600 Desert Oasis High School Seniors' Debt Workshop

Desert Oasis Highschool, Check.Andson lesson built on Debt, Check. 600 High Schoolers, Check (gulp). 1 Day. (Wow!)

We had the opportunity April 23rd to teach 6 sessions to Desert Oasis Seniors on Debt, Credit, and Creative Funding of College education.

While this was a bit different for Andson, it was an awesome day! Not only were students informed on the concept of interest rates, predatory lending, and to "think outside the box" in regards to funding college, but we also had 5 individual students looking for mentoring relationships through our program.

This was one of those days that put a smile on our faces - not only can we make a positive impact on so many students in one day, we can engage with a handful of students to achieve short-term and long-term goals through budgeting and planning.

Here is the lesson we taught:

Thanks to Desert Oasis for having us. Word is, they want our whole course for seniors next year.

Growing Leaps & Bounds - Andson & The 2013 Governor's Black Tie Invitational

We continue to reach milestones on all fronts!

Andson has attended the Governor's Black Tie for the past 3 years. It has always been an amazing event - but this year was something special. This year, Andson was one of 8 beneficiaries selected by the Southern Highlands Charitable Foundation! We were absolutely thrilled about this opportunity.

The recognition as a leader on the forefront of educational activities in Southern Nevada means so much to us. We want to impact as many students as possible, and this fuels our programs in such a meaningful way.

It was an inspirational moment to have Train performing while one of our videos played about the work we do. It doesn't get much better than when the team gets to be on the big screen!

This year we added two new locations to our Homework Help & Tutoring Program, and the program itself went from 180 to 800 students. In addition to the 5-lesson course at Walter Bracken Elementary School, we have now expanded to include workshops at Chaparral High School, Desert Oasis High School and Nevada State College!

We have also been favored by the increased recognition and support of the community; not only in the number of friends and volunteers that genuinely believe in our mission, but in the vote of confidence that generous donors and local philanthropists are putting into our work.

The Governor's Black-Tie Invitational marked a very special milestone for us and it is a perfect example of what a community can accomplish. Over $14 million dollars has been distributed to organizations in our community as a result of this tremendous effort.

And, did we mention Train performed on Friday Night!

A special thank you to all those in attendance.  Thank you to all those in support of what we do!

Savvy Shopper's Corner! Some Tips For Smart Shopping!

Every day someone overspends when shopping at the grocery store. Often, items end up being tossed out or never used.

Here are a few helpful tips to cut back on excess spending when shopping at the supermarket.

1. Make a list! It only takes a few minutes to prepare but it will save you from wandering down the aisles and prevent you from shopping for unnecessary items.

2. Substitute supermarket brands for brand name products.  You can save on generic, non-perishable snacks, cleaning products, paper goods, and diapers. If you are used to brand name goods, try swapping one or two items to start. Even switching a few items on your shopping list will help you keep more money in your pocket.

3. Buy ingredients rather than prepared products. If you have time to make your own pasta salad at home, you can save money by preparing it yourself versus buying it pre-made at the store.

4. Convenience is costly! Buying fruits and vegetables and cutting them yourself is cheaper than buying pre-cut fruits and vegetables that cost double the price.

5. Learn to buy in-bulk! Buying larger boxes of cereals, crackers, and snacks will last longer. Stock up on items on sale that you use often and store in pantry with early expiration dates in front.

6. Using store and manufacturer coupons can also reduce your total costs at the checkout.

7. Buy a filter for your tap water! It will be more cost effective than buying bottled water.

Never too early to teach children financial resposibility

As we continue to focus our efforts on behavioral finance, we like sharing stories that are worth reading and can help us put into perspective the real challenge of financial literacy. The following article, written as a letter to parents, not only provides insight on how to teach children financial responsibility at various ages, but it also reiterates the importance of early education and parent engagement. Parents and culture will definitely influence the way children understand money and the habits they will develop and continue into adulthood.

Dear Parents,

The long-term key to improving America's overall financial literacy quotient is to get to the kids. What's important is to establish good financial behaviors early because those behaviors will carry over to adulthood. As a father of four, and grandfather of nine, I've seen it work firsthand. Start early, insist on consistency in behaviors, and set a good example. Monitor your saver's progress and celebrate the successes. With that mantra, here's how to get started:

When kids can walk, it's time to start saving. Establish the first behavior of saving by teaching your child to drop coins in a piggy bank or a jar. Explain the meaning of the word save.

Show the money. Periodically, show the child that consistent saving adds up by regularly tallying up your savings.

Take it to the bank. Make a ceremony of taking the child to the bank to deposit the jar of money. Teach them that the bank will give them money (interest) to "store their money."

If there is an allowance, it's time to budget by putting savings first. No matter what the size of the allowance is, break it down between what they can spend, and what they have to save. Note: this may be your first financial "negotiation" with your child - start with saving 50%, and settle for 25%.

The first large purchase. As your child ages, he or she will inevitably want to spend their entire savings - on one item. The answer is "no." Modify budget into more line items - discretionary spending, mandatory saving, and "saving for the large item." This is where the behavior of "buying within means" is established.

"But, I want it now..." This may be the time to develop a new financial concept - borrowing money. That's okay as long as the rules are set, and the "borrower" adheres to them. This is where the behavior of "borrowing within means" is established.

"Can I have a credit card?" Response: No, it's too early. We're sticking to the plan above. However, let me teach you about credit cards - after the "eye roll," stick to your game plan.

"My friends have credit and debit cards." Response: I'm happy for them. We're sticking to our financial plan, and here's why. In my own experience, my children were grateful for instilling financial responsibility at a young age. Start early, consistency, monitor progress, and celebrate success - I'm convinced that's the formula for increasing America's financial literacy quotient many times over. Get to the kids.

Proud Grandfather, Carl George, CPA

Note: This letter first appeared as an e-Wealth Coach article from America Saves. Carl George is the Senior Executive Partner at Clifton Gunderson LLP, a national CPA firm; past Chairman of the National CPA Financial Literacy Commission of the AICPA, www.360financialliteracy.org and www.feedthepig.org; and the proud grandfather of 9.

Education + Personal Finance are the foundation of Andson's April workshops

Andson is constantly committed to teaching students Personal Finance skills. It's April! That means it's Financial Literacy MONTH! We have identified a few key areas that we can really have an impact for students in just one short lesson. Education is an investment that students NEED to make - whether trade school or college, students with a secondary education will have more opportunities than those who only graduate high school. So how can we make sure students have a foundation to understand that debt can hurt a student fresh-out-of-school faster than any other force?  

In April, Andson's Financial Team will work with the following institutions to inform students about the pitfalls and positives of credit - as well as provide ongoing support to these student bodies.

• Desert Oasis High School - Seniors will go through an intense Debt and Financial Aid seminar on 4/23. We will be working with over 600 students!

• Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth ⁃ Nevada has a serious issue with teens that are homeless. However, given the right resources, they can go on to be successful. These students, more than any other, need to be made aware of the resources they can use to fuel their mission of independence and success.

• Nevada State College is an amazing school in the southeast of Henderson. NSC and Andson are partners in so many activities, so it seemed only natural to bring a seminar on pitfall and installment credit to their student body. We are so happy to provide this as a resource to students in Southern Nevada.

We are so proud to be a part of Southern Nevada - let's give our students the resources they need to succeed!

ELL Students: Turning Weakness Into Strength

One of the many challenges facing the Clark County School District is helping English Language Learners (ELL) - about 53,000 students who themselves and/or their parents do not speak English as a first language.  Clark County has the nation's third-highest population of ELL students as a percentage of total enrollment.

After the appointment of Ms. Lucy Keaton as first assistant superintendent of CCSD’s English Language Learner program just over a month ago, and as the issue came up again at the CCSD Parent and Community Forum, we must ask ourselves what would happen if we are able to turn this weakness into a real and competitive advantage – it could go beyond lower dropout rates!

Hoping that most of these students would want to preserve their parents' native language, they will not only have a higher chance to graduate from high school, but they would also be fluent in both languages. The advantage does not stop at being bilingual with no accent, apparently there are other cognitive benefits that would have positive effects on children's development.

"Researchers have shown that the bilingual brain can have better attention and task-switching capacities than the monolingual brain, thanks to its developed ability to inhibit one language while using another." Read More

"Speaking two languages rather than just one has obvious practical benefits in an increasingly globalized world. But in recent years, scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism are even more fundamental than being able to converse with a wider range of people. Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter." Read More

"Because of its growing number of non-English-speaking students, the School District has created a new administrative position to oversee all of the English Language Learner programs."  Read More

Behavioral Finance and Andson - worksheets alone don't work

A statistics professor in my MBA program made a statement on the first day of class, "I can train you how to be a $10 calculator, or I can train you how to think."  Obviously, gone are the days of living without smart phones, auto-correct and calculators.

So why are we still teaching personal finance as textbook terms and definitions?  Why are we spending time on the things that students will inevitably forget; more importantly the things that they can easily look up on their phones? (Please Note: We do worry about many students' capability to spell and do simple math, but that's why we created Andson Academics).

We need to teach them that knowledge equals power. When faced with questions about IRA accounts, APRs or the details of an annuity, do some research on Google, instead of believing the salesman.  We need to be able to instill that delayed gratification and PYF (pay yourself first) gives them spending choices and spending power.

Behavioral Finance is the term that is gaining ever-so-much momentum right now in this field.  That is, instead of teaching a student about textbook definitions, let's teach them how to think about finance.

• What should I be leery of?
• When does an interest rate raise a red-flag?
• What are the fees that will be involved?
• Where can I go for help outside of a payday loan?

All of these are examples of teaching young people how to think about their money.  Time Business & Money has a great article right now on the concept of changing behaviors instead of just teaching facts.  We couldn't agree more and in fact pride ourselves and our programs on providing more than just a workbook or worksheet.

Roth, who runs the infamous blog Get Rich Slowly admits that he himself learned all the "basic financial literacy," in his senior year of high school, but was no better because of it.

Roth goes on to say that personal finance is something internal for most people - though for many there is definitely a cycle of poverty they need to overcome.  What needs to be taught is that in order to make a change, it needs to happen within us.  Otherwise it's just like a fad diet - you always end up back at square one.

I myself cannot begin to count the amount of times that we see young people that just don't want to end up in the same debtor situations they've seen friends or family end up in.  Many times that's enough and it works.  More often than not though, one is the sum of their surroundings; so bringing a fresh way of thinking and perspective into the classroom is more important than ever.

Let's continue with a mission to change behavior in our students, and not just make them calculators and dictionaries when it comes to personal finance.

Sources:

Time Business & Money

http://business.time.com/2013/03/11/why-financial-literacy-fails/

JD Roth

http://business.time.com/author/jdroth/

Get Rich Slowly

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/

Bridger Middle School Starts After-School Tutoring Program!

Children’s Education is top priority at the Andson Organization. At the beginning of this semester of school, we had the privilege if being a part of Bridger Middle School and the after school tutoring program. When we started the involvement in the beginning of January, we met with Kalah Washington who took charge. In October 2012, the Las Vegas Sun wrote an article about the amazing job that Kalah does, and the impact she makes as an employee of Communities in Schools. When Kalah walks through the halls of Bridger, the students cannot help but to say, "Hi!". Everyone knows who she is and what she does. The Communities in Schools program is designed to help underprivileged children get the support they need whether it is in school or at home. Kalah offers schools supplies for any child that needs it, including backpacks. If a child needs a new shirt or pair of jeans, Kalah is able to supply it. If the child needs food, Kalah is able to supply canned food for the whole family. Not only does she provide the children with physical goods but she also provides them with emotional support. Kalah counsels the children from school issues to personal issues.

Every Monday through Thursday after school, you will find Kalah inside the school library helping tutor the students. She provides discipline and a nurturing environment for these students that volunteer to be in the after-school tutoring program.

All of us here at Andson have been excited to be a part of what Kalah and Communities in Schools is doing. We hope to keep up the good work and be able to support the community like they do!

Article Information: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/oct/13/nonprofit-group-picks-where-schools/ 

A very different group takes over the Strip - NV DECA.

On Monday, February 11, I went to judge the Nevada DECA Competition at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino.  Not knowing much about DECA, I had no idea that this day would mean as much to me as it did to the students. DECA is an organization that is co-curricular - meaning they are in the classrooms (like us).

DECA has core areas such as

• Civic Responsibility
• Leadership
• Entrepreneurship
• Understanding of Free Enterprise.

Did I mention these were High School students?  Some were only Sophomores!  The day was amazing.  These students had 10 minutes to prep their case, and come present it to one of the hundreds of judges that volunteered that day to facilitate the competition.

Students I judged competed in areas such as:

• Financial Repercussion of showrooms vs. trade shows, regarding startup remodeling company
• Financial Benefits of a stock buyback program for a security company
• Marketing and Research for the rebranding of a boutique hotel chain

These were mock situations, of course, but the energy and enthusiasm was overwhelming.  Many thanks to Nevada DECA for doing the amazing work of preparing young people for the adult/business world.  It inspires me to keep Andson innovative, and not to forget our mission:  empowering through education.  Remember, if education is about fun and opportunities, STUDENTS PARTICIPATE!

Image from Nevada Deca website

Nevada DECA

Having Fun While Learning About Money!

What can we do to make it fun for children to learn about money management? How about add music? That is exactly what the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and the Charles Schwab Foundation are doing, and children are jumping at the opportunity to learn and be apart of the experience. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Charles Schwab Foundation are making an impact on teens that are learning about finances in a fun way. The two organizations have worked together to start the Money Matters Music Mogel (M4) contest that incorporates the Money Matters: Make It Count programs with music, allowing teens to have fun while learning. The Money Matters program teaches teens about money managing skills at more than 2,900 Boys & Girls Clubs across the country. The contest has teens take what they have learned in the program and allows them to incorporate the knowledge into original lyrics that are accompanied by beats created by Grammy-nominated Kevin “Khao” Cates.

Once the songs are created, they are put to a vote and the winner receives $1,000 in scholarship funds and $1,000 to his or her BGCA club. Also, the winner will have the opportunity to create a music video to go with the song. Four finalists receive $500 each.

The previous winner was from our very own town of Las Vegas! Syretha Shirley of the Boys & Girls Club of Las Vegas won with her song, “Time is Money”. Congratulations Syretha! I wonder who the next winner will be?

Resources:

(http://www.bet.com/news/national/2012/12/13/charles-schwab-and-boys-girls-club-to-reach-youth-through-money-managing-contest.html)

youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8LgUv8VGag

Seeking Volunteers Who Are Willing To Be The Change!

Arun Ghandi commented about his grandfather's most famous saying "you must be the change you want to see in the world" - he said this when he was speaking after prayer service and he mentioned this because people kept saying to him that the world has to change for us to change. He said, "No, the world will not change if we don't change." So we have to make the beginning ourselves. It has always been human nature to blame someone else for everything that is happening. It's never us. We are never at fault. And he tried to make us realize that we are just as much at fault as anybody else. Unless we change ourselves, and help people around us change nobody will change because everybody will just be sitting around waiting for change to happen.

We at the Andson Organization are working hard to change the odds for children and young adults. We want to be the change and we would love to have you join us! Our Homework Help & Tutoring Program is providing mentoring and academic assistance to hundreds of students across the Valley.  Many of these children are waiting for just one caring adult or mentor to step in to help them beat the odds. Along with us, YOU have the chance to be that adult for a child in our community – we are looking for caring individuals who are willing to donate their time and talents as a volunteer! If you are ready to BE the change, please visit United Way of Southern Nevada's Volunteer Center and let us know you want to join us.

Together, we can change the odds so all children are prepared to succeed in school and in life.

Missing School Can Have A Huge Impact On Students

Your child has been sick for a few days and now he or she is feeling better, but you think that missing one more day will be no big deal. Think again! Missing school can make an impact on a child's education in the future. Of course, a child can always make up work but will that child really be getting the proper education that he or she will need for the future courses and material learned.

Of course parents are aware that missing school is not a good thing for students, but often times parents do not even notice how many days their child is really missing. And it is not their fault for not knowing.

According to new studies found in a recent article done by USA Today, 90% of students come to school. Though that percentage looks desirable,  where are the other 10% of students? Approximately 7.5 million students miss a month of school each year. These “chronically absent” students become at “high-risk” of dropping because of the challenges they face academically as a result of missing school for long periods of time.

Many parents often do not recognize the issue because they are not presented with an overall report of absences. Each parent receives a report card four times a year. The quarterly report shows the individual, quarterly absences, but there is no summary at the end of the year with all the absences on one report. Perhaps making parents aware of the effect of absences on academic performance might result in an increase in the success rate of graduating students.

Children are bound to get sick, and will have to miss school for sick or personal issues, but there must be a way to keep track of how many days a student will be missing. It is important for students to learn the lesson of the day in the classroom environment where he or she will be able to ask questions and get the help he or she needs when struggling with learning. We want our children to overcome challenges in the future.

Source:

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/story/2012-05-17/study-chronic-school-absenteeism/55030638/1#.UQa2s5lubEQ.email

More Funds For Clark County Schools!

Ask yourself, what can children benefit the most from in school? Now, do those benefits need funding? Well, Clark County students will be receiving more funding to help them increase the benefits of their time spent in school. According to the Las Vegas Sun, the Clark County School District received extra federal funding in 2012 after it received $72 million in the previous year. This funding was received through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of Title 1, which provides more federal funds to private and public schools that have a high number of low-income students. The additional funding is focused on closing the gap between the financial stature of students. Each student will receive $314 on top of the $7842, which is already received.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of Title 1 can really benefit the children of Clark County. Many children from low-income areas feel that there are more challenges they have to overcome in comparison to those that children from middle or high income areas do. Many cannot even see the light at the end of the tunnel because of the struggles in school. The hope is to change the mindset of these children and allow them to see a brighter future. We, at Andson, want to support these children and hope that the gap between the financial stature of students can truly be closed and every child gets the opportunities that he or she deserves.

To read article, click on the link:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/aug/03/number-schools-high-percentage-low-income-students/

Rockstar Readers – Andson’s Summer Reading Program

Andson realizes that the last thing a child wants to do with their summer is more school work. That being said, the first month (or more) after summer seems to be reminding students of what they did in the months before summer. One key area is reading – Las Vegas schools are striving for higher reading scores, and one way Andson can help is through our Rockstar Readers Summer Program. This program, designed for K-5th grade, strives to make reading fun for kids. It provides Arts & Crafts projects to go along with their book list, and an online portion, which we’re sure will be an exciting way for readers to connect with the material.

We are still finalizing the program, so stay tuned for more info as we get closer to the summer!

Andson’s 1st Annual Back 2 Class Bash!

SAVE THE DATE!!!

Andson loves Southern Highlands – it’s where our office is located, it has a great Boys & Girls Club of Henderson location, and frankly – what an awesome community to be apart of. That’s why, this year will be Andson’s 1st Annual “Back 2 Class Bash.” This event is not only going to be a fantastic way to end kids’ summer, but also a fun way to kick off the school year. We are striving to bring together the best of Southern Nevada into this afternoon event for Sunday, August 19th, from 3 – 7 pm, located in Goett Family Park.

Presented by the Andson Organization and Changing Lives Community Fund, the first annual Back-2-Class Bash will be held on Sunday, August 19th from 3 to 7pm at Goett Family Park in Southern Highlands.  Families will enjoy an afternoon of entertainment, kid's activities, food vendors and valuable information on education, public safety, health, and wellness.  Students of all ages will receive giveaways and free backpacks on a first-come, first-served basis.   Flu shots and Back to School vaccines will also be available on-site.

What: Back-2-Class Festival including music, bounce houses, carnival midway, fashion and food trucks, vendor booths, free giveaways, and raffle prizes.

When: Sunday, August 19^th

Where: Goett Family Park – 10950 Southern Highlands Parkway

A new school supply donation drive will also take place as part of the event and all items collected will be utilized at Andson's after-school academic and tutoring programs that are offered in partnership with other nonprofit organizations.  Raffle tickets will also be available on-site for great prizes donated by a variety of local businesses such as The M Resort, Maverick Helicopters, Buca di Beppo, Miracle Mile Shops, Barcelona Tapas, Ace Hardware, Bogart's Bone-Appetite, Smashburger and more.

Fun Day for Kids 2011

They Boys & Girls Clubs of Henderson put on their "Fun Day for Kids" event on Oct 15.  The event consists of kids from all their clubs, being paired with an adult for various indoor/outdoor games.  The adult/kid teams compete for medals and prizes in each category. We cannot believe the overwhelming support from the community.  There were several entertainers there, including Chet Buchanan from 98.5 KLUC, and Sean and John, tap dancing twins, from America's Got Talent.  Henderson Police Dept. showed off their K-9 and SWAT units, and lunch was served (and barbecued) by the Board of Directors.

Andson was thrilled to participate with 2 kids, and the event is something that these children really look forward to.  Thanks to everyone in the community for helping make this a memorable day for all involved.

Mentoring Empowers. Period.

At Andson, we are striving to diversify our programs and give back in our local and surrounding communities in exciting new ways.  Being that we are a small group - this is easier said than done.  One area that we want to expand on is mentoring.  This has not been a mass effort - nor has it been achieved on a broad scale.

The impacts we've made however, certainly are significant to those we've mentored.

Most youths mean well - they may have a few traits that need "tweaking," or they could even need guidance that is lacking on the home or school front.  We want to touch on two cases that were encountered in the past few months where individuals from Andson have made genuine impacts on the lives of young people.

Jason

Jason is a youth from a Boys & Girls Club who had his future in order - he graduated from high school knowing exactly what he wanted to do with his life (culinary career), had the certifications to do so (through his unique charter school), and proved to be an outstanding youth in the club, at his school, and in the community.  One area that he struggled in, however, were the finer points of reading- as in completing the long, complicated paperwork that many teens have assistance with from parents or guidance counselors.  Jason had never moved forward on his FAFSA form; each time, he either had computer issues, or didn't know how to complete a particular section.  He was on his own, and the deadline was approaching.  An individual here at Andson was able to assist him through this process (as well as document it for our blog) and got his application in on time.  It wasn't that he didn't want to complete the application - he knew the financial consequences if he didn't - but he really needed someone there to make sure he checked the right boxes and read through each individual section.  He may have not completed this application on time, and may have missed out on a semester of college without our help.

The time then came where Jason wanted to get his driver's license.  He called upon Andson to help with studying for the written portion of the test.  Confused, but happy to help, we came to his rescue, and found he had failed the driver's test 3 different times.  Jason could drive, he was even a good driver - but reading through the questions and preparing for a written exam was not his strength.  Here was a young adult that works extremely well in his trade, but needed assistance with 2 very important pieces of growing up.

Bobby

Bobby is our second example.  Here is a boy whose parents had no intention of trying to raise him with any sense of values or morals.  At the age of 7, Bobby had never been to school, and had been encouraged to steal when necessary for his "family." Through nothing short of a miracle, he was able to be adopted by another family member and moved to a home that encourages healthy habits - one of those being actually attending school.  By finding out about Bobby, we were able to work with him over the summer and help improve his reading skills, closer to that of a first grade level.  It was also amazing to see his personality transform so quickly from untrusting and removed, to that of what a child should be.  He is now involved in Andson Academics, after- school tutoring program to solidify the work done over the summer.

These are just two examples of how individual-to-individual relationships can change futures.  Andson wants to explore methods for mentoring youths of all ages and various backgrounds.  We hope to make this a core activity of our organization in the near future.

(names changed for privacy)

Boys & Girls Clubs of Henderson - The Auction 2011, Myra Wright as Youth of the Year.

Saturday, May 14th was The Auction 2011 representing the Boys & Girls Clubs of Henderson.  The Auction took place at the M Resort.  

The event raised funds for the operation of The Boys & Girls Clubs of Henderson, including the new club located on the West side of town, in Southern Highlands.

The Auction was hosted by Chet Buchanan from Las Vegas' 98.5 KLUC.  Chet always brings awesome energy and personality to these events.  Thanks Chet!

The event had great food and great entertainment (dessert was a hit).

One highlight of the entertainment was Jean Francois, an "extreme" painter would be the best way to describe him.

Terry Manley, President of the Board for Boys & Girls Clubs of Henderson, presented Mike Meyers the Eagle award to thank him for his amazing years of service to the community of Las Vegas and Henderson and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Andson would like to congratulate Myra Wright as the Youth of the Year.  We hope her amazing story can inspire other teens to always strive for their best.

The Auction 2011 was a great experience, and Andson was thrilled to be there - we're proud to be a sponsor of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Henderson.

April 18th - got your taxes done? Here's a list of celebs and athletes that didn't...

During Unit 2 ( Budgeting) of our workshops, we like to take a moment to talk about how even the rich and famous need to budget.  Often times we mention Hollywood actors that have lost all their wealth just because they couldn't budget.  Most of the time, taxes are a major problem for these stars.  The only reasonable explanation that seems likely is that these celebrities don't pay taxes each paycheck like the rest of us - and they spend it faster than it's coming in.

MSN has put together a list of 15 celebrities that didn't make their deadlines for tax day in the past.  It's a great read that will likely get incorporated into future workshops for Andson.  Here's the highlights:

• #14 - Rapper Xzibit owes nearly $1 million dollars.  He claims money problems began due to the cancellation of "Pimp my Ride."  The clencher - Xzibit's Range Rover was a lease...
• #11 - Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne owe $1.7 million in back taxes.  The saddest part of this story is that their daughter, Kelly Osbourne, already owes $34,000 herself.  If that isn't motivation for what the Andson Organization is trying to do...
• #7 - Marc Anthony owes $3.4 million in taxes.  This after a 2007 settlement of $2.5 million in taxes.
• #6 - Rapper Lil' Wayne may owe as much as $5.6 million after a recent $1.13 million dollar payment to the IRS.
• #1 - This one comes all the way from Australia - Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan allegedly owes Australia approximately $37 million in taxes!

There's more detail in the article.  Go straight to the source at the bottom to read the whole thing - it's definitely an eye-opener.

So, remember that even though your tax bill may be high today, someone almost always has one higher.  Who knows, maybe some of these stars will actually make the deadline since we got 3 extra days in the U.S. this year (sorry Mr. Hogan).

Edit:  Wow, just a few days after the celebs list - looks like CNBC has put out a list of star athletes that has gone a similar route - 15 Athletes Who Have Gone Broke.

Celebrities Source:  Wonder Wall via MSN

Athletes Source:  via CNBC