August 11, 2011
Developed and presented by: Inger Giuffrida,
Financial Education and Asset Building Consultant
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The point in a process at which the process
itself speeds up or change happens or
increases dramatically
Start an “epidemic”
Micro level; macro level
How does this concept apply to asset
building?
Materials developed by and copyrighted to Inger Giuffrida.
Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Economic Security,
Financial Stability
and Other Outcomes
Asset Building
Strategies
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Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Drivers of
Tipping Point
Asset Building
Strategy
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Needs and Assets (Personal, Financial,
Productive, Social, Community-based)
of Your Target Market
Outcomes
Materials developed by and copyrighted to Inger Giuffrida.
Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Tax
Prep
IDAs
Financial
CDCU Education
Asset Specific
Assistance
Community
Action
Programs
Materials developed by and copyrighted to Inger Giuffrida.
Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Tax Preparation Door Take Business
Course; Start
Business
One Possible Path
Open IDA to
Start Business
Take Financial Education
Split Refund; Open Savings Account
Meet with Asset Building
Counselor at Tax Site
Tax Preparation
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Please cite if using. Thanks.
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United Way Worldwide and FINRA Foundation
Jim Casey Youth Opportunity Initiative
Native Asset Building Initiatives
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and
Sexual Assault
Employer-Based Approaches
School-Based Approaches
Asset Building Coalitions
While different tools are used, all include
financial education.
Materials developed by and copyrighted to Inger Giuffrida.
Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Formal education NOT systemically provided
on understanding and managing personal
finances even though this touches every
person’s life.
Increased complexity and choice of financial
products and services (paradox of choices).
Increased and aggressive marketing of
financial products, especially debt-creating
financial products to individuals;
deregulation of credit.
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Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Increased responsibilities for the average
individual—retirement (shift from defined
benefit to defined contribution plans),
health care, and education.
Increased complexity and instability in
the financial services industry/financial
markets as a whole.
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Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Information and skills
building opportunities
that build individual
and family capacity to
get, manage, and use
their resources to
maintain a healthy
existence and achieve
their goals.
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Many definitions.
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Many approaches.
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Many topics.
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Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Participatory classroom-based training—cohort-based training with set number of sessions based on the
curriculum.
Individual financial management counseling—responsive one-on-one meetings with clients designed to solve
specific problems they may be facing.
Financial coaching—a one-on-one relationship with a coach designed to proactively meet the person’s financial
and other life goals.
Individual study—using either online materials or a workbook (the curriculum being developed) empowers
young person to work through sections of material with one-on-one check-in sessions with staff. For people
with complicated lives yet very motivated to succeed, this option may be very workable.
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The Stock Market Game
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Social marketing—using Facebook, Twitter or group texts, provide daily tips and financial literacy updates.
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Resource centers—onsite and website based financial resource centers. People would be able to access these
materials when they need them.
Linkages to Resources, Services, and Accounts—Consumer Credit Counseling Services for debt management
and credit repair, credit union or bank to open a savings accounts, etc.
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Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Consumer education
Economic literacy
Financial literacy
Financial education
Financial fitness
Financial capability
 What’s next?
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Is financial education really asset building?
 It depends on how you define asset building.
 An asset is something that you own that has value.
 Financial assets v. productive assets
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What is the difference between a financial
asset and a productive asset?
A productive asset is one that increases individual,
household or community capacity to acquire,
maintain and leverage others assets and achieve
financial well being/economic security.
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Please cite if using. Thanks.
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One possible solution is to help those you
serve:
1. Identify the tipping point asset building strategy
2. Integrate financial education
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What is integration?
 Combining parts so they work together as a
whole.
 To unify or unite.
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Rationale for Integration
PRIMARY REASONS
 Clients are busy—efficiency in addressing many issues in one stop.
 Financial and economic issues cut across situations and challenges:
basic needs, housing (and all issues related to safe housing), health
and health care, child rearing and care, work, transportation, and so
on; may present a more holistic approach to working with clients.
 May result in better outcomes for the clients.
 Builds on established relationships staff may have with clients; may
open additional channels for financial education that are not staff
intensive.
SECONDARY REASONS
 Increased competition for “financial education” dollars.
 Decreased funding overall.
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Please cite if using. Thanks.
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The truth about integration:
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Integration is NOT without cost—it does not save money
initially.
High upfront costs—staff training, creating linkages and
partnerships, securing appropriate tools and resources to
support staff, developing resources and technology-based
systems to deliver financial education.
Potential for intra-agency resistance—reluctance to take on
new responsibility without increased pay or decreased
workload in the case of staff driven approaches.
Effectiveness and efficiency will improve with time—does the
organization have the patience to allow this to occur?
Materials developed by and copyrighted to Inger Giuffrida.
Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Integrated Financial Education:
Non-comprehensive example of staff centered
approaches
Individual Financial
Counseling Sessions (as
needed)
•As part of case
management or
other direct service
with clients
Lower level of
staff involvement
Financial Education
Support Groups
•As part of existing
peer networks; train
network members to
facilitate groups-staff provide
administrative
services primarily
Financial Education
Training
•As part of existing
training program
within the agency:
MED + financial
education
Financial Coaching
•As part of case
management or
other direct service
with clients
High level of staff
involvement
Materials developed by and copyrighted to Inger Giuffrida.
Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Integrated Financial Education:
Non-staff centered approaches
Online Financial
Education
• Available at
Curriculum
any time for
participants
Low level of staff
involvement for
maintenance
Financial
Information
Center—in
person
•Resource
or virtual
Information
Center (financial
and other
appropriate
agency and
partner
information)
Financial Education
Facebook Page;
Twitter
Feeds
• As
part of
organization’s
social media
strategy—not
a stand alone
topic
Financial Education Tips
and Information—
newsletters, inserts,
•Within other
post cards, etc.
agency
communications
or with a partner
agency
High level of staff
involvement for
maintenance
Materials developed by and copyrighted to Inger Giuffrida.
Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Where to Integrate Financial
Education?
Organization
Target
Audience
Outcomes
Competencies
&
Processes
Potential
Integration
Points
• Existing financial education system components
for clients
• Possible partnerships
• Analysis of whether integration benefits
outweigh costs (short and long term costs)
Materials developed by and copyrighted to Inger Giuffrida.
Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Integrated Financial
Education: IDAs
Financial
Education
Financial
Education
Learn about the IDA
program .
Contact the
Organization
Enroll in &
attend
Orientation
Meet 1-on-1 with
program staff to
determ ine eligibility,
review financial
situation, review credit
report, choose asset
goal, ask any questions
Take &
complete
financial
education
Make the first deposit
into the IDA
Open the
IDA
Enroll in the
IDA Program
Financial
Education
Continue
regular
deposits
Financial
Education
Take and com plete
asset specific education/
technical assistance
Financial
Education
Reach savings
goal
Participate
in
Evaluation
Prepare for
Asset
Financial
Education
Financial
Education
Financial
Education
Financial
Education
Participate in
asset retention
& m aintenance
follow up
Financial
Education
Withdraw funds from
the IDA (individual
account and match) &
purchase asset
Materials developed by and copyrighted to Inger Giuffrida.
Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Tax preparation sites enlist volunteer or paid
asset building coaches to meet with clients while
waiting turn to complete tax return. Focus on
ways to leverage tax refund, provide information
about the savings bond option and in some
cases, schedule appointment for benefits
screening. Some sites also use passive financial
education strategies—information posted in
waiting area.
 Efficient for client
 Client able to act on new knowledge immediately
 Efficient for organization although high investment in
volunteer or staff training; volunteer management
Materials developed by and copyrighted to Inger Giuffrida.
Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Materials developed by and copyrighted to Inger Giuffrida.
Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Provide financial education in the context of a
parent education program.
 Efficient for client—they have to be at parent education
program; the financial education is an added benefit.
 Client able to contextualize financial information
within role as parent (this applies to fathers as well);
budgeting approached in terms of fulfilling
responsibilities to children first.
 Efficient for organization although parent education
program is longer (in terms of hours) to cover both
necessary parenting information and the integrated
financial information.
Materials developed by and copyrighted to Inger Giuffrida.
Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Financial education workshops provided in the
workplace through partnerships with employers
(large and small). Options for individual work with
Consumer Credit Counseling Services (they meet
onsite with employees during breaks, lunch or
before/after shifts). Financial education tips
provided as inserts with paychecks and through
posters in break area, etc.
 Efficient for client—they have to be at work; the financial
education is an added benefit.
 Client able to contextualize financial information within
role as worker—where they are earning their money.
 Efficient for organization because recruitment is done by
employer to captive audience.
Materials developed by and copyrighted to Inger Giuffrida.
Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Is it more efficient
for the client?
Is it likely to achieve
better outcomes for
the client?
Is it likely to be more
efficient for the
organization in the
medium to long
term?
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Staff training
Resources needed for
staff and
organization
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Partnerships needed
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Organizational
culture
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Ways to measure
financial education
results if integrated
into other services
(does this matter)
Materials developed by and copyrighted to Inger Giuffrida.
Please cite if using. Thanks.
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Inger Giuffrida has operated her own consulting business for nine years. As a financial educator and asset-building
consultant, she has developed and delivered financial education “training for trainers” to thousands of practitioners in the
asset building field across the United States and Canada and is frequently asked to be a keynote speaker or featured
trainer at state and national conferences. She has worked in the asset building field since 1989 starting one of the early
IDA and financial education programs.
She served in the U.S. Peace Corps in East Africa, ran a community-based non-profit in Michigan helping women with low
income build businesses and achieve economic security, and led the asset-building department at a think tank in
Washington, D.C. She has written several nationally distributed financial education curricula, including one named the
best financial literacy curriculum of the year by the Financial Literacy Institute.
She is currently developing a national financial education program for Jim Casey Youth Opportunity Initiative, a
foundation dedicated to helping young people make the transition from foster care to independence; serving as the lead
trainer and TA provider for United Way Worldwide and FINRA Investor Education Foundation; developing resources and
training and serving a lead trainer for the Financial Literacy Enhancement Initiative for the AFI Resource Center (Abt
Associates); serving as project consultant for the Pioneer Library System Smart Investing @ your library® initiative; and
providing financial education for Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s youth asset building camp, among other projects.
She has served on numerous community boards and has volunteered in every community in which she has lived.
Currently, she serves on the board of the Oklahoma JumpStart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, the steering
committee of the Oklahoma Asset Building Coalition, the Family Impact Council for United Way of Cleveland County, the
Truman Elementary PTA and the Pack 217 Committee. She also founded Touch a Truck Day, a fundraiser for the
children’s section of the Norman Public Library in 2005. She holds an MBA from Western Michigan University and a BS in
Business Finance from Miami University. She lives in Norman, OK where she resides with her spouse, two young children
and a house full of pets.
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Inger Giuffrida
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405-819-7039 or 405-364-4462
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inger.giuffrida@gmail.com
Financial Educator and Asset Building Strategies
Consultant
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