💸💪🏾Moneda Moves (20): Twenty-six days later 🤔
Bienvenidos, Moneda Moves readers! ✨We are revving back up with your digest of stories at the intersection of Latinx and dinero. Año Nuevo has come and gone, but even that has not hit the reset button for the US government. We are at day 2️⃣6️⃣ of the government shutdown - the longest one in history.
In today's newsletter: A timely update on how that's impacting la gente, new presidential run announcements and other money highlights for your consideration.
Con poder✊🏽,
Lyanne
Keeping tabs/cuentas on what happened last week in the world of Latinx in business. We review studies, features and news updates as they relate to our community and underrepresented communities at large.
43,000 canceled immigration hearings🚫: No fully operational government? That means no court hearings in at least 43,000 instances. As of last week, that number was reported by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). It is expected that this number can increase by 20,000 each week. This is not good news for the backlog of cases either, which exceeded the 800,000 mark as of last November. In California, almost 9,500 hearings were canceled -- the most than any state recorded. The story is from Daniela Silva at NBC News.
Latinx in Congress come together to discuss government shutdown🏢: When Latinx legislators come to the table to discuss their concerns amid a government shutdown, what do they care about the most? 💰While many reports focus on pay (or lack thereof) to government employees, these representatives have pointed separate pointed concerns, and they are very revealing:
Food stamps availability
Support for Latinx working families into tax filing season
Disability claim assessments by caseworkers
An ongoing push for healthcare access
The government shutdown affects employees greatly. It could impact black federal workers the hardest. What happens when people relying on these services the most also do not have access to them? The reporting comes from Patricia Guadalupe at NBC News.
Get to know the powerful/potentes Latinx and up-and-comers in the money world.
Julián Castro announces his run in the 2020 election🗳: No more speculation. Just the facts! The former secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2014-2017 under the Obama administration has announced he will be running for president. ✓As we saw other Democrats do so in the midterm elections, his focus in healthcare reform, but also on advances in the education and immigration system. 🤔Fun fact: His mom was also a woman who did not shy away from the spotlight and standing up for what she believed in: She is Chicana and an educator. Article is courtesy of Javier Rojas for Mitú.
Castro puts Puerto Rico front and center after announcing run🇵🇷: In San Juan, Castro met with the mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz as part of a tour to draw attention to recovery efforts from Hurricane Maria and issues that still need to be addressed on the island. A major issue discussed was residents' lack of access to FEMA aid due to challenges with proving homeownership. Castro also disclosed that his funding for the trip to Puerto Rico was from campaign money and that he was not taking PAC money. Story by NBC Latino's Suzanne Gamboa.
Put your money/monedita where your mouth is! Some money tips for thought this week.
Refresher on your personal finance and the not-so-secret hiding place people still keep their money 🛏: New year, new you right? One way to start is by making your money work for you. 💸Per Ramona Ortega, personal finance expert, that is not under your mattress. You are likely missing out big by not investing if you already have an emergency fund to cover incidentals, and it's not doing much for you sitting around at home. Ortega is also creator of My Money My Future, which is all about helping Latinx millennials get their financials in order. In her words: "'There is this notion that people who don’t have much money don’t save,' but 'The problem is that we are saving, not investing.'” This piece in The New York Times is all-encompassing. All this and more featured in El Espace column by Concepción de León. Side note: If any MM readers know someone who keeps money under their bed, please let me know! I'd like to speak with them.
Thanks for reading, familia! Cuéntame, what would you like to see more of in Moneda Moves this year? What kind of money stories are you interested in reading more about?
Hasta la proxima...