Money Coach mindset
November 18, 2025
How one program is shaping lifetimes of financial confidence.
Your Two Cents brings together the voices of Money Coach alumni and local business professionals who are interested in learning more about the program’s impact. At our latest Your Two Cents event, alumni shared their personal experiences, lessons learned, and how the Money Coach mindset continues to shape their financial confidence and life choices long after completing the program.
When young people learn to see money not as a mystery, but as a tool for opportunity, everything changes. At SecureFutures’ recent Your Two Cents event, alumni of the Money Coach program shared how that shift, what they call their Money Coach mindset, continues to shape their lives years later.
For many, Money Coach was their first chance to have open, judgment-free conversations about money.
“Growing up in my household, much like many other low-income households, money was a taboo subject,” said Karena Clark, now a nursing student at UW-Milwaukee. “In joining the Money Coach program, I not only learned how to manage my finances, I became more confident talking about them. I really believe Money Coach is changing the culture around money, especially in low-income neighborhoods.”
Karena now shares what she learned with her younger sister, who’s already putting those lessons into practice. “She has her own debit card, her bills are on autopay, and she’s saving for her first car. She’s doing a lot better than I was at her age,” Karena said. “That’s the Money Coach mindset, learning early, then passing it on.”
For Julissa Quevedo Aguila, now a business student at Alverno College and SecureFutures intern, Money Coach reshaped beliefs she inherited from her family. “My parents came from an immigrant background, and they taught me that credit was bad,” she said. “But through Money Coach, I learned that building credit can actually help you reach your goals, like buying a house or getting a loan with a lower rate. It was a total ‘aha’ moment for me.”
Julissa said that even after completing the program, the lessons and connections continue. “A few months ago, I reached out to my coach to help me set up a retirement account and life insurance. She connected me with a financial advisor, so now, at 20, I have peace of mind about my future.”
That long-term perspective was echoed by Kat Mazang, who participated in Money Coach at Pearls for Teen Girls in 2018 and now works as a youth system navigator for Family Promise of Ozaukee County. “Money Coach helped me become a more logical and realistic planner,” Kat said. “It’s made me a long-term thinker, not just for myself, but for my community.”
For Lemietric Burns, that mindset sparked entrepreneurship. “My Money Coaches, Nick and Rebecca, showed me that financial literacy could open doors,” he said. “They came from the same neighborhood as me, so seeing them succeed made me believe I could too. They even helped me get my first apartment at 19.” Today, Lemietric runs a business rooted in honesty and community impact. “I wanted to show you can run a business that helps people instead of taking advantage of them,” he said.
Money Coach doesn’t just end when students graduate.
Alumni carry the lessons and relationships with them. “I joined when I was 16 or 17,” said Amanda Jenkins, now serving in the U.S. military. “Years later, I still use what I learned. I saved, built my credit, and bought my first car. This program isn’t one-and-done, it’s something everlasting.”
That lifelong ripple effect is exactly what Miguel Aviles, now an electrician and homeowner, sees, too. “They taught us to pay ourselves first,” he said. “That mindset helped me buy my house at 22. From budgeting to saving for emergencies, I use what I learned every day.”
As the panel wrapped up, the alumni shared a message for the attendees in the room.
“When you choose to invest in SecureFutures,” Karena said, “you’re not just writing a check. You’re changing lives, real people like me, like all of us.”
Amanda added, “I’m living proof of SecureFutures’ impact. This isn’t just an organization, it’s a family.”
And Kat closed with a reminder of shared responsibility: “Somebody one day is going to be taking care of me, and somebody one day is probably going to be taking care of you. So let’s take care of each other and make sure financial literacy is shared, so we can all be responsible.”
That’s the Money Coach mindset, confidence, community, and a commitment to pay it forward.
We are recruiting Money Coach volunteers for the spring semester. If you’d like to learn more about the Money Coach program and how you can help teens empower themselves through financial capability, visit our website for more information or contact Stephaine Crosley at stephaine@securefutures.org.