|
 |
|
|
Financing Goals
for the Future
It’s important to think of savings as another expense
to pay. Of course, if you don’t put money into
savings, no one is going to turn off your electricity or stop
your telephone service. So why treat it like a regular bill?
The fact is, for most of us, if we wait to put any leftover money
into savings it will never happen. However, if we make savings
a regular bill that we have to pay every month, we have a much
better chance of setting money aside.
|
“I am an Oglala Lakota from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and I am currently residing with my family and our business, Nakota Designs Inc., in Denver, Colorado. Officially, Nakota Designs is an advertising and design shop... in truth, it goes much further. Through mutual involvement, we learn our client’s needs and desires. Then, by carefully weaving together our skills and this new-found knowledge, we create impactful designs and communication.
As a Native American business person, I too share the excitement of the changing times, and the economic and educational opportunities set before us for our Indian Communities and our children's futures.
Our success at Nakota Designs, thus far, is credited to respect—respecting our clients needs; and communication—Communicating with people together as one... one heart, one mind, one body. The more different types of people you know the better. This outlook has worked quite well for us, and has developed into a very impressive ‘word-of-mouth’ list of clientele.
Another outlook for us during these changing times is self-empowerment and diversity. As Natives we already possess this energy of empowerment within and the ability to adapt to changing situations. Our struggle has been to find the resources, tools, and understandings of what it means to succeed in today's society. And financial education is a key factor to being a resilient member of the community.
Had I the resources available today such as what the Native American Community Development Corporation (NACDC) and National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) offers, my struggles to succeed and educate myself would have been a lot easier, to say the least. It is never too late to learn. We need to be open to ideas, aware of the relationships we create, and the interdependence of each individual we encounter. This will enrich each of us and all of us as a whole, as one complete nation.
wopila tanka
-- Walt Pourier, Creative Director, Nakota Designs Inc. |
|
|
|
| |
|
