Shang Saavedra, author of Wealth Is a Mindset, shares how reframing money as a tool for freedom, not just wealth, can help individuals and educators build healthier financial habits and mindsets. Learn more about her conversation with NGPF's Yanely Espinal.

Shang Saavedra, Wealth Is a Mindset

In this episode of the NGPF Podcast, Saavedra reframes money as a mix of habits, history, and hope. She names common “money stories” (Feast & Famine, Adverse Events, Scarce Immigrant) and shows how awareness turns into action.

A favorite reframe: “The motivation became not let’s get rich, let’s get options.” That shift powered frugal choices, side-income experiments, and consistent investing that allowed her to be work-optional by 31.

Saavedra’s reassurance to first-time investors: “If you have a high school education, you can invest.” For most people, low-cost diversified funds plus time beats stock picking.

Her go-to behavior loop is Trigger → Action → Reward. She recommends swapping costly defaults (ex. I feel lonely, so I will opt for a pricey brunch with friends) for cheaper, equally rewarding alternatives (walk, coffee, potluck). Pair that with “one next step” goals set at 90% achievability (like a small auto-transfer after payday or checking out online carts only once a week) to build momentum without perfectionism.

Listen to the full conversation on the NGPF Podcast.

Also Check Out: Bill Bynum, HOPE Credit Union & HOPE Policy Institute

HOPE’s story starts in a church basement and grows into a regional engine for economic mobility. As Bynum puts it, “Our mission has always been to increase economic opportunity for people in the Deep South.”

That mission means importing capital into “capital deserts,” expanding branches where others closed, and weaving financial education into every account and loan.

After Hurricane Katrina, HOPE helped families access checks, open accounts, and rebuild, all of which sped up recovery. The model has since scaled with large mission deposits so HOPE can keep lending in low-wealth areas.

Underwriting is people-first. Rather than hard cutoffs, HOPE considers rent and phone payment histories and uses manual review because, in Bynum’s words, they are "treating people as people, not algorithms.”

Today, HOPE is approaching $1B in assets, prioritizing mortgages and small-business lending to narrow the region’s homeownership and opportunity gaps.

Hear more about the work on the NGPF Podcast. 

Join Us LIVE This Week for: Unveiling NGPF's New Documentary with Featured Educators: Joey Running, Jamal Bermudez and Kerry Woodward

Don't miss this special 1.5-hour session unveiling the latest NGPF documentary showcasing the powerful impact of personal finance education through the stories of outstanding teachers followed by a panel with some of the featured educators: Joey Running, Jamal Bermudez, and Kerry Woodward. 

Register here.

About the Author

Hannah Rael

As NGPF's Marketing Communications Manager, Hannah (she/her) helps spread the word about NGPF's mission to improve the financial lives of the next generation of Americans.