Financial Mentors of America, Inc.

MENTORS NEEDED NOW

FMA’s mission is to help young adults develop a plan for the future and then execute that plan so that they can become financially secure and independent and not dependent on parents or society for their support. We want them to be leaders, creating a future, not struggling and living paycheck to paycheck.

We work with lower-income students because they need to set aggressive goals and be encouraged by mentors to be success stories in their communities.

We work with middle-income students because, too often, they have relied on the time and money of their parents to live. We believe they can achieve so much more if they take responsibility for their future and execute a plan that clearly delineates between wants and needs.

Upper-income students are accepted for mentoring based on what they plan to accomplish with their lives. They have been lucky to be born to wealthy parents. FMA wants to align mentors who will challenge these second and third-base students to use their talents and resources to make a difference in the world.

All three levels of students start with five accomplishments:

1. They have successfully completed a D&A Real Life course, understand the content, and are developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
2. They have a Vision Essay of their future ten years from today, incorporating how AI will impact that future.
3. They have short, mid, and long-term SMART goals.
4. They have a written 10-year LIFE PLAN, which has been modified to reflect what they have learned in the Real Life course.
5. They have written an essay explaining why and how they will use a mentor to help them achieve their goals and make decisions.

 

Mentors provide knowledge in these five areas:

1. Career Selection – what skills and knowledge are needed to be of significant value to future employers, earn a starting income of at least $50,000 a year, and have employer benefits? Mentors help students identify potential employers and the areas of critical thinking and problem-solving that should be expected. Additionally, mentors should be able to expand the student’s understanding of how AI may impact the career chosen.
2. Post-Secondary Education Selection and Funding – Education in the US is expensive. How do you identify and fund an education that will prepare the students for being valued employees in the 21st Century? If education is an investment, not an expense, what majors, classes, organizations, and internships should the students consider when selecting a higher education institution?
3. Personal Financial Decisions – To spend or not to spend? Are expenditures wants or needs? Where should students work during the summer? How do students minimize debt? Later, mentors will guide students in making purchasing and investment decisions to achieve goals.
4. Enhancing Students Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving – Mentors do not give advice or solve problems. They ask challenging questions. Often, students are encouraged to manage and solve tree-level problems, answering who, what, when, where, and how questions. Mentors elevate students’ thinking from the tree-level. Why do these problems occur? These are the big-picture issues that students need to learn to address. Probably, students’ first level of employment will be to solve tree-level problems, but they must learn to seek out the causes of the problems Mentors should love serving in this capacity, guiding mentees to be leaders of the future.
5. Outcome Measurement – Perhaps you wish to work with all of the mentors and mentees and determine what is being learned and implemented and how the mentor relationship has fine-tuned or redirected the lives of the students? Mentors will review reports from the students, clarify comments, and quantify results.
6. Recruiting and Recognition of Mentors – Many mentors may want to help by telling students what to do. FMA’s objective is to create leaders. To do that, mentees must be able to think, plan, and find creative ways to address socio-economic and geo-political change. Mentors who are excellent at achieving this level of relationship and knowledge transfer probably have friends who also could embrace this challenge and may want to be mentors. These organizational mentors will be responsible for scheduling virtual meetings to share ideas.

 

We are launching our Mentorship Program now and will be placing students in January 2025. We partner with Decker & Associates to recruit students who have completed a Real Life course.

If you wish to review the Personal Literacy & Economics for Real Life course, please contact Bing Mei. All students are expected to begin their mentorship program with knowledge of financial, career, and education planning so that they can confidently plan for a brighter and more secure future.

Currently, we are looking for exceptional volunteers who want to be mentors and start by filling one of the six roles described above. If you want to join this program or have questions, you can learn more about this opportunity here.