Behind the Scenes

It all started when…

Tiffany Chai finished graduate school with 6-figures of debt. As she embarked in the work force, she was learning how to manage her student loans, income, and career. She had friends that did not know what the difference between 401K and IRA were, and a coworker who did not believe in saving for retirement because she needed money now. She saw the financial consequences for those who did not prepare for retirement and knew she wanted to avoid that scenario. Tiffany immersed herself in podcasts, and sought out resources on how to best manage her debt and allocate her income. 

She thought to herself, how could I have handled my finances better? She was very thankful that her dad taught her the power of compound interest and saving at an early age. But she realized that not everyone was that fortunate to have someone teach them these important financial foundations. 

She realized that important life skills - managing finances, how to communicate and handle conflicts, how to develop confidence and self-love, were things not taught in high school, college, or even graduate school. Most people learn these skills at home, and develop them by chance through trial and error in life. Few people work on developing themselves and these skills.

Tiffany had always had a passion for working with students since she was in college. Not all students decide to go to college or finish college, so she decided high school was the best time to reach them when they are making many important decisions that impact their financial futures and happiness. 

After two years of sitting on all these ideas, Tiffany decided to plan an event to help high school students get a head start on skills that will help them regardless of their career choices. She reached out to administrators and educators, surveyed adults on what they wish they knew, surveyed students on what they want to learn, and even asked strangers to join her on the journey to take Life Hacks: What I Wish I Knew from a vision to reality. When explaining this event to adults, many of them excitedly exclaim that they wish they had resources like this when they were growing up.