68 customizable lessons, aligned with National Standards, exams and more.
Read NGPF's school-by-school analysis of financial education in America today
Shang Saavedra, author of Wealth Is a Mindset, shares how reframing money as a tool for freedom, not just wealth, can help individuals and educators build healthier financial habits and mindsets. Learn more about her conversation with NGPF's Yanely Espinal.
In this episode of the NGPF Podcast, Saavedra reframes money as a mix of habits, history, and hope. She names common “money stories” (Feast & Famine, Adverse Events, Scarce Immigrant) and shows how awareness turns into action.
A favorite reframe: “The motivation became not let’s get rich, let’s get options.” That shift powered frugal choices, side-income experiments, and consistent investing that allowed her to be work-optional by 31.
Saavedra’s reassurance to first-time investors: “If you have a high school education, you can invest.” For most people, low-cost diversified funds plus time beats stock picking.
Her go-to behavior loop is Trigger → Action → Reward. She recommends swapping costly defaults (ex. I feel lonely, so I will opt for a pricey brunch with friends) for cheaper, equally rewarding alternatives (walk, coffee, potluck). Pair that with “one next step” goals set at 90% achievability (like a small auto-transfer after payday or checking out online carts only once a week) to build momentum without perfectionism.
Listen to the full conversation on the NGPF Podcast.
HOPE’s story starts in a church basement and grows into a regional engine for economic mobility. As Bynum puts it, “Our mission has always been to increase economic opportunity for people in the Deep South.”
That mission means importing capital into “capital deserts,” expanding branches where others closed, and weaving financial education into every account and loan.
After Hurricane Katrina, HOPE helped families access checks, open accounts, and rebuild, all of which sped up recovery. The model has since scaled with large mission deposits so HOPE can keep lending in low-wealth areas.
Underwriting is people-first. Rather than hard cutoffs, HOPE considers rent and phone payment histories and uses manual review because, in Bynum’s words, they are "treating people as people, not algorithms.”
Today, HOPE is approaching $1B in assets, prioritizing mortgages and small-business lending to narrow the region’s homeownership and opportunity gaps.
Hear more about the work on the NGPF Podcast.
Don't miss this special 1.5-hour session unveiling the latest NGPF documentary showcasing the powerful impact of personal finance education through the stories of outstanding teachers followed by a panel with some of the featured educators: Joey Running, Jamal Bermudez, and Kerry Woodward.
Register here.
As NGPF's Marketing Communications Manager, Hannah (she/her) helps spread the word about NGPF's mission to improve the financial lives of the next generation of Americans.
Activities
Advocacy
Behavioral Economics
Best Of
Budgeting
Career
Checking
Consumer Skills
Credit
Current Events
Curriculum Announcements
Economics
Edpuzzle
ELL Resources
FinCap Friday
Interactive
Insurance
Investing
Math
Paying for College
Press Releases
Podcasts
Podcasts in the Classroom
Professional Development
Question of the Day
Savings
So Expensive Series
Taxes
Join the more than 11,000 teachers who get the NGPF daily blog delivered to their inbox:
MOST POPULAR POSTS
1
5 First Day of School Ideas for Your Personal Finance Class
2
8 Creative Ways to Implement an NGPF Lesson
3
Question of the Day: What is the average restaurant tip for full-service and quick-service meals?
4
Course-Long Activity: CREATE: My Financial Flipbook!
5
Icebreakers to Kick Off the School Year
Awarded one of the Top Personal Finance Blogs
Awarded one of the Best Advocacy Blogs and Websites
Before your subscription to our newsletter is active, you need to confirm your email address by clicking the link in the email we just sent you. It may take a couple minutes to arrive, and we suggest checking your spam folders just in case!
Great! Success message here
New to NGPF?
Save time, increase student engagement, and help your students build life-changing financial skills with NGPF's free curriculum and PD.
1. Sign up for your Teacher Account
2. Explore a unit page
3. Join NGPF Academy
4. Become an NGPF Pro!
Your new account will provide you with access to NGPF Assessments and Answer Keys. It may take up to 1 business day for your Teacher Account to be activated; we will notify you once the process is complete.
Thanks for joining our community!
The NGPF Team
Complete the form below to access exclusive resources for teachers. Our team will review your account and send you a follow up email within 24 hours.
To speed up your verification process, please submit proof of status to gain access to answer keys & assessments.
Acceptable information includes:
Acceptable file types: .png, .jpg, .pdf.
Once you submit this form, our team will review your account and send you a follow up email within 24 hours. We may need additional information to verify your teacher status before you have full access to NGPF.
Take the quiz to quickly find the best resources for you!