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)

Andson Academics WEEK 1 - Program is going great!

Wow!  Just a few short months ago we started to work on the planning for what we thought would be a maximum of 80 students getting after-school tutoring.  At nearly 100 students, it is clear that the program has been well-received by Parents and Students alike.  The key to students' acceptance is easy - great tutors and a fun, web-based program.  Andson Academics targets a younger audience than the foundation has previously, but thanks to the i-Ready program, students get to pick their character and scenery, and perform reading and math exercises through a fun, game-centric program.

This week's Time Magazine touches on a devastating statistic - 1 in 4 Third-graders who have lived in poverty and are not reading at grade level will drop out or fail to graduate by age 19.  Andson realizes the education issues plaguing Nevada, Clark County, as well as the nation, and decided that if there is a way to help - we'd like to get started.

We've hired tutors, most of which are employed through CCSD (Clark County School District) and we've teamed up with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Henderson to provide two, 1 hour tutoring sessions, in English, Language Arts, and Mathematics, each week.  This program runs throughout the school year, and should provide at least a 13% increase in the child's lowest scoring areas.

Two of the Boys & Girls Clubs - Southern Highlands and Kish - are currently full.  There are waiting lists you can place your child on for a second enrollment that Andson may open up for 2012.  The other clubs, however, may still be available for a late enrollment now.

Andson Academics - Coming soon to a Boys & Girls Club near you!

We've been hard at work these past few weeks getting ready for the next piece of the puzzle to empowering students through education - Andson Academics.  Throughout the time of developing content and lessons on Financial Literacy, it became clear that students have trouble with the math-intensive portions of the workshops - and they're not too keen on reading directions either.

This was alarming - what's even more alarming is that Nevada's education has been and will be on the brink of danger for the next few years.  As these economic times affect all forms of government funding, education will remain on the "chopping block" of budget reforms.

So, we asked, how can we help?  Honestly, we didn't know - we're a small organization that started out with goals of Financial Literacy.  Things became a bit more clear when we were visiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida recently.  We met Jessica, and asked her to help.  Jessica has experience building a tutoring program like this from the ground up, and she has been designing our new program, Andson Academics.

 

So, what do you need to know?

• FREE tutoring to students!!!  The last thing we wanted was to create a model that costs parents a lot of money.  For the cost of a couple of workbooks, your child will receive supplementary tutoring throughout the school year. Andson takes care of all cost of tutors and technology involved.
• Back to the basics - Andson Academics will target English, Language Arts, and Math - two vital areas to students' success in the classroom.

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

Celebrate the Children 2011 - Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida

Friday, April 15th was the "Celebrate the Children 2011" Dinner and Auction.  The evening was amazing and Andson was proud to be a part of it.  The silent auction was as fun as the live auction during the meal.  The event took place at the Orlando World Center Marriott - most of the banquet floor was used for various parts of the event.

One of the best parts of the evening was the interaction with so many of the kids.  From the greeters (the younger kids), to the Youth of the Year,  whom sat with each table during the dinner and auction, the entire night truly did "Celebrate the Children."

Congratulations to each Branch Youth of the Year - you all give us a glimpse of what the Boys & Girls Clubs can accomplish.

We want to give a special congratulations to Kesha Dennis of the West Sanford Branch for her achievement as their Youth of the Year.  We have had the opportunity to work with Kesha in our workshops previously, and there is no doubt in our minds that she deserved this honor.

Ahkeem Hollimon was the Tupperware Branch Youth of the Year, and was nominated as Youth of the Year for 2011 for Central Florida Boys & Girls Clubs.  Congratulations to him and the amazing work he will continue to do through the Boys & Girls Clubs.

Truly a special night, and it couldn't have been more fun!  Thanks to everyone that made the event such a wonderful time.

Andson Workshops in Central Florida - Altamonte Christian Schools

Friday, April 15th we had the opportunity to go give a workshop at Altamonte Christian School, in Altamonte Springs, FL.  We had a great time with the Senior Class, and were able to spend the entire day with them - we may have even got them out a little early (you're all welcome).  It was nice to see that this group is headed in the right direction - they had a good understanding of personal finance, most were even good savers!

As always, we really stressed Investing as well as the Credit Cards lessons.  Time Value of Money is definitely an area that gets young people thinking about interest rates and returns.

We also got some feedback on the presentations, which was definitely helpful and greatly appreciated - hopefully we can just keep making them better and better for future workshops.

Thanks to all the students and faculty for making the day a success!

Andson Workshops in Central Florida - Sanford and Tupperware Clubs.

We recently finished up 2 workshops in Central Florida for March 2011.  These took place at the Sanford and Tupperware Boys and Girls Clubs.  Overall, they went very well.  It was fun to be able to use Prezi for the first time in the workshops - they seem to keep the students more interested, and add a little something to what can be "just another class" for teens.  Next up is Altamonte Christian School, in Altamonte Springs, FL - that is coming up April 15th.  Hope you enjoy the photos, and feel free to work through all our Prezis yourself at prezi.com

Managing Your Credit (and Credit Score)

So we've touched on how to check your Credit Report before, but the site Lifehacker.com recently posted an article entitled "How to Effectively Manage Your Credit Reputation," which goes into further detail of making sense of the mess of Credit History that we deal with as adults.

We really liked their idea of the difference between your Credit Report and your Credit Score:

The Difference Between Your Credit Report and Your Credit Score.

Your credit report includes all the gory details about your personal financial history. Your credit score is a 3 digit number in the 300 - 850 range (depending on the bureau) that is normalized and used to predict the likelihood you will default on a loan within 12 months. Because each bureau has different data, you actually have 3 credit scores. In addition to the credit bureaus differences, there are also different credit scoring algorithms in use. FICO is the most popular, but there are dozens of different credit scores in use.

Credit scores fall in these general categories:

Excellent: 750 - 850 Good: 700- 750 Fair: 620-700 Subprime: 550 - 620 High risk: 300 - 550

They also say that the best way to get your report is to use AnnualCreditReport.com.

Another really awesome idea that Lifehacker points out that wasn't mentioned in our last article is the dispute process:

There are two things you can do to resolve negative items. First, you should immediately call the credit reporting agency in question and dispute the issue directly (Transunion: 1-800-916-8800, Experian: 1-800-493-1058, Equifax has an online dispute process). Second, if you think you may be the victim of identity theft, you should enable fraud alert protection with all of the credit bureaus. This is a free service - distinctly different from credit monitoring or fraud protection that companies charge monthly fees for.

Check out the whole article over at Lifehacker.com

Financial Aid FAFSA- What you need to know

What are two ways that students can develop debt before they ever even graduate college?  Student Loans and Credit Cards!  Andson could not provide Financial Education without talking about Student Loans - that is, how to avoid them.  There is a lot of information for students regarding Grants, Scholarships, and Financial Aid.  The problem is, like most other information found on the Internet provided by Government offices, it's a real pain to find, and even harder to apply for.

With that, we decided that a main part of our site will be dedicated to collecting information on Grants, Scholarships, and Financial Aid.

First, you MUST get started with the FAFSA form https://fafsa.ed.gov.  This is required for many schools, and for any chance of qualifying for government financial aid, and many private programs require a FAFSA filing as well.  FAFSA is the US Dept of Education's Federal Student Aid program.  This form should be your starting point.  In other words, fill this out first!  Assuming your parents are helping you with the filing process (and you're under 18) you will need the following from your parents:

Collect the documents needed to apply, including

• Income tax returns and W-2 forms (and other records of income) Tax return not completed at the time you apply?  Estimate the tax information, apply, and finalize information later. The important thing is to meet the earliest deadline.

• Your Social Security number and your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are providing parent information.

• Your Alien Registration Number if you are not a U.S. citizen.

• Federal tax information or tax returns, including W-2 information, for yourself, for your spouse if you are married, and for your parents if you are providing parent information, using income records for the year prior to the academic year for which you are applying.

• Information on savings, investments, and business assets for yourself (and parents if you're providing parent information).

Here is the complete Dept. of Education's Checklist for students http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/attachments/siteresources/Coll_Prep_Checklist_3MB.pdf.

Filling this out won't take long, but it doesn't mean you're done either...Andson will be gathering more information on Grants, Scholarships, and Financial Aid for students in the next few days.  The deadlines are coming up quickly, so expect to see a lot of information from us and a new category for Financial Aid on our site.

ATTENTION!  View Deadlines FAFSA filings at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/fotw1112/pdf/Deadlines.pdf

Obama Administration Releases ‘Educator Toolkit’ for the 2011 National Financial Capability Challenge

The US Treasury just released the 2011 "toolkit" which is publicly available to educators to use in their classrooms.

Per the release notes,

Empowering students with the knowledge they need to make smart financial choices about saving, budgeting, and investing for the future is good for the long-term strength of our economy,” said Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. “It will help ensure that young people have the skills they need to achieve financial security, and that will help us continue to build this recovery on a strong and sustainable foundation.

Our students need to graduate high school ready for college and career if they’re going to compete in a global economy,” said U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan.  “Incorporating financial literacy, through Treasury’s online educator toolkit or other significant learning materials, will encourage students to make smart long-term investments, such as preparing to pay for college.

The toolkit will cover the five core competencies the US Treasury believes to be crucial to financial ed.

• earning
• spending
• borrowing
• saving
• protecting against risk

The online exam will be available to high school students beginning March 7th.  Of course, we'll be taking the exam here, and will report back as to what we think of the program overall.

This is a great resource for all of us dedicated to the financial education and independence that our students deserve.

Source- challenge.treas.gov/toolkit/

CashCourse by NeFe - brush up, or get an idea of what the program is about.

NeFe is the premier financial education resource out there, and what Andson chooses to use for our workshops.  We just discovered this amazing resource by NeFe called CashCourse.  Basically, it takes the key ideas from their materials and puts them into an interactive web format that may be more accessible to Internet savvy teens.

We didn't want to just post it in the "Helpful Resources," section of our site, but it will be there for easy access as well.

If you've taken the course via Andson or otherwise, this is a great way to brush up on your financial skills.  If you haven't, this is a great way to see what it's all about.  Keep in mind, the course gives some great insight and some one-on-one time with instructors, so this isn't a complete replacement by any means.

www.CashCourse.org/prep

Completing the NeFe program could score you $5000 toward college!

Attention Students!

If you ever doubted what the Andson's financial education could get you, doubt no more! We use the materials supplied by NeFe (The National Endowment for Financial Education), and they just announced that just by completing the HSFPP (High School Financial Planning Program) students may be eligible for up to $5000 in college scholarships.

This is an amazing opportunity for many teens, and we hope that some of the students completing the program with Andson over Spring Break will apply.

Contact Andson for more details - info@andson.org

via NeFe's Facebook

Khan Academy is changing the way we learn.

A friend just recently introduced me to www.khanacademy.org - in a nutshell, Sal Khan is on a mission to educate the world through his short lessons.  There is a tier structure that he uses - you need to complete A before proceeding to B.  His current goal is to complete basic to advanced mathematics.  I have already contacted Khan Academy, and hope that in the future we may be able to assist with a Personal Finance section on the site.

What really gets me excited about this methodology and concept is that there is a huge barrier to teachers reaching students through traditional methods. Parents and Teachers alike often complain of teens' attention spans - which may be in part to the bombarding of media and instant gratification. Sal Khan doesn't worry about this - instead he decided to approach teaching from a method that DOES work. The truth is, attention spans of adults and students alike are getting shorter; this means methodologies must change. We've seen this in everything from coffee to advertising to shopping, even banking - but education as a model remains wholly unchanged for the better half of a century.

Check out what he is about in this video - it's absolutely a revolution in thinking about the way people will be educated in the future.

I'll be working through the banking sections. Since it's Open Source information - Khan Academy has no problem with me linking to their videos and resources, so plan to see more from them here in the future.

Source: Khan Academy

Christmas shopping is over and 2011 is coming! What does my Credit Report look like!?

There are at least a dozen different "Free Credit Report," sites out there to choose from. The one that I've always recommended for a guaranteed, no hassle credit report is www.annualcreditreport.com.

This site is not only sponsored by the 3 major credit reporting agencies: TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian; but it's also the only one that really is completely free. Of course, there are some "extras," they may offer you (like the actual score) - but no harassment afterwards, and no worry about 3rd parties accessing to your personal info.

Remember, having a clean report (as in payment histories on revolving credit) dictates your score, and these can be checked for free through www.annualcreditreport.com.

Also, pulling your credit report is more than just your score - it's your first line of defense in keeping up with identity theft or fraud.

College students should be checking their credit reports at least once a year, maybe more if your especially "liberal" in your credit lines.

Working adults should be checking just as often.  You can even check each report individually at different times of the year, to get throughout-the-year updates.

Happy New Year!

Shopping for Auto Insurance – there’s more to it than choosing the Gecko…

Auto Insurance is one of those things - we almost all use it, but most of us know little of the details.

It's also one of the first major expenses you'll deal with as an adult.  So, we decided to break down the basics and identify some online sources from which you can get more information about auto insurance.

One of the first things to remember when shopping for auto insurance is to do just that - shop.  Too many people, teens included, will settle or go with the easiest option.  Knowing what you're looking for and actually calling or going online to compare companies you are considering will give you much more honest information than just allowing an insurance company to "shop for you."  Later in life, there may be some bundling you can do, like many households do with television, telephone, and Internet.

First of all, let's define auto insurance - it's simply a way to protect yourself and your assets in case of an accident.  There may not be much to protect right now, but there certainly will be in the future.  Driving without auto insurance is simply not an option.  Nearly everyone will have some accident at some point in their life (probably sooner rather than later) and therefore knowing your coverage, and choosing a reputable company can make all the difference.

For every state there are at least 3 figures we'll need to pay attention to:

1. How much coverage is required for an individual injured in an accident,

2. How much coverage is required total for all those injured in an accident, and

3. How much coverage is required for property damage in case of accident.

Some states are also requiring Personal Injury Protection (PIP), for oneself, or Underinsured/Uninsured Motorist Coverage.  This means that even though everyone should theoretically have auto insurance, some may be carrying too little or illegally operating a motor vehicle with no insurance at all.  This is added coverage that will protect the insured party, sometimes referred to by the term "Full Coverage."

Now, just because each state has a minimum (some even have no minimum) for coverage amounts required, those amounts may not be enough.  Again, this is protection for yourself and your assets - so if someone is seriously injured or property is severely damaged, those individuals involved could sue for more than what your insurance covers- which means you'll have to pay out of pocket.  So, the key is to find the right balance of protection and cost effectiveness.  Ideally, it  is safe to say that a driver would want to carry more than the minimum required state coverage.

Insurance Panda is a great place to research automotive related topics, insurance included.  They have a great list of each states minimum coverage requirements.

Each state will differ, and it's important to know what your state requires.  This list may change over time, so it's important to research at the time you will be purchasing.  Something that many consumers don't know is that each state has a Department of Insurance.  The Insurance Consumer Advocate Network (ICAN) keeps listings for each state, so this is a great place to learn about the latest updates to each states minimum coverage and laws regarding auto insurance coverage.

Also, keep in mind that just because you can afford a certain vehicle's monthly payment - insurance may be completely unaffordable based on that vehicle.  For instance, newer vehicles, sport/luxury, or even a vehicle that is considered easy to steal, all may dramatically affect insurance rates.

These are just the basics of auto insurance - there's a lot more that can be analyzed to find cost savings.  For example, it may be most cost effective to purchase insurance right from an agency directly as a young adult.  As one gets older, however, and starts to accumulate more assets like a house, or begins to start a family, an insurance agent can be a great tool to bundle policies and get a better level of service than when purchased directly from the company.  Still, more and more companies will sell insurance directly to an individual now; this is quite different than years ago when nearly all business was done through a local insurance agent.

More information at: www.ican2000.com

Students! Are you ready? U.S. News & World Report hints that some high school students may not be.

The September 2010 issue of U.S. News & World Report takes a heavy focus on college in 2010. Let’s be honest- this is not the best time in our Nation’s history to be attending college; budget cuts and unemployment aren’t helping, and students are going to be the ones to suffer. What may be even more disturbing than the budget cuts to our major universities, however, is the quality of student attempting to attend. Students are not coming in with the preparation and analytical ability they once had. Carol Frey writes in her article “Crash Course in Preparedness,” Many students are arriving on campus with few tools to succeed. Of the high school students in the class of 2009 who took the ACT test, for example, fewer than one quarter met each of the benchmarks for college readiness in math, science, English, and reading. Just over a quarter met none of them. The cause? This is a harder one to determine. Frey suspects it is from a lack of quality reading: books that give an analytical approach, essentially taking the reader through the motions of forming an argument and actually seeing it through. More and more often, students are citing Wikipedia instead of scholarly journals- a possible sign that all this fast access to information may be moving students to be poorer thinkers than in previous years of entering freshman. The internet is an amazing resource, but that doesn’t mean students don’t need the classics that parents and older siblings were exposed to. Furthermore, some students are needing full refresher courses in the core classes such as math, reading, and even science. It is suggested that students begin brushing up on these topics during the summer before their freshmen year of college, so they enter their undergraduate studies at the level they’re supposed to. With more and more colleges turning away perfectly good students, it will be important for all those applying to be prepared- and we’re not talking about cool laptops and tons of ramen noodles! Read article: A Crash Course in College Preparedness via U.S. News & World

Financial Aid Anyone?

I really like the publication put out by Charles Schwab called, On Investing. The Fall 2010 edition had a great resource for parents and students alike – regarding Financial Aid. Although there is quite a bit of detail in the article regarding specific strategies available to parents, the highlight of the article is Mark Kantrowitz and his project. Kantrowitz founded a Financial Aid information website called FinAid.org. This site is an awesome resource for anyone – teacher, parent, or student – looking for information and direction with the various processes when applying for Financial Aid. I’ve checked it out, and it seems like the site is straightforward and organized, something helpful to everyone, I’m sure. Hopefully Andson will be able to provide more information and resources regarding relevant Financial Aid information in the future thanks to individuals and ideas like this. I’m still looking for a link to Schwab’s, On Investing publication, but it doesn’t look like it appears online- I’m checking on this. Check it out at www.FinAid.org. Source: Charles Schwab On Investing publication (Fall 2010)