Financially CLEAN Salutes YouthBuild USA! Giving troubled youths a second chance by creating a strong foundation.
Financially CLEAN, a proud partner of YouthBuild USA in New York, would like to share this NBC Nightly News piece on the amazing work that they do around the country helping young people rebuild their lives and communities brick by brick.
Learn more about them here... NBC Nightly News YouthBuild Feature
YouthBuild Program Gives Troubled Youths a Second Chance
James Mackey was part of a gang in Columbus, Ohio. But after losing one brother to gang violence and another to jail, he turned things around. "We are very proud of YouthBuild Lake County for representing all YouthBuild programs, and of YouthBuild Columbus alumnus James Mackey for showing the spirit of our graduates and the ways they are giving back to communities everywhere." says Maria Marrero, Case Management Community Coordinator at YouthBuild USA's New York chapter.
CLEAN Featured in Expanding the World Report --The Future of Education
It is safe to say we know that to be competitive on a global scale one must continue to push the envelope, be nimble, evolve and innovate. Well, the same is true for our educational system that seems to be slower to embrace these concepts. Rita King, Futurist and LinkedIn Influencer delves into this subject in depth in her recent article, Expanding the World. In addition to new teaching methods, more integration of technology, she also recognizes certain practical life skills that would further enhance the learning experience of young people --financial literacy. Check out our feature in the Diverse Skills section which makes a very compelling statement about the importance of giving students the tools necessary to build generational wealth and reach their life goals in the classroom. To the future! Upward and onward!
Read full article Expanding the World here.
Beware of Business Scum, eh em Scams!
My partner has insisted I begin to write a weekly blog so today is my first official blog post...
Last week I was asked to attend a meeting and to my surprise it was a direct marketing sales meeting, which let's just be clear -- I am not a fan of. I was forced to watch an 18-minute pitch video which felt like 8 hours. By the end of watching this video I was still clueless as to what exactly they were selling or what service they truly provided. All I saw was a slew of images of people beaming with joy, money, big houses, and fancy cars to obviously lure me in with envy. Ok, to be honest with you, they offered credit monitoring, self- empowerment books, online coupons, and the opportunity to be part of this exclusive club. With the exception of the so-called exclusive membership and books, what they were offering as a value-added service, I received for free as benefits on my American Express card. The books can easily be purchased on Amazon for $10.
Following the video, I was asked for my thoughts(which they probably wish they hadn't, see below) and then they went on to explain how the fee structure worked if one was interested in joining their elite group: Silver package was $50 monthly, Gold $100 monthly, Platinum $150 monthly. However, if I brought in 3 of my friends to join, the monthly dues would be waived.
After hearing all of this I could no longer hold back my emotions and asked them to justify the $150 monthly dues to which they repeatedly replied, " If I recruit 3 of my friends, then I don't pay!" I said to myself, "How dare you ask me to invite my friends to watch a video that is less entertaining than watching paint dry!"
At that point, I flat out told the entire group, as politely as I could of course, that THIS IS A PYRAMID SCHEME --with a few caveats to disguise its true intentions.
All this to say everyone, when you are pitched to be a part of something, please ask yourself the following questions before putting your name and reputation on the line. Sadly, I know people personally that have found themselves involved in illegal activities without even knowing it was a scam. How would you feel being in jail for a crime you did not even know you were committing? Here are a few tips to help you avoid falling prey to such scams:
1. Ask yourself what is the service/product they are providing?
2. Does the service / product have true value?
3. Does this company have any real success stories? And, I don't mean someone telling you how rich you will be or how successful they claim to be. Probe a little and ask for concrete evidence of their success. To date, I have yet to meet anyone that is a millionaire from network / direct marketing type businesses or was able to quit their job.
4. What is the reputation of the person recruiting me, is it one of integrity, trustworthiness or completely the opposite?
5. Have I researched this company? Check out feedback online, Better Business Bureau, etc?
6. Do they try to pressure you to commit on the spot?
7. Do you fully understand the pay structure?
Hey, I feel, if you are a fan of direct marketing / networking and have the influence to convince a few of your friends to sign up why don't you start your own investment group with those same peers and invest in something more tangible like REAL ESTATE!!
Take care of yourself and your money,
Shaun
CLEAN gets a shout out from Forbes.com!
First and foremost WE would like to shout out Christopher Gray for using his entrepreneurial vision to streamline and modernize the way students research and apply for scholarships --a very complicated and daunting process for most. You may have heard his name recently when he pitched his Scholly App on the Shark Tank and landed a couple of investors, Lori Greiner and Daymond John, in record time! Mr. Gray raised over 1 million dollars in scholarship funding on his own to put himself through school but, he felt there had to be a better way, so along with 2 of his college buddies they designed Sholly, a Scholarship App, that has raised over 9 million dollars for their users to date.
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On this post: Life Post-Shark Tank At Scholarship App Startup Scholly
" We are a financial literacy youth program and this is exactly the kind of tool we want to give our students so they can minimize debt, protect their credit and take an overall proactive approach to building their financial futures. Kudos to Christopher Gray for helping to show young people the way! We will make sure that every student that attends our workshop knows about Scholly. "