In this NGPF Podcast, Yanely speaks to Bill Thomason, founder of the Wall Street Wizards Academy -- an organization committed to educating students of color about basic banking, budgeting, investing, and money management. Bill speaks about his path from growing up in Detroit to becoming a portfolio manager, the impact he’s having on Black and Brown students through the Wall Street Wizards Academy, and explaining cryptocurrency to young adults. 

Details:

• 0:00~1:00 Introduction
• 1:00~8:32 Path to getting to Wall Street
• 8:32~12:13 Founding Wall Street Wizards Academy
• 12:13~19:33 Exposing students of color to the world of investing
• 19:33~22:56 The impact Bill sees when students are exposed to investing
• 22:56~23:43 A word from NGPF
• 23:43~29:33 Cryptocurrency as an investment
• 29:33~34:34 Cryptocurrency conference for students
• 34:34~36:47 Where the Wall Street Wizards operate in
• 36:47~39:20 Exposing students to ESG investing
• 39:20~40:26 Conclusion

Resources:

• Wall Street Wizards

Quotes:

• "What I wanted to do was provide a place where kids could learn in a structured, and most importantly, a safe and nurturing environment where they could learn about finance and investing."

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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