BLG FINANCIAL LITERACY FOUNDATION

BLG Financial Literacy
Foundation

Your BFF (Best Financial Friend)

Enriching Girls and Young Women

Our Mission

BLG Financial Literacy Foundation mentors girls and young women (ages 8-18) on sound money management practices. Through virtual and on-site interactive instruction, we cover a wide array of financial fundamentals, such as:

What We Do

Tools

Elite professionals rely on dependable, proven tools to perfect their craft and produce excellent results...

Elite professionals rely on dependable, proven tools to perfect their craft and produce excellent results. For instance, hairstylists invest in high-quality scissors, trimmers, brushes and styling tools. Similarly, the right financial tools can facilitate and habituate money management practices that minimize debt and build wealth. We’ll research, vet and recommend the best (free) apps, websites, templates and other resources for developing and maintaining good money habits.

Even more importantly, financial literacy instills a sense of confidence – perhaps the most valuable tool in the toolbelt – that empowers young women to take control of their finances and achieve ‘fiscal fitness’.

Strategy

Personal finance education coupled with the right tools is a great head start toward financial literacy...

Personal finance education coupled with the right tools is a great head start toward financial literacy; however, deploying the right money management tactics at the right time ensures all three financial literacy pillars – knowledge, tools and strategy – work in a complementary fashion to maximize results. Think about some of your favorite teachers 🡪 the best educators combine subject matter expertise (knowledge), engaging delivery of the material (tools) AND a well-organized lesson plan (strategy).

Money management is a lifelong, organic process that must frequently adapt to changing dynamics; for example, a college co-ed’s savings approach would differ significantly from that of a working woman. Our comprehensive program equips young women with everything needed to master this essential life skill.

Knowledge

Our roadmap to financial literacy begins with basic personal finance education, focusing initially on...

Our roadmap to financial literacy begins with basic personal finance education, focusing initially on ‘first principles’ like budgeting, saving, and developing good spending habits. We graduate from these fundamentals to more sophisticated concepts such as how compound interest works, building solid credit history, and investing. Our experienced mentors and thought leaders deliver these critical life skills in an age-appropriate manner through multiple channels including on-line content, newsletters and interactive, engaging on-site and virtual seminars.

Why We Do It

The Great Recession of 2008. The Pandemic of 2020. In volatile economic times, strong personal finance habits can mean the difference between housed or homeless, flush or flat-broke. It’s imperative to adopt ”cents”ible financial habits early so they take root and become second nature. Unfortunately, teaching those habits falls to parents (many of whom are struggling themselves) and/or schools, whose curriculums often lack robust personal finance education.

Knowledge is power and initiating financial education as early as possible builds strong, confident and independent women. Why do we target young females? It’s 2021, and women still earn just $0.82 for every dollar men bring home.† Additionally, women in committed relationships often come to rely on their partner’s income and then find themselves financially ill-prepared when that relationship ends.

HERstory

As a little brown girl thrust into adulthood at the tender age of sixteen, I lacked even the most basic financial skills essential to prosper financially and build wealth. I had to learn those skills the hard way, and I struggled as a result. But that struggle eventually led to a successful career as a bankruptcy attorney who helps others navigate their financial challenges. I aspire to eliminate the trial-and-error process I endured and show today’s young women who are just beginning their financial journeys the right path.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Every day more than 60 people sign up for news and alerts, to find out when their support helps most. Will you join them? (Read our privacy policy.)

About Us

Board of Directors

Cha’Ron Ballard, Founder and Board Chairwomen

Attorney Cha’Ron Ballard empathizes with the struggles that accompany financial difficulties. Growing up in Philadelphia’s inner city the daughter of a single mom with extremely limited means, Cha’Ron persevered through challenging times to graduate from Saint Joseph’s University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies and a master’s degree in Criminal Justice. She followed those milestones by graduating in the top 25% of her 2008 class from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
Cha’Ron also holds an active Georgia Real Estate Broker’s license with over 20 years of real estate experience. Before opening The Ballard Law Group in 2011 she worked for some of the largest bankruptcy firms in the state of Georgia. Cha’Ron’s expertise, skills and empathy for her clients have made her the ‘go-to’ debt relief attorney in metro Atlanta and fuel her passion to pay it forward by giving young women the tools and know-how to achieve financial stability.

Wanda Harris, Foundation Executive Director

Wanda Harris is a technology professional, empowerment leader, speaker, and new author with a feministic touch. She is a daily inspiration to others and known amongst friends and colleagues as a delightful, authentic, and transparent conversationalist, always encouraging and motivating those in her orbit.
An advocate for personal development and self-care, Wanda leverages her platform to help women navigate life’s many pivotal moments with clarity and intention to become the best version of themselves.
Her love for mentoring and public speaking was the catalyst for her uplifting literary debut. She currently resides in Georgia, enjoys dancing and park hiking, and hopes to inspire women worldwide through her writing and coaching.

Vicki Fox, Foundation Treasurer

Vicki has worked in the legal field for 29 years, much of that time focused on bankruptcy law. Having successfully overcome personal financial challenges, she offers an acute sense of empathy along with her vast experience when ushering Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 clients of the Ballard Law Group through the bankruptcy process.
Vicki’s greatest joys in life include her children, her church, and her family. She enjoys meeting new people and helping any one in need to the best of her ability – qualities that make her an invaluable member of our foundation team.