FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY FOR THE GOLDEN GENERATION
ACORNS
transfers, Robinhood is a great way to build a large portfolio. It can even function as a small invested savings account.
Acorns is the best way to make your spare change work for you. Every time you use your debit or credit card, Acorns will round up the spare change of that purchase to the next dollar and then invest it. Take that $2.30 cup of coffee from this morning, for example. This app rounds that transaction to $3.00, places the $0.70 extra into a fund, and invests it. This strategy, called “microinvesting,” may not seem like much, but remember that a mighty oak tree starts as an acorn! For many Americans, investing is either too intimidating or just downright costly. And no matter how well your portfolio does, you always lose a chunk of earnings to fees and commissions. Robinhood is an app that removes all fees associated with stock trading and gives you free rein to buy and sell as you please. With seamless money ROBINHOOD
VENMO
While it used to take weeks to transfer money by Western Union’s horse-drawn carriages, it now takes seconds with Venmo. This app gives you the ability to send money to friends and family via your phone. With a user-friendly interface, it’s quick and easy to set up an account and link bank accounts or credit cards. Once you’re up and running, sending money is as simple as pressing a button. If you’re intimidated by learning how to use mobile apps, connect with a family member or friend. All of these apps are designed to be intuitive and easy to learn, so with a little time and practice, you can be savvy technologically and financially!
Like most stereotypes, describing baby boomers as "tech illiterate" doesn’t tell the full story. Bill Gates is a baby boomer, after all. While not everyone in the "golden generation" is on Facebook, that doesn’t mean they can’t use technology. These three mobile apps are perfect for tech- savvy boomers looking to achieve their financial goals.
JUST ONE OF THE KIDS
Making Space for ChildrenWith Special Needs to Succeed in the Classroom
When it comes to advancing education for children with special needs, inclusion can make all the difference. The norm has long been to separate students with special needs from their peers. But most of the research suggests that schools should implement a classroom environment where every child can succeed. With educational support, research shows that up to 85 percent of students with learning disabilities are capable of mastering the same content as their peers. Over 20 years of research also shows that when put in general-education classrooms, students with special needs show up to school more, do better after high school, and get more instruction from their teachers. This system is working for teachers Mary Fair and Cristina Rodriguez, who co-teach a math-inclusion classroom for seventh graders. The two shift back and forth
between lessons, using subtle adaptations to benefit students with different learning styles and needs. They don’t split up groups or alter the entire lesson. Instead, they both consider themselves responsible for the entire class.
next to their general-education peers. Teachers must have the time, support, and training to provide a high-quality education based on a student’s needs.” There is hope, and programs like the one at Bloomfield Middle School, where Mary and Christina co-teach their inclusive classroom, will hopefully become the norm. If you’re looking for additional support or have questions regarding a loved one with special needs, Art Swerdloff is here to help you. Call today to schedule your appointment.
Given all the evidence that inclusion in the classroom works, what are we waiting for?
While many classrooms are moving toward being inclusive, teacher training isn’t keeping up. Many teachers take just one course on training methods for children with special needs during their entire teacher certification program.
If our schools expect to keep up, that has to change.
As an article in The Atlantic puts it, “Experts say the problem is that it takes much more than just placing students with disabilities
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