Friday, August 28, 2009

Reemergence of a Powerhouse Nation Through Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurism

Nouveau Riche CEO and Co-founder Jim Piccolo puts you at the forefront of the “trend” to strengthen America
“Fear is a prosperity killer, and right now consumers here and around the world are feeling it (fear). Underneath this fear and lack of confidence, are massive levels of financial illiteracy.” - John Hope Bryant

A tremendous visionary, philanthropist, master entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Jim Piccolo is committed “to building the biggest, best company of entrepreneurs and independent individuals.”


Jim Piccolo’s Invitation to the White House…
In June 2008, Mr. Piccolo had the distinct honor of attending the first-ever White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives’ Compassion in Action Roundtable on Financial Literacy. Comprised of the Presidential Cabinet Members, top political leaders, chief educators and distinguished business people from around the country—including Anna Escobedo Cabral, Treasurer of the United States, and Charles Schwab, Chair of the President’s Council on Financial Literacy— this Roundtable focused on innovative and effective programs and partnerships that promote financial literacy among Americans of all ages. At the forefront of this developing “trend” to improve financial literacy: entrepreneurism. Piccolo says, “This discussion was the most amazing validation of the vision of Nouveau Riche…it’s time to rally around a cause called entrepreneurism. It’s time to build this country back up to the strength, as a nation, that it once was…”

Through Nouveau Riche, Piccolo infuses in others an understanding of more than how to become a successful business owner and how to invest in real estate; students and marketers learn the responsibility wealth brings. Piccolo’s Responsible Accumulation of Wealth (R.A.W.) system promotes individual success and financial literacy, making for stronger individuals who, in turn, can pay forward their success to help others.
Returning to Washington, D.C.….

Almost one year later, Jim Piccolo returned to Washington, D.C., for the vitally important HOPE Global Financial Literacy Summit, where over 700 delegates and economic leaders from 6 continents and more than 30 countries gathered. Headlining this Summit was U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, “helping America and the world to begin the process of effectively ‘turning the page,’ towards viable long- term, systemic and sustainable solutions to our economic problems.”

Jim Piccolo stated: “I’m honored to be invited to the Summit for the making of history for this great country, and I’m even more pleased that our policy makers are putting such great emphasis on the opinions of entrepreneurs…This proves, once again, my opinion that the greatest opportunity in America today is being your own boss and owning your own business…”
The June 17, 2009 Summit Keynote Speakers included FDIC Chair Sheila Bair and civil rights icon and HOPE global spokesman Ambassador Andrew Young, principal aide to the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., among other notable speakers and financial literacy drivers around the world. John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman and CEO, HOPE, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, remarked "…For the sake of our shared future global security, stability and growth, we should empower everyone with 'silver rights' -- financial literacy, or what we at Operation HOPE call 'the language of money.'"

The tone of the 2009 Summit was “positive and upbeat,” commented Piccolo on discussions of what we can expect in the future. The general focus of the Summit was on youth, in particular, inner-city teens who are at the highest risk of high school dropout. The Summit honed in on the necessity to understand the psychological aspects of money, including self-esteem and self-worth, and the contributing factors like culture and environment. For many, money represents stability, opportunity and access, or lack thereof the aforementioned. Paramount to this discussion was the growing desire to establish a healthy mindset early on among our youth. The Financial Literacy and the Education System breakout session revealed that 66% of 22-28 year olds surveyed said that financial fitness is more important than physical fitness. As one delegate stated, “financial literacy is a survival skill.”

The Summit deliberated on the impact the “language of money” has on the world, reiterating that “…our relationship with money is a key driver to how we perceive and respond to the world around us. When you don’t know, you tend to fear…” As discussed in the Financial Literacy and Nurturing a Generation of Entrepreneurship breakout session, “There is a need for creating both a culture and a generation of entrepreneurs and self-employment projects and Education and Financial Literacy play a key role in the development of skills and behaviors that will allow future entrepreneurs to start and grow business in a responsible and inclusive manner.” Among some of the strongest advocates for this is Jim Piccolo, whose philosophy in business is that “it has to be profitable, ethical, and fun.” Piccolo dedicates his life to showing others the way to becoming financially literate, responsible entrepreneurs and philanthropists in charge of their own destiny and able to help create a stronger America now and for generations to come.

Nouveau Riche’s Impact on a Financially Literate Nation…
Fresh from the Global Financial Literacy Summit, Jim Piccolo spoke at a Special Edition Financial Literacy Workshop in the Washington Metro Area, for Nouveau Riche Community Members. There, Piccolo conveyed key information from the Summit, including the need to “leverage our skills and knowledge and have fun doing it. This reports directly to our self esteem and ultimately our financial plan.” Piccolo empowered Community Members, reaffirming that “what we at Nouveau Riche spend our time doing as entrepreneurs is establishing and tracking our goals and continuing to educate ourselves and others on how to learn core competencies.”

In addition to this workshop, Jim Piccolo actively teaches individuals across the country how to get control of their household spending through “Pic Your Mentor” Financial Literacy Workshops. His no-holds-barred style and exercises help individuals recognize their financial pitfalls and ways to make change. In winter of 2009, Jim Piccolo took his Pic Your Mentor program to a whole new level with one-day workshops sweeping the Nouveau Riche Community– from CA to WA to TX and beyond. As the program continues to move throughout the Community, thousands more will learn Piccolo’s system that can be implemented without any fancy software and managed by dedicating as little as 10 minutes a day. The result: individuals start building the financial future they desire.

As such, in December 2008, Nouveau Riche offered its first adult Financial Literacy class, taught by Nouveau Riche Instructor and creator of the first college-credited course on financial literacy in the country, Craig Cottrell. This class sheds new light on tried-and-true fundamentals of financial goal setting and achievement, examines the benefits of tighter expense controls, shares an overview of credit reports and scores, and reviews time-proven, wealth-building success principles.

Fostering a positive financial outlook for our youth, Nouveau Riche introduces its Teen Financial Literacy class beginning with the July 2009 College. Teens will have the opportunity to participate in this fun, interactive class and gain information on improving spending habits for years to come. The class will help teens understand financial literacy terminology, learn why it is important to live within their means, learn about various financial management vehicles, understand the nature and benefits of good credit, and compare the advantages and disadvantages of owning vs. leasing. Craig Cottrell and fellow Nouveau Riche Instructor, Phil Lechter, will teach teens how to take control of their finances and their future, starting now.

Nouveau Riche offers education for life and the opportunity to learn what Jim Piccolo considers to be “the best own-your-own-business opportunity in the U.S…” Just ask our Community Members…


Find out more about Nouveau Riche’s financial literacy education:
visit the website: http://www.nouveauriche.com/


SOURCES:
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090622005527&newsLang=en
http://summit09.operationhope.org/
http://www.johnhopebryant.com/john_hope_bryant_/financial_literacy/index.html
http://www.earnedmedia.org/wh0617.htm
http://www.verticalnews.com/print.php?articleID=1969408