Financial Literacy

One of my stories as a reporter for LI News Tonight. This is one of my award wining stories that earned me a Journalism Scholarship award from the Press Club of Long Island.

State of American Culture

In the 21st century, the "State of American Culture" is very diverse. According to Wikipedia, "American Culture encompasses traditions, ideals, customs, beliefs, values, arts and innovations developed both domestically and imported via colonization and immigration." While I agree that this is a very "safe" and accurate view of American Culture, over the years, American Culture has developed new traditions that now include a plethora of technological advances. For example, the culture and traditions within the average family unit has grossly changed over the course of the century. According to a 2007 U.S. Census Bureau report, there are approximately 13.6 million single parent in the United States today, and those parents are responsible for raising 21.2 million children. This transition started in 1960 and continues to increase. Technological advances have also redefined not only family, but education. It seems as if the attention span of people young and old alike is decreasing and even teachers find they must incorporate media stimulus into the classroom to keep students engaged in the learning experience.

American culture is no longer isolated to art and customs. Although these things still exist, culture is constantly reinventing itself and "adjusting" to an innovative and flexible style of living. The creative and pioneering "Generation Y" now seems to lead the way to a revised culture. The term "Generation Y" or the "Millennial Generation" first appeared in the early 1990's and is used to describe teenagers born in 1974-1984. This generation was raised with advanced technology such as cell phones, computers, the internet and use this as their main source of communication. The demographic for this Millennial generation is 70.4 million which comprises more than 26% of the population. This brief introduction of such a statistic is to give you an idea of the important role this particular generation plays in the ongoing shift of the "State of American Culture." The American tradition and culture that was adopted from British culture, colonization and immigration is redefined and has now become the current state of American culture.

Of course, our culture is not limited to family; however, I am suggesting that all culture begins with the family unit and the training and upbringing that one experiences within their respective family unit. American culture has become a melting pot of tradition, values and arts. Academic achievement still appears to be the value that is shared by many cultures nationwide. The freedom and flexibility allows all generations of the American culture to experiment and identify new and cutting edge technology that introduces higher level of learning and acquiring knowledge. In the 1920's the television patent was developed, in the late 1950's the mobile phone was developed, and subsequent technological breakthroughs were created and implemented over the years. Therefore, our American culture has a strong innovative trait that has enhanced over the years.

I'm grateful to be part of a culture that continues to develop. If our culture were limited to "tradition" and "values" of old, then we would be a society that constantly recycles itself with no room for innovative thoughts and ideas. I'm sure American culture will continue to be a trendsetter of innovation and respected by all.

New Year's Resolution... Again!

It's the start of a New Year and like many others, I've challenged myself to new resolutions. In a previous tweet I stated that resolutions are like rollover minutes. Whatever we don't use in the current year, we can rollover to the next year. It sounds like a "cute" and "fun" jingle; however, at what point do we stop making declarations and resolutions and actually begin the process of fulfilling our dreams. Now this is not to say that several of you have not achieved your goals. But the truth of the matter is many of us have not even gotten started. Some are stuck at the declaration. Many are at a crossroad waiting for the yellow light to turn green. Is that you?

Now is the time to face your fears and press your way towards your goal. Don't be afraid to try new things and test the waters. What's the worst that could happen? For years I was intimidated by technology; which prevented me from trying new things. I can't even begin to tell you about the ideas I've had, concepts I've created in my mind - only to be halted dead in my tracks because it required some level of technology. Well, I've decided to face my fears and take on the challenge. I am a media professional and the reality is media is technology. The internet isn't going anywhere and we are being inundated with thousands of social networking sites popping up all over. So do I sit back and watch the world pass me by because I'm stuck at a crossroad, afraid to move past the yellow light? The answer for me is NO and the answer for you should be the same. Maybe your fear wasn't and isn't technology. Your fear may have more to do with a lack of knowledge regarding a particular area or something similar. My friend, whatever it is, my suggestion to you is that you overcome your fear. Don't wait for opportunity to come knocking at your door, you knock on the door of opportunity.

I'm sure you've heard all of this before and if you have, well at least I'm being consistent. What are you passionate about? Turn your hobby into a business and turn your passion into revenue. Don't ritualize your New Year's resolution. Make it your reality. I believe in you!