People Incorporated’s Financial Services has been working alongside community partners this year to help young adults build financial literacy.
Our ReadySet credit building program for young adults helps community members 18 to 24 years old learn the basics of credit, budgeting, and more, helping them build the foundation for their financial future.
Justin Lewis, our Trainer & Technical Assistance Specialist, recently worked with a ReadySet cohort at the Washington County Career & Technical Education Center (Neff Center) in Abingdon to help them establish the basics of money management.
Shawn Roark, Career Engagement Coordinator at Washington County Virginia Public Schools, says that by end of the four-week course, “Our students have developed a significantly enhanced understanding of the financial system and how to effectively utilize available products in their future endeavors, whether that involves managing student loans or launching their own businesses.”
People Incorporated and the school system worked closely together to bring ReadySet into the classroom. Over the course of four weeks, the program explored financial topics ranging from banking to credit to borrowing to money.
Greg Poisson is a senior who is getting ready to go to Boston University in the fall. He said that the ReadySet program helped him learn how to “actually go out and apply these study ideas . . . so many financial programs are based on the theoretical, this was about how to actually apply it and make informed decisions.”
Marshall Jones, a former football player turned team manager, said that the ReadySet program helped him get ready for the “real world.”
Learning how to build credit inspired Marshall to feel confident enough to consider getting a credit card to begin to build his own credit.
“Justin did a great job of making sure everyone felt confident in the short amount of time he was given,” said Marshall. “I feel very confident in every module we went through.”
Marshall said even the homework assignments given out at the end of every module were helpful. He even credits the budgeting homework assignments for helping him to save money. “As a high school student, you want to go after school and get fast food, spend money. That really helped us see where our money was going.”
“For us, high schoolers . . . anybody who has any questions or concerns about finance and just really doesn’t know how to approach it, this is a great foundation for getting out there,” said Greg.
Both Greg and Marshall graduated this year. Greg plans to run cross-country at Boston University while majoring in architectural studies, a field inspired by his time at the Neff Center. Marshall also plans to enroll in a four-year university after graduation and plans to pursue a career in sports medicine.
While this ReadySet session was tailored to a group of graduating seniors, ReadySet is built to reach young adults across different paths – whether they’re entering college, working full time, or pursuing a trade. This is a community-focused program that prepares the next generation for financial success.
Ready to build stronger financial futures together? To bring ReadySet to your classroom or organization, reach out to Justin Lewis at 276-608-2308 or jtlewis@peopleinc.net.
