VOL. 7 E-MAGAZINE, 4th Quarter Edition 2019 POWERED BY
THE LEVEL UP dfree® ACCELERATES MOVEMENT TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF FINANCIAL FREEDOM
BEST OF 2019 BILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE PATH TO FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
PLUS
WITH JANIAH LAKE dfree® TRAINING AND ENGAGEMENT TEAM LAUNCH NEW UPDATES!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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11 6. Driving Toward Financial Freedom in Motor City
Audrey Hurst inspired hope as she shared her financial dreams during a film shoot in Detroit for Prudential’s ‘Legacy Lives On’
10. #LevelUp Kickoff Powered by Prudential 12. dfree® EDU: The Movement in Action
19. Building Financially Fit Employees with RWJ Barnabas Health 20. I’ve Got the Keys with eHomeAmerica 21. Say Yes To No Debt with Dr. Soaries 22. National Association of Real Estate Brokers
15. dfree® Young Money Building Billionaires LIVE
23. The Balancing Act: Business on a Budget Powered by Prudential
18. MoneyLion: The Financial Heartbeat
28. The Billion Dollar Choice
ON THE COVER:
Get to the next level of financial freedom with the dfree® Training and Engagement Team.
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DRIVING TOWARD FINANCIAL FREEDOM IN MOTOR CITY BY MADHU PAI
Rain was falling from a foreboding sky as our plane touched down in Detroit. It seemed a fitting introduction. After all, friends had warned me to expect a deserted, dilapidated and depressing city, adding, “Watch where you go.” Ironically, the warning was worth heeding because Detroit offers a lot to see. Far from being deserted, the city bustles with activity and new development. Construction cranes dot its skyline, promising sleek new skyscrapers, boutique hotels, restaurants, housing and schools. And Detroit is where Audrey Hurst is raising three children and working to give them a strong financial legacy.
to black Americans in the U.S. The documentary, which aired on June 19 on TV One, profiles Audrey and two other black millennial women—one from Atlanta and the other from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Through the stories of these three women, it highlights modern-day financial struggles, hopes and dreams juxtaposed against past events that have shaped each woman’s perspective on money and finances. The film builds on stories told through The State of US, Prudential’s exploration of financial wellness across America, and the challenges that stand in the way. Black Americans share those same challenges but bear the burden of overcoming past economic and social injustices that have created barriers to building financial wealth. The film is the first to tell this story in this way.
I was there to meet Audrey for the filming of “Legacy Lives On,” a documentary Prudential created in partnership with Urban One— The camera crew set up at Authe largest distributor of content drey’s mother’s house, a third of LIVING
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which Audrey now owns as an inheritance. Audrey entered the house carrying her baby girl, filling the space with optimism despite the rain. She’s a newlywed who works full time at a local Costco, along with running several side hustles that help her earn money to offset her family’s mounting debt. She held her daughter during most of the two-day shoot, talking about how she’ll do whatever she can to help her children fulfill their dreams.
Census found that two-thirds of black Americans making $60,000 or less said they were optimistic about their finances, compared with only half of all Americans in the same income bracket. While Audrey’s optimism made me smile, I also wanted to remind her that she will get just a third of the proceeds from the sale of the house, and that she’ll need to balance the money she receives between paying off debt and day-today bills while leaving something to her kids. But I stayed quiet. My partners at Urban One were doing a beautiful job drawing out Audrey’s story and I didn’t want to interrupt.
Audrey has set her hopes on her inheritance—counting on the proceeds from the sale of the house left to her and her siblings after her mother died. She sees the house as an inspiration to pass along something of value to her Yet my hopes for Audrey turned own children and as a path out of into worry because her optimism financial insecurity. doesn’t seem to square with reality. That’s not unusual: The FinanAs a mother, I related to Audrey’s cial Wellness Census found that desire to leave a financial legacy despite high levels of optimism, to her children. And as a first-gen- just 29% of black Americans makeration immigrant from a family of ing $60,000 or less annually say refugees who overcame loss and they are on track to save enough rebuilt their own legacies over for retirement. two generations, I felt an instant connection with Audrey. She’s Despite only knowing her for a day, like many black Americans—more I believed Audrey would figure out optimistic about her ability to how to reach her goals and build reach her financial goals than the a strong foundation for her famgeneral population. In fact, Pru- ily. She openly admitted that she dential’s 2018 Financial Wellness doesn’t know much about man8 | LIVING
aging finances and finds it overwhelming. However, she’s already seeking guidance to manage her debt and start building wealth.
ed with a sense of hope. I hope to revisit the city in the future to enjoy its revitalization. And I remain hopeful for Audrey, who left the shoot after two days of rain and Audrey’s story fueled my own stepped into sunshine. sense of purpose and illustrated the importance of Prudential’s Watch the film online: Prudential work to bring to light the complex Presents: Legacy Lives On construct of legacy within the black community in a way that’s Madhu Pai is vice president, Brand seldom acknowledged. This film is Development and Engagement for only the beginning of a journey to Prudential Brand Marketing and understand and learn as we seek Advertising. She joined Prudential to bring financial wellness to all in 2016 after working for advertisAmericans. ing agencies where she supported blue chip clients including Procter Prudential was founded on the be- & Gamble, Pepsi, Merrill Lynch lief that financial security should and Ameriprise. Outside of work, be within reach of everyone, of- she has served on her local school fering insurance to working-class board, volunteers with local charAmericans from day one almost ities for at-risk youth and serves 145 years ago. Unfortunately, that on boards of two philanthropic hasn’t always included everyone, organizations. including the black community, but that part of the company’s 1023039-00001-00 history will not be its legacy. Our Legacy campaign is not only an important first step toward serving the black community, it also demonstrates Prudential’s commitment to being fully inclusive as we push toward our ambition to become the leading financial wellness partner for all communities. Without giving away any spoilers, I can say my time in Detroit endLIVING
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POWERED BY
dfree® hosted its “Level Up” Leadership Retreat in Indianapolis, Sept. 26-28. Nearly 700 attendees gathered for elevation strategy to get to the next level of financial freedom through live workshops, trainings and panel discussions, plus access to new dfree® resources, tools and content. Prudential was the title sponsor of this event.
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#LEVELUP KICKOF Powered by Prudential, we hosted a welcome dinner and documentary screening of Urban One’s critically-acclaimed Legacy Lives On. After the screening, Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr. moderated an inspiring panel discussion that featured one of the stars of the film, Onikah Asamoa-Caesar; Delvin Joyce, former NFL player turned Prudential Financial Advisor; and Tuwisha D. Rodgers, VP of Strategic Partnerships at Urban One’s One Solutions. “We wanted to get to the heart and emotion of where our community is regarding economic empowerment and we couldn’t have that conversation without going back to talk about how we got here, who we are and the circumstances our communities faced so that we can lean forward and take action to change what that looks like,” Rodgers said, describing Legacy Lives On.
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THE MOVEMENT IN ACTION! More than 150 dfree® leaders and teachers gathered to learn about new strategies and updates, tips and tools to further inspire, motivate and lead them in changing their communities in 2020. Led by the dfree® Training and Engagement Team, attendees learned strategy for the newly-updated Billion Dollar Challenge website, best practices to introduce and incorporate dfree® into sororities, fraternities and community organizations, and an overview of MoneyLion banking solutions. The team also introduced and launched the all-new dfree® EDU platform - the learning segment of dfree® all pulled into one location.
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The dfree® Training + Engagement Team works directly with churches, community organizations and individuals to help them get trained and gives them the tools necessary to lead dfree® in their communities.
dfree® Training + Engagement Team
SHAUNDA SUTTON
JANIAH LAKE
KATHERINE TAYLOR
KYLE HARRISON
MICHELLE DUTTON
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RENT WITH CONFIDENCE dfreeÂŽ and IRT partner so individuals can Rent with Confidence to meet essential housing needs and encourage credit improvement through positive rental experiences.
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LEARN MORE HERE.
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BUILDING BILLIONAIRES LIVE
dfree® Young Money Guest
CAYLA COUSINS International Urban Marketing Manager Capitol Records
High school students prepare for the #levelup as they learn the importance of financial freedom. dfree® Young Money Guest
KARLEEN ROY Founder & CEO The Vanity Group
Students learned the 3 types of spending: COMPENSATORY Spending to make up for something you feel you are lacking CONSPICUOUS Spending for status CONFUSED Spending without thought
dfree® Young Money Guest
YANDY SMITH Media Mogul & Entrepreneur
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YOU CAN ACHIEVE FINANCIAL FREEDOM. WE CAN HELP.
LEARN MORE HERE 16 | LIVING
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MONEYLION: THE FINANCIAL HEARTBEAT PASTOR SOARIES “This is dfree®, and we want you to be free from debt and the debt lifestyle.”
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BUILDING FINANCIALLY FIT EMPLOYEES
MICHELLENE DAVIS Executive Vice President & Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, RWJ Barnabas “I actually firmly believe that without a shadow of a doubt in my mind that the greatest thing that RWJ Barnabas Health will do for its employees is to invest in them in this way.”
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I’VE GOT THE KEYS MILT SHARP, JR. President, eHome America “We are an online financial capability program. When you are financially capable, homeownership is one of those potential outcomes.” LEARN MORE HERE.
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Say Yes When Life Says No includes a first-hand account of Rev. Dr. DeForest Soaries – pastor, husband, father, public servant, and cancer survivor. Enriched with personal stories and vivid Biblical references, Dr. Soaries provokes us to see every obstacle in life as an opportunity and every burden as a potential blessing.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE
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NAREB: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REAL ESTATE BROKERS DONNELL WILLIAMS President, National Association of Real Estate Brokers “We specialize in serving underserved communities, that happens to be us, African Americans. Black homeownership rate is 40.6%. That is totally unacceptable.”
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THE BALANCING ACT: BUSINESS ON A BUDGET
MONICA HINES Financial Advisor, Prudential + dfree® Champion “I tell my clients, young Monica has to take care of old Monica, because when old Monica looks back and young Monica didn’t take care of her, she’s going to be ticked off.”
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MYA SMITH-EDMONDS First Female African American Next Generation McDonald’s Owner/Operator “I’ll pay my tithes if I can’t go get nothing else. I save like I pay my tithes. If I start spending the money that’s for the future, #1 I won’t have a future and then I always pay my tithes because all the money belong to him anyway.”
YANDY SMITH Media Mogul & Entrepreneur “I think the main pitfall so many of us have, and I think it’s a setback of slavery, we think that when one person makes it to the top, there’s not enough room for another one of us to make it to the top.”
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THE LEVEL UP LEADERSHIP RETREAT WATCH OR REWATCH BEGINNING MYDFREE.ORG GET ALL THE EXCITEMENT OF THE dfree® LEVEL UP LEADERSHIP RETREAT IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME! LEGACY LIVES ON PANEL POWERED BY PRUDENTIAL WITH ONIKAH ASAMOA-CAESAR, TUWISHA D. RODGERS & DELVIN JOYCE MONEYLION: THE FINANCIAL HEARTBEAT WITH BILL DAVARIS CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, MONEYLION LEARNING LIVE: dfree® EDU WITH dfree® ENGAGEMENT TEAM THE BALANCING ACT: BUSINESS ON A BUDGET WITH MONICA HINES, YANDY SMITH & MYA SMITH-EDMONDS dfree® YOUNG MONEY BUILDING BILLIONAIRES LIVE WITH CAYLA COUSINS, KARLEEN ROY & YANDY SMITH
dfree® WITH ORGANIZATIONS WITH MICHELLENE DAVIS, ESQ. EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF CORPORATE AFFAIRS OFFICER, RWJ BARNABAS CARMEN MCCLENDON CHAIR OF NATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE, DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY, INC. LIVING
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NEXT STEPS NEW! dfree® EDU Launch Training Winter 2019 Get connected to dfree® EDU Training + Engagement Team with our live online class for those looking to launch dfree® programming and curriculum in their church and community organization. JOIN OUR ONLINE CLASS NOV05 - NOV07, 2019 mydfree.org/events If you missed it, email us and we can send you the recorded version of the webinar.
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dfree® EDU LAUNCHES NEW UPDATES!
JANIAH LAKE Director of Training, Engagement & Support, leads the dfree® EDU initiative.
12 STEPS TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM LEADER’S GUIDE
dfree® is proud to introduce dfree® EDU - the learning segment of dfree® pulled all into one place! With this launch, dfree® will release an all-new Leaders’ Guide and training materials for you to excel on the journey to financial freedom in 2020! dfree® EDU is your one-stop shop for training, tools and strategies on dfree® content and curriculums to support you in your individual learning or the launch of a group. dfree® EDU is all about sharing tools, tips, and tactics regarding your finances. WANT TO KNOW MORE? Email us at engagement@mydfree.org today!
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THE BILLION DOLLAR CHOICE Unprecedentedly, nearly 10,000 of us have paid down more than $23 MILLION of consumer debt. The Billion Dollar Challenge is the civil rights mission of dfreeÂŽ to continue the legacy founded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. of financial wellness and empowerment for all. Billion Dollar Challenge is a free, online interactive tool designed to help lead African Americans in collectively paying down one billion dollars of consumer debt. The Billion Dollar Challenge allows users to not just join the movement but to be active in our communal uphill battle of obtaining financial freedom while reducing debt and building wealth.
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TOP 5 BILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE GROUPS OF 2019: METROPOLITAN DALLAS ALUMNAE CHAPTER DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY, INC.
WILSON FAMILY KINGDOM CHURCH MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL ALUMNAE CHAPTER DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY, INC.
TEMPLE ALUMNAE GROUP DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY, INC. I joined not only because I felt it helped supplement the course but also because it put a lot into perspective as far as debt and where I wanted to go. CRYSTAL J. of houston, tx bdc member
The BDC is truly a grace for me. In preparing a legacy for my children and teaching them to be money minded, becoming debt free is the perfect example and having this money increases those possibilities. I’m an art educator looking to start my own business and being debt free and taking steps to invest seemed a far distance but now my goals are definitely becoming a reality...I am so grateful! ONAJE B. of plano, tx bdc member
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PRUDENTIAL IS THE PROUD TITLE SPONSOR OF THE DFREE® FINANCIAL FREEDOM MOVEMENT
Prudential is here to help you make the decisions that will have a lasting impact on your financial wellness. For more information, please visit us at www.prudential.com #PruEmpowers
dfree™ and Financial Freedom Movement™ are trademarks of the Corporate Community Connections, Inc., which is not affiliated with The Prudential Insurance Company of America or its affiliates, Newark, NJ. Each company is solely responsible for its own financial condition, content, liabilities and contractual obligations. 0317582-00001-00
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