Affording college is a concern for many families.  Crystal Olivarria likes to educate families about the opportunity to pay for college using scholarships.  She raised over $70,000 from grants and scholarship to help pay for her own college education.  Since a college education is a large expense it is important that children spend time exploring career options in depth. How can you coach your children to make smart choices when it comes to the career paths they choose to follow. What is the right age and how do you approach this topic?

On today’s show we talked with Crystal Olivarria, Founder and CEO at CareerConversationalist.com 

To learn more about Crystal Olivarria visit:

www.careerconversationalist.com 

To learn more about Houston Money Week visit:

www.Houstonmoneyweek.org

http://www.cheatsheet.com/personal-finance/how-schools-can-improve-their-personal-finance-education.html/

Financial Advisor Magazine Articles:

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/advisors-stay-the-course-amid-monday-s-market-drop-22864.html?section=3 

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/on-it-s-80th-anniversaryadvisors-consider-social-security-s-impactfuture-22784.html?section=3

You can listen live by going to www.kpft.org and clicking on the HD3 tab.
You can also listen to this episode and others by podcast at:

http://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/moneymatters

or

www.moneymatterspodcast.com

#KPFTHOUSTON

#HoustonMoneyWK

#Crystal70k

Did you know that through the EB-5 Program you can raise money from foreign investors looking to migrate to the U.S. while creating U.S. jobs? The program, enacted by U.S. Congress in 1990, has brought almost $4 billion of Foreign Direct Investment into the U.S. in 2016 alone, over $18 billion since 2008. Business owners and developers can take advantage of this program by leveraging capital from overseas investors and expand or develop their project without high cost loans or equity partners.

On today’s show we talked with Charles Foster, Chairman at Foster LLP and President and EB-5 Economist at Greengate Consulting Ismael Fernandez. 

Charles Foster is Chairman of Foster LLP, one of the largest global immigration law firms. He is also the honorary Consul General of the Kingdom of Thailand. Mr. Foster received his Bachelors Degree from the University of Texas and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law. Mr. Foster serves as the first Chairman of the State Bar of Texas Immigration and Nationality Law Section and a Board member and is past national President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Chairman of the American Bar Association Coordinating Committee on Immigration law and Vice Chairman of the Houston Bar Foundation. During the 2000 Presidential Campaign, Mr. Foster has served as an advisor to both Presidents Bush and Obama. He is Chairman of the Asia Society-Texas Center and past President of the Houston Forum and the Houston Club. He is a Director of the Greater Houston Partnership and past Chairman of its Economic Development and World Trade Divisions. He is a Trustee of the Asia Society-New York, member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York and past Director and officer of the Houston World Affairs Council and the Houston Holocaust Museum. He is a recipient of 4 Royal decorations from His Majesty the King of Thailand; he received the 2000 Distinguished Friends of China Award; the 1996 International Service Award of the Houston Junior Chamber of Commerce; was the 1998 Honoree of the American Immigration Law Foundation for Excellence in the Practice of Immigration Law; and the recipient of the 2007 American Jewish Committee Institute of Human Relations Award. He was designated a ”Texas Super Lawyer” 2003-2009 by Texas Monthly magazine; the “Top Notch Lawyer in Immigration” in the Texas Lawyer“ Go To Lawyers Guide” published in 2002 and subsequently in 2008; as well as Who’s Who In American Law and the #1 Ranked Immigration Lawyer in Texas by Chambers USA 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Ismael has extensive experience in the areas of international business and US immigration requirements including the EB-5 program for Direct investment and Regional Centers. He has helped hundreds of foreign investors realize their dream of establishing a new business in the US and enjoy the stability and transparency of doing business in such an environment. 

In addition, Dr. Fernandez is a published author on the subject of technology valuation and assessment of flexibility using Real Options. He has developed unique valuation methods for engineering projects in the face of uncertainty and has more than 8 years of experience in aerospace systems design, technology valuation, risk management, technology portfolio optimization, and financial risk in the context of long term contracts for asset management.

To learn more about Charles Foster visit:

www.fosterglobal.com

To learn more about Ismael Fernandez visit:

www.greengateplans.com

To learn more about Houston Money Week visit:

www.Houstonmoneyweek.org

http://www.cheatsheet.com/personal-finance/how-schools-can-improve-their-personal-finance-education.html/

Financial Advisor Magazine Articles:

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/advisors-stay-the-course-amid-monday-s-market-drop-22864.html?section=3 

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/on-it-s-80th-anniversaryadvisors-consider-social-security-s-impactfuture-22784.html?section=3

You can listen live by going to www.kpft.org and clicking on the HD3 tab.
You can also listen to this episode and others by podcast at:

http://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/moneymatters

or

www.moneymatterspodcast.com

#KPFTHOUSTON

#HoustonMoneyWK

#greengateplans

CentSai, an online financial wellness community, and RIKAI Labs, China’s leading chatbot platform announced a partnership aimed at improving financial literacy in China. Under the terms of the partnership, RIKAI Labs will use CentSai’s engaging educational content to enhance its award-winning financial literacy chatbot, called “FinBot.” CentSai’s content is expected to launch in China in the fourth quarter of 2017.

According to a 2015 Standard & Poor’s report, 72 percent of Chinese adults lack basic financial knowledge. To address this, RIKAI Labs developed “FinBot,” a chatbot friend powered by artificial intelligence (AI). FinBot teaches basic financial concepts through friendly conversations with users incorporating multimedia and social elements to increase engagement. This creates a dialogue providing social, actionable and customized financial information to individuals. Users access FinBot through  WeChat, China’s largest messaging app with 963 million users.*

On today’s show we talked with Co-Founder and CEO of CentSai, Arindam Nag. 

Arindam started his career as a sports writer in his teens in Kolkata where he grew up. Once out of college (St Xavier’s College), with a business degree, he joined The Economic Times in India, spending three years as an editor and a reporter.

He joined Reuters news agency in Bombay in 1994 and the next 12 years he moved to New Delhi, London and then New York where he wrote on a variety of business and finance areas. In 2006 he joined the Dow Jones group in London, writing the Heard On the Street column for the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires. He subsequently moved to New York as a deputy managing editor, launching new products for investment bankers and consultants. After a brief stint of over year as head of content at consulting firm Greenwich Associates, Arindam started plotting his entrepreneurship track, researching on how finance and economics could be simplified for the common man. Months later, CentSai was born.

Arindam holds an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business, post-grad degrees in Applied Economics and Journalism, and is also a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst.

To learn more about Arindam visit:

www.Centsai.com 

To learn more about Houston Money Week visit:

www.Houstonmoneyweek.org

http://www.cheatsheet.com/personal-finance/how-schools-can-improve-their-personal-finance-education.html/

Financial Advisor Magazine Articles:

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/advisors-stay-the-course-amid-monday-s-market-drop-22864.html?section=3 

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/on-it-s-80th-anniversaryadvisors-consider-social-security-s-impactfuture-22784.html?section=3

You can listen live by going to www.kpft.org and clicking on the HD3 tab.
You can also listen to this episode and others by podcast at:

http://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/moneymatters

or

www.moneymatterspodcast.com

#KPFTHOUSTON

#HoustonMoneyWK

#CentSai

For years the Military Retirement has stayed the same with no changes. In 2018, we will see a massive change to retirement benefits for service members in the armed forces. 

On today’s show we talked with retired brigadier general and current COO of the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association (AAFMAA), Michael Meese. Mike discussed important finance tips for military members, spouses and their families. We discussed budgeting, insurance, retirement benefits, mortgages, deployments and relocations. Additionally, we had a deep dive into the upcoming major changes to the military retirement system including why its changing and what service members need to know to prepare themselves. 

Mike joined AAFMAA as Chief Operating Officer in 2013. He retired from the United States Army as a Brigadier General having concluded his 32 year career as the Professor and Head of the Department of Social Sciences at the U.S. Military Academy. 

At West Point, he taught economics and national security courses and was the Director of the Economics program. He has written numerous articles and two books: the Armed Forces Guide to Personal Financial Planning and American National Security. He has served in a variety of strategic political-military positions including deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Bosnia for a total of 31 months and was the Executive Director of the Secretary of the Army’s Transition Team in 2005 and the co-director of the Department of Defense Panel on Commercialization. He is a graduate of the National War College, U.S. Military Academy, and earned his Ph.D., MPA and an M.A. from Princeton University. 

To learn more about Michael visit:

www.AAFMAA.com

Here is a short piece on the upcoming changes for the military retirement system I did for American Business Television:

http://www.americanbusinesstv.com/2017/07/03/christopher-hensley-on-the-national-defense-authorization-act/ 

To learn more about Houston Money Week visit:

www.Houstonmoneyweek.org

http://www.cheatsheet.com/personal-finance/how-schools-can-improve-their-personal-finance-education.html/

Financial Advisor Magazine Articles:

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/advisors-stay-the-course-amid-monday-s-market-drop-22864.html?section=3 

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/on-it-s-80th-anniversaryadvisors-consider-social-security-s-impactfuture-22784.html?section=3

You can listen live by going to www.kpft.org and clicking on the HD3 tab.
You can also listen to this episode and others by podcast at:

http://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/moneymatters

or

www.moneymatterspodcast.com

#KPFTHOUSTON

#HoustonMoneyWK

#AAFMAA

When the rain finally stoped, a vast majority of homeowners in Texas digging out from Harvey's aftermath confronted another arduous obstacle — finding enough money to repair uninsured properties. Have you already filed with FEMA but been denied? Is the estimate that your insurance company gave you much lower than what you expected. What roadblocks should you be aware of when it comes to filing a FEMA or flood insurance claim?

On today’s show we talked with former catastrophe adjuster, Kevin Godfrey about how to deal with FEMA and/or your insurance company. 

To learn more about Kevin visit:

www.HenryLaurent.com and

www.emptyup.com

To learn more about Houston Money Week visit:

www.Houstonmoneyweek.org

Resources mentioned on the show:

The U.S. Small Business Administration has monetary distribution efforts to assist your clients and residents in Harris and surrounding counties. Taking out a loan may not be ideal for everyone, but at least immediate needs can be addressed for those who qualify. SBA Office of Disaster Assistance (ODA) will also be organizing Disaster Recovery Centers and Business Recovery Centers. (Coming Soon)

Red Cross (800) 733-2767

www.redcross.org/Disaster-Relief/Hurricane

FEMA, Apply for Disaster Assistance

https://www.fema.gov/apply-assistance

FEMA, Next Steps following Registration

https://www.fema.gov/faq-details/Next-steps-after-registering-for-Disaster-Assistance-1370032123676

Houston Hispanic Forum’s Hurricane Harvey – Disaster Recovery Guide 

From our work, we were able to connect and gather information from so many organizations focusing on disaster relief. Our team created a compact and comprehensive recovery guide making it easy for our families to read in a time of distress. The Disaster Recovery Guide is a summary of immediate and long-term disaster recovery resources available in the greater Houston area. The brochure includes the link to the City of Houston’s full resource guide.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Hurricane Harvey Financial Toolkit

When a catastrophe like Hurricane Harvey happens, your world can be turned upside down. During these tough times, it may be difficult to know who to trust and where to look for guidance and assistance, as well as what financial steps to take as you begin recovering. Once you have addressed your urgent needs, we have five steps you can take to help you secure your home and finances.

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/after-hurricane-harvey-financial-toolkit/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=emergency2017&utm_term=20170905

Personal Finance Cheat Sheet Article:

http://www.cheatsheet.com/personal-finance/how-schools-can-improve-their-personal-finance-education.html/

Financial Advisor Magazine Articles:

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/advisors-stay-the-course-amid-monday-s-market-drop-22864.html?section=3 

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/on-it-s-80th-anniversaryadvisors-consider-social-security-s-impactfuture-22784.html?section=3

You can listen live by going to www.kpft.org and clicking on the HD3 tab.
You can also listen to this episode and others by podcast at:

http://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/moneymatters

or

www.moneymatterspodcast.com

#KPFTHOUSTON

#HoustonMoneyWK

The brutal storm that pummeled the Houston and Gulf Coast area is likely to rank as one of the nation's costliest natural disasters, with tens of billions in lost economic activity and property damage across a region crucial to the energy, chemical and shipping industries.

On today's show we talked about the Macro and Micro economic impact of Hurricane Harvey. We looked at expected cost at a national level. We also examined the possibility of FEMA buying out homes flooded by Harvey. 

Houston Money Week has compiled a list of resources available through our partner organizations for disaster recovery after Harvey. We discussed some of the initial rejections on FEMA claims and how to get help if you are undocumented. 

To learn more about Houston Money Week visit:

www.Houstonmoneyweek.org

Resources mentioned on the show:

The U.S. Small Business Administration has monetary distribution efforts to assist your clients and residents in Harris and surrounding counties. Taking out a loan may not be ideal for everyone, but at least immediate needs can be addressed for those who qualify. SBA Office of Disaster Assistance (ODA) will also be organizing Disaster Recovery Centers and Business Recovery Centers. (Coming Soon)

Red Cross (800) 733-2767

www.redcross.org/Disaster-Relief/Hurricane

FEMA, Apply for Disaster Assistance

https://www.fema.gov/apply-assistance

FEMA, Next Steps following Registration

https://www.fema.gov/faq-details/Next-steps-after-registering-for-Disaster-Assistance-1370032123676

Houston Hispanic Forum’s Hurricane Harvey - Disaster Recovery Guide 

From our work, we were able to connect and gather information from so many organizations focusing on disaster relief. Our team created a compact and comprehensive recovery guide making it easy for our families to read in a time of distress. The Disaster Recovery Guide is a summary of immediate and long-term disaster recovery resources available in the greater Houston area. The brochure includes the link to the City of Houston's full resource guide.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Hurricane Harvey Financial Toolkit

When a catastrophe like Hurricane Harvey happens, your world can be turned upside down. During these tough times, it may be difficult to know who to trust and where to look for guidance and assistance, as well as what financial steps to take as you begin recovering. Once you have addressed your urgent needs, we have five steps you can take to help you secure your home and finances.

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/after-hurricane-harvey-financial-toolkit/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=emergency2017&utm_term=20170905

Personal Finance Cheat Sheet Article:

http://www.cheatsheet.com/personal-finance/how-schools-can-improve-their-personal-finance-education.html/

Financial Advisor Magazine Articles:

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/advisors-stay-the-course-amid-monday-s-market-drop-22864.html?section=3 

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/on-it-s-80th-anniversaryadvisors-consider-social-security-s-impactfuture-22784.html?section=3

You can listen live by going to www.kpft.org and clicking on the HD3 tab.
You can also listen to this episode and others by podcast at:

http://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/moneymatters

or

www.moneymatterspodcast.com

#KPFTHOUSTON

#HoustonMoneyWK

For many marketing professionals, "science" is a four-letter word. They see brand-building as an unteachable art guided by their intuition and experience. But at its core, marketing aims to seed ideas into people's minds, make them feel a certain way, and, ultimately, get them to act.

Our guest today was Daryl Weber, author of Brand Seduction: How Neuroscience Can Help Marketers Build Memorable Brands. We discussed the role of brand in the presidential election, and much more.In Brand Seduction, Daryl reveals the latest psychological and neuroscientific discoveries about how our minds process brand information and make decisions, and the important roles our emotions and unconscious play in our selections.

To learn more about Daryl visit:

www.Daryl-Weber.com 

Personal Finance Cheat Sheet Article:

http://www.cheatsheet.com/personal-finance/how-schools-can-improve-their-personal-finance-education.html/

Financial Advisor Magazine Articles:

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/advisors-stay-the-course-amid-monday-s-market-drop-22864.html?section=3 

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/on-it-s-80th-anniversaryadvisors-consider-social-security-s-impactfuture-22784.html?section=3

You can listen live by going to www.kpft.org and clicking on the HD3 tab.
You can also listen to this episode and others by podcast at:

http://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/moneymatters

or

www.moneymatterspodcast.com

#KPFTHOUSTON

#Brandedcortex

Lifelong Career motivation differs from person to person. Perhaps you’re driven by a challenge, have a dream to work in a particular field, want to earn the highest income you can; but for some, the greatest motivation in her or his career is knowing their work can make a positive impact on society.

CareerCast.com is the Internet's premier career site for finding targeted job opportunities by industry, function and location. The site's job database offers opportunities from all U.S. and Canadian newspaper, magazine, association, niche and TV station web sites powered by Adicio Inc., the Internet's leading developer of web-based classified advertising solutions.

To learn more about Career cast visit:

http://www.careercast.com/about-us

Personal Finance Cheat Sheet Article:

http://www.cheatsheet.com/personal-finance/how-schools-can-improve-their-personal-finance-education.html/

Financial Advisor Magazine Articles:

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/advisors-stay-the-course-amid-monday-s-market-drop-22864.html?section=3 

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/on-it-s-80th-anniversaryadvisors-consider-social-security-s-impactfuture-22784.html?section=3

You can listen live by going to www.kpft.org and clicking on the HD3 tab.
You can also listen to this episode and others by podcast at:

http://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/moneymatters

or

www.moneymatterspodcast.com

#KPFTHOUSTON
#careercast

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates food waste in the United States to be about 30 to 40 percent of the food supply. An estimated 133 billion pounds of food from stores, restaurants and homes was wasted in 2010, according to the USDA. The amount of uneaten food from homes and restaurants in 2008 was valued at $390 per customer.

Our guest for today was Barbara Heitman Bronstein, founder of Second Servings Houston. Raised in New York, Barbara has called Houston home for over 30 years. She graduated from Tufts University before earning an MBA in Marketing from New York University. After a successful career marketing some of America's leading brands for Unilever, Mars, and Coca-Cola, Barbara piloted a banquet food rescue program known as "Banquet Bounty for the Hungry", the precursor to Second Servings of Houston.

Second Servings of Houston strives to alleviate hunger and reduce waste by rescuing excess prepared food from hotels, caterers, sports venues, cafeterias, food retailers, and other regulated food businesses, and delivering it promptly and safely to approved charitable meal sites.

To learn more about Second Servings visit:

 https://www.secondservingshouston.org/

Personal Finance Cheat Sheet Article:

http://www.cheatsheet.com/personal-finance/how-schools-can-improve-their-personal-finance-education.html/

Financial Advisor Magazine Articles:

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/advisors-stay-the-course-amid-monday-s-market-drop-22864.html?section=3 

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/on-it-s-80th-anniversaryadvisors-consider-social-security-s-impactfuture-22784.html?section=3

You can listen live by going to www.kpft.org and clicking on the HD3 tab.
You can also listen to this episode and others by podcast at:

http://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/moneymatters

or

www.moneymatterspodcast.com

#KPFTHOUSTON
#SecondServings

Check out this episode!

 Drawing from examples gathered over two decades of turning a weekly Fort Worth comedy show into a full-time business that has them traveling the world and serving as Entrepreneurs in Residence at the business school at Texas Christian University, co-authors David Wilk, David Ahearn, and Frank Ford demonstrate how “yes, and” thinking helps improve communication skills, facilitate creative problem solving, and generate new ideas that can refresh and rejuvenate.  From understanding the value of open minded, active listening (the ability to say “yes” to anything and mean it); to a willingness to offer out-of-the-box ideas without prejudgment (putting the “and” into action); to demonstrating authentic respect for the ideas and intentions of others, Happy Accidents shows how the same elements that make for great teamwork on stage prove to be immensely successful strategies in the workplace and board room.

Frank Ford has had a successful career in the entertainment industry for the last 25 years and is one of the founding members and owner of Four Day Weekend, a comedy institution in Texas. He has also studied at the renowned Second City Conservatory in Chicago and taught advanced classes at the Four Day Weekend Training Center.

As a professional actor, Frank has appeared in numerous commercial spots, television shows and films. In addition, he has received critical-acclaim for his original comedy revues, comedy album, short films and acting roles.

Over the years, Frank has been recognized for his writing, including the sale of an original comedy to 20th Century FOX. Frank has recently finished writing a feature film, is working on a pilot treatment for HBO and is in the process of publishing his first book entitled, Happy Accidents, which teaches people how use the philosophy of improvisation in a positive way to enrich their lives.

To learn more about Frank Ford visit:

http://www.frankjford.com/About_Frank.html

Happy Accidents book:

https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Accidents-Transformative-Power-Work/dp/1119428564/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1501525845&sr=8-2&keywords=happy+accidents

Personal Finance Cheat Sheet Article:

http://www.cheatsheet.com/personal-finance/how-schools-can-improve-their-personal-finance-education.html/

Financial Advisor Magazine Articles:

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/advisors-stay-the-course-amid-monday-s-market-drop-22864.html?section=3 

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/on-it-s-80th-anniversaryadvisors-consider-social-security-s-impactfuture-22784.html?section=3

You can listen live by going to www.kpft.org and clicking on the HD3 tab.
You can also listen to this episode and others by podcast at:

http://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/moneymatters

or

www.moneymatterspodcast.com

#KPFTHOUSTON
#4daywkd