Seed The Change

Seed The Change

Investment Initiative

What Is Seed The Change?

Time. It's the driving force of investing. Since time is one of the most critical factors in growing our investments, it is imperative to get our students investing early and assist them in investment literacy while they are investing. Therefore Alumni360 launched the 'Seed The Change' Investment Initiative to do just this. This program pairs a seasoned professional who has been investing with a young employed student who is looking to start their investment journey and build wealth earlier in life.

All of the students in the Alumni360 program will be first generation college students and now, with this new program, they will be first generation investors as well. Our goal is that they will educate their parents and community members as they themselves become seasoned investors over time.

The commitment is minimal but the outcome will be life changing. The professional mentor donates $100 seed and reviews the 'Basics of Investing' packet with their mentee. The employed student commits to opening a ROTH IRA with a low fee investment firm and will contribute at least $25 a month. They also pledge to not withdraw the funds until retirement. The professional investor and student will connect at the end of every financial quarter to review their investments and have a dialogue about the market. The minimal commitment is a year that consists of four investor support meetings.

The Problem

Many people are underinvested or have no retirement savings. This statement is magnified when referring to women and people of color.

For women, the statistics are even more grave. Women hold 2/3 of the student loan debt. Women also deal with the gender pay gap where they make 84% or less than men. There are many women who abdicate investment decisions to their spouses which leaves them uneducated and unaware of this critical component. When women leave the workforce to raise children, they may not be contributing to their retirement accounts during that time which affects their wealth as well. To top it all off, women live longer than men therefore needing more money for a longer retirement and health care costs.

The Solution

Alumni360's part of the solution is to implement the 'Seed The Change' Investment Initiative - piloting with Alumni360 students and then launching regionally and then nationally to ensure young people are investing earlier in life. By employing a mentor relationship with investing ,investing will become a part of their identity as opposed to a foreign process only meant for others.

Our vision is to partner with national non-profit organizations, such as Boys and Girls Club and AAUW (American Association of University of Women) to further reach more youth who need financial literacy and investment education.