create, BUT the records … the information that make up the data those formulas use is your data and is free for you to access. Visit AnnualCreditReport.com to get a free copy of your reports once every 12 months.

blog spare change

#3 Collect Your Change

For years I’ve told people that an easy way to find money to build up your Emergency Fund or invest in a no-load mutual fund was to throw your spare change in a jar. I still believe it’s true. On average, you’ll have about $50 per month is quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. Instead of that spare change ending up under the couch cushions, in your car’s ashtray, and at the bottom of your purse throw it in an empty water jug or an actual piggy bank. Don’t believe me? Check out this blog.

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#4 Open a High Yield Savings Account

Since I’ve been badgering you to create an Emergency Savings Account, I thought I’d help you out by providing you with the latest lists of accounts with the highest interest rates (you’ll earn more money than at your local financial institution) across the US. Check out the highest yielding savings accounts here.

blog success is when preparation meets opportunity

#5 Choose You

This is the hardest free thing you might ever have to do: choose yourself over everything. Choose to save some money for an emergency instead of eating out. Choose to invest some money in a mutual fund instead of purchasing an extra excursion on a trip. Choose to think you’re going to create the exact life you’d like to have … and then do the prep work so when your opportunity comes, you’re ready.

FREE Webinar for College Freshman

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Bigger Than Your Block

Click photo to register

Have a high school grad that’s headed to college? Did you learn some financial lessons the hard way and prefer that your child not make the same mistakes? You’re in luck! This September financial education speaker and author Shay Olivarria is hosting a FREE (yes, that’s f-r-e-e) webinar to give college freshman a leg up.

Freshman Facts: 5 Things College Freshman Should Do to Build Wealth

Engage in this dynamic, fast-paced webinar with financial
education speaker and author Shay Olivarria. Participants will learn:

– Where to put financial aid money for best money management practices. – How to spend money, have fun, and be responsible.
– What accounts to open to build credit scores.
– Where to put your pennies to become wealthy.
– Pros and cons of available personal finance apps to leverage your current behaviors.

Shay Olivarria is the most dynamic financial education speaker working today. Previous clients include: SCE Credit Union, American Airlines Credit Union, the Yorba Linda Water District, Verizon, 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.The 2nd edition of “10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money ” is available now.

Why Not Write a “Real”Book?

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Bigger Than Your Block

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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.

Mad City Money – Boyle Heights

Posted on June 21, 2014 by Bigger Than Your Block

The Center for Financial Empowerment teamed up with local organizations in Boyle Heights to host Mad City Money reality fair Saturday, June 21st. As it happens, it was the weekend before the new SCE Credit Union branch re-opened in Boyle Heights! Whoo hoo!

Students listen to financial education speaker Shay Olivarria as they prepare to take part in the Mad City Money reality fair in Boyle Heights.

Students getting materials for Mad City Money reality fair in Boyle Heights.

Volunteers from SCE Credit Union.

Helping a Parent With Personal Finance

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Bigger Than Your Block

It’s inevitable that at some point your parents may need your help paying bills, managing real estate, monitoring insurance, creating a living trust or some other financial piece that you were not helping with before. In some cases a parent will ask for help. In other cases you may have to bring it up first.

Help or Coup?

If you notice that your loved one(s) are having trouble keeping up with their finances, don’t barge in and take over. Your parent(s) are adults with a host of experiences and education behind them. It’s understandable that they might see your involvement as an intrusion.

If you think that your parent(s) may require your help, talk with them about it. Do they think that they need help? If so, what kind of help would they like? The goal is to help your parent(s) in whatever way they might need, not to barge into their lives and make them feel like children.

Some helpful websites:

Medication Donut Hole – If you have Medicare Part D, you may be at risk of falling into the coverage gap, or “doughnut hole.” Follow this four-step tool and save money!

AARP Quicklink – Need financial help for a parent or grandparent, but not sure where to begin?

Social Security Estimator – Find out how much money your parent will be able get from Social Security with this easy calculator.

Medicare – Have questions about Medicare coverage?

National Foundation for Credit Counseling – Need help paying off a parent’s debt?

Federal Trade Commission – What to do when parent(s) are scammed.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – Report financial fraud. Get help!

AARP Tax Help – Tax preparation for low income seniors.

Tips for helping a parent with personal finances:

Make a list of everything that needs to be monitored (primary home, rental property, vehicles, checking and saving accounts, investment accounts, pensions, valuable personal property and any items in a safe deposit box.
Keep their assets separate from yours.
Keep clear records of everything that you’re doing.
Include all stakeholders in the information loop.
Consider hiring professionals to help. Ex: accountant, financial advisor, insurance agent, etc.

Remember, you’re there to help your parent(s) in whatever way that you can. Let them lead the conversation but pay attention to their behaviors.

Good luck!

WEBINAR: Pay Off Holiday Debt

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Bigger Than Your Block

In an effort to reach even more people, Bigger Than Your Block will be hosting a series of FREE financial education webinars. The first in the series is Pay Off Holiday Debt. In this informative webinar you’ll discover the two most important strategies to pay down debt, how the CARD Act helps you pay down debt faster than ever before and how to make your credit card work for you!

~~REGISTER HERE~~

The webinar is WEdnesday, January 19th 6pm PST/9pm EST.

Update:

In case you missed the live webinar, you can check out the replay at https://www.anymeeting.com/WebConference-beta/RecordingDefault.aspx?c_psrid=EF51DB878048

Seniors Get Financial Education at Western HS in Las Vegas

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Bigger Than Your Block

Financial education speaker and author Shay Olivarria with WHS teacher and SCE representative after a day of workshops at Western High School in Las Vegas, NV for SCE Credit Union.

How awesome is it to be able to do something that you love and get paid for it? Friday, May 10th Financial Education Speaker & Author Shay Olivarria was in Las Vegas speaking to more than 200 Seniors at Western High School about personal finance for SCE Credit Union Foundation.

High school students in Nevada are required to receive financial education and most take part in an online course, however there is no substitute for the interaction and feedbackloop of working with a live person.

Financial Education Speaker & Author Shay Olivarria talking about compound interest to Seniors at Western High School in Las Vegas, NV for SCE Credit Union.

During each hour long workshop students learned about the difference between credit unions and banks, the need to pay yourself first, what compound interest is and how it works, the parts of a credit score and credit cards, specifically the CARD Act and why paying the minimum payment on your credit card debt is problematic.

If you’d like to hire Shay to speak with your group, call (323) 596-1843.

Shay Olivarria Quoted in All The Money In The World by Laura Vanderkam

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Bigger Than Your Block

Financial Education Speaker & Author Shay Olivarria is quoted in this book!

Financial Education Speaker & Author Shay Olivarria has been quoted in a new personal finance book by Laura Vanderkam, All The Money In The World: What The Happiest People Know About Getting and Spending. Have you read it yet?

Check out the quote heard ’round the world …. ’round the bookshelves?

Use TV as a teachable moment. “TV has some of the best teachable moments ever,” says Shay Olivarria, a financial education speaker and author. If kids are watching shows they shouldn’t be watching (like MTV’s Cribs), then “at least get something good out of it,” she says. Why do the characters think that a flashy house or car indicates success? Talk about why a lower interest rate on a mortgage matters in terms of monthly payments, and if you’re working extra hours to afford a particular vacation or to get out of debt, make sure they see the connection.

Keep in mind that in a cashless age, kids may have a harder time grasping what money really is. “A lot of children don’t understand how ATM cards work,” says Olivarria. “They think it’s magic. They don’t understand that money has to go in the bank for you to pull money out of the bank.” They may think that when you want something, you just swipe a card and get it, without understanding that a bank balance is debited somewhere, or that you’ll have to pay a credit card bill later. So it may be worth using cash on occasion to help them understand what’s going on.

Also, feel free to let them fail. Olivarria enjoys taking her nephews, nieces and cousins to the amusement parks near her California home. She gives them a set amount of cash (say, $20) and says they have to use it for food and any other desires. Inevitably, the first time a child has cash in hand, he blows it on a plush toy in the first 5 minutes, and then has to suffer through a long day of watching his siblings eat hamburgers and ice cream and buy other souvenirs with their carefully stewarded $20 allowances. “That is an awesome lesson,” says Olivarria. “I’d rather let an 8-year-old go hungry at Disneyland because he blew his money on a plush Mickey than have a 30-year-old blow money on something and now his kids are homeless.”

Tough love, right? Do you agree? Disagree? Check out the book and share your thoughts.

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.

Baldwin Park Student Wins Scholarship He Didn’t Apply For

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Bigger Than Your Block

Raymond Tinajero just earned a $1,000 scholarship for being financially literate.

Raymond Tinajero just won a $1,000 scholarship that he didn’t apply for. When he scored in the top 10% in the nation on the National Financial Capabilities Challenge he was selected randomly by the Charles Schwab Foundation to get the $1,000 scholarship and a $1,000 grant for his school.

It all started with a financial education workshop from SCE Federal Credit Union in his Virtual Enterprise and Economics classes at his high school in Baldwin Park, CA facilitated by financial education speaker and author Shay Olivarria. According to SCE Federal Credit Union Foundation Manager Abby Ulm, “we facilitate between 40-50 financial education classes at BPHS each year”. SCE Federal Credit Union partners with schools in the community to help students become better acquainted with personal finance. “With an understanding of financial basics, such as budgeting, saving, investing and credit, these young people can avoid common money mistakes and experience financial success in their future”, says Ms. Ulm. Make no mistake about it, helping students helps us all. Ulm is quick to add, “More financially savvy young people will result in a brighter financial future for all of us”.

Baldwin Park Students Score in Top 20% on National Financial Capabilities Challenge

After participating in classes on budgeting, credit, investing, insurance, and other personal finance topics Raymond took the National Financial Capabilities Challenge at school. His teacher, Mr. Craig Peacock, made sure that all of the students in his Virtual Enterprise class took the online test during class. Ulm thinks that high school is a great time to teach financial education, “By high school, most students have begun to experience what it’s like to have and spend their own money. Yet they are still sheltered from the aggressive credit solicitations and advertising gimmicks that become financial pitfalls for college students and young adults. In a sense, high school students are “clean slates,” financially speaking. It is the perfect time for them to learn the right way to manage money, how to build and protect their credit, and how to develop smart money habits”.

According to the Charles Schwab Foundation’s website, “ Scholarships of $1,000 each to 20 students selected by lottery from among the top 10 percent highest-scoring students nationally. In addition, five $1,000 scholarships will go to students who score in the top 10 percent among all participating students who attend low-income public schools. The Charles Schwab Foundation also gives grants of $1,000 to the school or organization that contributed to the student’s financial education, in this case Baldwin Park High School.

Raymond will use his $1,000 scholarship to attend Mt. San Antonio College in the fall. He says, “I want to achieve a master’s degree in Kinesiology and I want to be able to give my athletic trainer skills back to the world of sports”.

When asked if he has any tips for next year’s graduating Seniors he says, “All I want to say is that always keep track on all assignments, make sure all deadlines are meet, aim for improvement, and never lose focus of the goal to graduate”.

Money Mistakes on Retail Me Not

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Bigger Than Your Block

The dumbest thing Shay ever did with money is a story told at RetailMeNot.com.

Financial Education Speaker & Author Shay Olivarria’s whole career has been built on sharing the mistakes she made with others in hope that those mistakes could be avoided by others. Now, she shares the biggest money mistake of her life with Emma Johnson at Retail Me Not.

Smart people make dumb mistakes all the time. That’s why they’re smart—they learn from their mistakes. Even smarter? Learning from other people’s mistakes! Instead of screwing up your own finances, check out these doozies committed by financial professionals.

Read the article here http://theinsider.retailmenot.com/money-lessons.html

100 Free Books

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Bigger Than Your Block

Get 100 copies of this book for free for your students.

Get your bonus today!

Sign the contract before June 30th to bring Shay Olivarria

to speak on your college campus & receive 100 copies of her book

10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money as a bonus!

Visit www.BiggerThanYourBlock.com to find out more about

financial education speaker Shay Olivarria. Watch videos.

Read testimonials. Book workshops.

Book with another college

and both colleges save.*

Shay’s been quoted on:

*Both colleges must have workshop scheduled within 7 days of each other.

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

Millennials and Financial Literacy

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Bigger Than Your Block

Just read this article in USA Today about young people that have graduated from college and are flying through life with little knowledge of personal finance. It doesn’t surprise me because this article just came out from Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) that ranks each state in two categories: knowledge of personal finance concepts and application of those concepts in everyday life.

$15 on Amazon

Buy a copy of 10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money for the student in your life.

The parental instinct to provide for your children can actually be detrimental to preparing them to be financially independent. Beacham says it’s an “unintended consequence” that leaves adult children unprepared to handle their own finances. “You feel like a good parent if you’re taking care of your child,” she says. “(But) the reason kids on college campuses don’t know anything about money is because they have no skin in the game because their parents are still paying. Their child is going to pay a much higher price for the lack of experience and knowledge they have on graduation day.”

So what can parents do to help students learn about personal finance? Take advantage of teachable moments, attend events that reinforce financial education principles, and provide resources to help students understand personal finance concepts.