Money, moolah, dinero, or whatever you call it, is essential to our livelihoods. It enables success, gives advantages, and creates growth opportunities. But none of that happens without financial literacy, which many communities lack access to. Yanely Espinal is on a powerful mission to change that.
In this episode of Amiga Handle Your Shit, Jackie Tapia sits down with Yanely Espinal, financial educator, author, and speaker, for a dynamic conversation about money management and the importance of honing financial literacy at an early age. Yanely explains how growing up with almost no knowledge about money led to $20,000 of credit card debt and a career in financial education. Today she’s not just the author of the money-wise book, Mind Your Money; she’s also advocating for systemic change for students through her work with NextGen Personal Finance.
As a Dominicana raised in a predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood, she grew up with a cash-only mindset. Those early ideas about handling, not managing, money that are common with many immigrant and immigrant-adjacent communities filter into adulthood. Throughout the conversation, Yanely explains how enforcing financial education at an early age sets young adults up for success. She doubles down on the benefits it brings to minority communities whose understanding of money and the financial systems in our country is already behind.
The most powerful moments are when Yanely talks about NextGen Personal Finance. She shares the work the organization has done with lawmakers to advocate for semester-long financial education courses and proudly highlights that 30 states now require them for graduation. Her efforts remind us of what happens when communities stand up for change and create new narratives for success.
Tune in to episode 294 of Amiga Handle Your Shit for a lively discussion about money management, financial literacy in underpoverished communities, and tips on how to organize your life for greater wealth.
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