General Savings Homeownership
By Nicky Vasquez

Taking Steps Toward Financial Fitness

Nicky Vasquez learned about Virginia Saves when she attended her first class with Bank On Virginia Beach. The instructor shared how important it was to have a written savings goal, and the entire class joined Virginia Saves as the first step toward financial fitness.

Nicky Vasquez learned about Virginia Saves when she attended her first class with Bank On Virginia Beach. The instructor shared how important it was to have a written savings goal, and the entire class joined Virginia Saves as the first step toward financial fitness.

When Nicky signed up for class, she wanted to learn how to better manage money and increase savings. Growing up, she never learned about savings because “it was always about the here and now in addition to helping my mother with household expenses.” But, she realized she could have been saving all along by doing a better job managing her spending.

Applying what she learned in the class, Nicky now tracks her daily spending, saves monthly in a savings account through automatic deposit, and doesn’t rely on credit cards in a pinch. By using her funds wisely, she has increased her savings and made improvements to add value to her home. Another lesson she learned was to make sure to review her credit report once a year. “Good credit has always been important to me,” Nicky explained, “it was the one thing that I was taught when I started working at the age of 10 with my paper route.”

In addition to sharing what she learned with family members, Nicky began to look at how to make a difference in the lives of the youth she works with by helping them make better financial decisions and offering financial training opportunities.

Nicky said the best part of her training was having a one-on-one coach. “My coach not only met with me monthly to review my funds and decisions, but she also educated me on the importance of improving my finances through investment options that best fit me and my circumstances.”

Nicky encourages others to begin their savings journey by joining Virginia Saves or America Saves. “Establishing a written goal and taking steps to make it become a reality helped me, and I know it can help others, too.”

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