Celebrating National Financial Goal Day

 By guest blogger, Jeff Dade, Director, Family Stability Initiatives, United Way of Pierce County

"I did it again! I promised myself I wouldn’t use the card this time. How am I ever going to make headway on this credit balance or get the new tires I need? I’m horrible with money!"

 "My girls will never have it as bad as I did growing up. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure they have the best of the best. I’ll figure out how to come with the money for bills later."

"I can’t believe this bank. I’ve been a customer for years and they won’t forgive this little mistake. Sure, I’ve had a lot of NSF’s recently, but doesn’t loyalty mean anything anymore?"

 "No, I don’t want to see my credit. That stuff is confusing and it probably doesn’t matter anyway. I’m pretty sure mine is bad."

I’ve spent 25 years in finance with the last five, focused wholly on financial well-being and these comments are paraphrases that clients have consistently shared. Coaching thousands of people has given me a rare view into a “forbidden” world. Somehow it gets passed on that we must always show a strong front when it comes to money. Yet, virtually everyone has money problems. For some that may just mean making critical decisions, but others face dire situations daily; many of them with long-term repercussions. 

In honor of National Financial Goal Day I’d like to quickly share a few things with you: 

1) My personal message, 2) A definition for financial well-being and  3) Some strategies to move forward. Let’s begin!

1) Shame OFF you! You are resilient, whole, and able to make changes in your life. If you’re like me, you didn’t grow up with any financial education other than what not to do (and I still did it). Remember that money is emotional and money shame unsettles us, keeping us from making our best choices or seeking help. Finally, you are never weak for accepting financial guidance. In fact, it’s a point of pride for the affluent to regularly have multiple advisors their lives.

2) The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ‘s national survey and research coalesced to define American financial well-being. It says that we feel the most financially capable when we:

·         have control over day-to-day, month-to-month finances

·         have the capability to absorb a financial shock

·         are on track to meet financial goals, and

·         have the financial freedom to make choices that allow one to enjoy life

Makes sense, right? Most folks read that and nod their heads, but it’s not enough to just state the truth. What are we going to do about it? Here’s a very quick snapshot for clarity and self-assessment. Visualize your life and consider this path below:

Figure 1 CFPB

3) At United Way's Center for Strong Families we adopt an Earn, Keep, Grow attitude and offer free financial and employment coaching along with benefits screening at seven locations throughout Pierce County. Our staff is trained with robust national industry standards so that they can be your trusted partner. There’s no judgment, just good work that matters and a proven track record. Since 2016, our clients have continued to make the decision to commit themselves to their own financial well-being and self-sufficiency in areas like budgeting, credit upgrades, debt reduction, savings development, cash management, and more.

So, back to those four measures of financial well-being. Here are some ways to make them actionable right now:

• Use a budget form regularly together with automation (online bill pay, banking apps, etc.) to control and maintain your mental money picture. 
• Start as small as you need to, but open that savings account and ask HR to make a separate direct deposit into it every payday. You’re allowed to use your emergency fund as a buffer, but don’t negate its existence by transferring all the time. Set it and forget it…until you need it.
•  If you don’t state your goals, how will you ever know you made it? Think about what you REALLY want. At the end of our lives, most of us value people and experiences over stuff (yes even over cars). Does your money reflect your real values?
• Find accountability partners. Take some time to discuss this with people you trust, then write your goals down. You can even post them around the house for reinforcement. This will help you to live without regret and buyer’s remorse.

I hope this message helps you or someone you know. We’re dedicated to the financial self-sufficiency movement, but we know we can never be fully successful without your help. Share this with someone you know. Start conversations at home, work, church, and the gym. Shining the light on financial well-being and making it commonplace takes the power of money shame away. Let us know if we can help and best of luck as you personalize your financial goals today. Learn more about our Center for Strong Families.

Read United Wraps Up for the Summer

By guest blogger, Allison Loft, Volunteer Engagement Manager, United Way of Pierce County

Fall is here in all its glory, but don’t forget to savor the memorable moments of summer. Summer highlights at United Way of Pierce County included supporting the Hunger Free Pierce County Collaboration meal sites with books, activities and snack packs. For the past five years United Way has helped prevent ‘the summer slide’, when students can lose up to two months of learning over the summer. READ United: Summer is designed to keep children engaged and excited about reading and learning over the summer months. 

United Way  staff and volunteers visit free summer meal sites in high-need, low-access areas to read with kids and give away books for the children to keep and read at home anytime. The impact made over the 2019 summer at meal sites through Read United: Summer. With the help of six corporate partners, community volunteers and two interns, Read United: Summer 2019 engaged:

•  236 children participated at four sites
• 1,036 new books were distributed
• 90% of children reported that the program helped them focus on reading
• More than 1/3 of the children who participated, reported that they did not have new books at home before this program. 

We also provided supplemental snack packs for the children to take home with them. Thanks to the efforts of our corporate sponsors and volunteers we were able to assemble 3,050 snack packs which were distributed throughout the summer. They were a BIG hit, as 100 percent of the children reported the snack packs made a difference during their day. Thank you to our sponsors and volunteers for helping us lift 15,000 local families out of poverty. For more information on Read United: Summer and other volunteer opportunities, email volunteer@uwpc.org.

2019 Summer Highlight

This year, Brown & Brown participated in Read United: Summer by sending volunteers every week to Salishan, where over 30 children participated every day. One Tuesday, Leslie from Brown & Brown volunteered and was inspired by one young man’s love of reading. 'Sam', a 14 year old who participated in the summer activities, told Leslie about how much he enjoyed reading a certain book and was excited to have his own copy. He and Leslie visited about different books they enjoyed and Sam made a lasting impression on Leslie. 

The next day she reached out to United Way to see if she could give him a whole set of the books that he enjoyed,“…I have had a few opportunities in my life to see someone so happy and excited to own a book and it has made a big impression on me every time. Thank you so much for sharing your enthusiasm. It’s so wonderful to see the excitement and love of books in someone who obviously loves to read so much, ” said Leslie.

Sam was amazed when he received the gift from Leslie a few weeks later with a note, “I thank you for the books that you gave to me. I was surprised that someone took the thought and care to gift me with something so incredible. It was refreshing to know that there are good people out there in the world. The book set is awesome and the start for my own library. My mom has a dream of getting a house of our own and creating a library in it.”

What a difference one person can make!  Visit uwpc.org to find out how you can join us for volunteer opportunities throughout the year.