Category: Penny Forward

Welcome to Penny Forward, a nonprofit organization founded and led by blind people. We empower each other to confidently navigate the complicated landscape of personal finance. We offer self-paced online financial education courses, weekly and monthly personal finance workshops, and one to one financial counseling provided by blind financial counselors.

Podcast: Tools Of A Blind Tradesman

Our guest this week is Mike DeZinno. He calls himself “America’s blind tradesman,” because he has worked in over 13 different skilled trades over the course of his life and career. He also tells us he is the first blind American to attend public school as a mainstream student. We’ll be talking about Mike’s life…

07/26/2022
Financial Sense¢: Budgeting for Conventions

Please join us on Thursday, July 21st, at 7:30 PM ET/6:30 PM CT/5:30 PM/MT/4:30 PM PT for Financial Sense¢, our monthly public Zoom chat. If you made it to last month’s call you learned how to attend an ACB or NFB convention on a budget. Conventions are chaotic, though, so this month we’ll be talking…

07/21/2022
Wednesday Workshop: Investing in Dividend Stocks

This week we talked about how investing in dividend stocks can help us earn more from our investments. Investing in growing companies can be a great way to grow your savings more quickly, but is buying low and selling high the only way to earn money from our investments? Dividends are distributions of a company’s…

07/13/2022
Podcast: Her Own Tiny Little Space

Enjoy this rerelease of our interview with Gina Marie Applebee. Gina has a B.S. in geology, an M.S. in marine geo physics, an EDS in science education, and a Ph.D. in progress in integral and transformational psychology. Gina was a totally blind PH.D. student working as a figure model, with a dream of living independently while…

07/12/2022
ACB Convention Concluding Thoughts

My time at the 2022 ACB Conference and Convention has been way too short. I’ve met many amazing blind people, but Monday I attended the best convention session I’ve ever heard. Titled, “Selling Yourself: How to Put Your Best Foot Forward in the Evolving Employment World.”, and presented by the ACB employment committee, Independent Visually…

07/06/2022
Wednesday Workshop: Yahoo’s Finance App

This week we continued looking at investing from a beginners perspective using the Yahoo Finance app’s accessible charts. Specifically, we discussed how investing in a large number of stocks, using a fund, is less risky than investing an individual company stock. We also discussed how investing over long periods of time is less risky than…

06/29/2022
IRS Tax Tip: Here are some things gig economy workers should know about their tax responsibilities

Many people take up gig work on a part-time or full-time basis, often through a digital platform like an app or website. Gig work, such as selling goods online, renting out property, or providing other on-demand work, is taxable and must be reported as income on the worker’s tax return. Here are some things gig…

06/28/2022
Podcast: Vacations And Beyond

This week, we’re resharing our interview with blind travel agent and accessible travel advocate Melvin Reynolds. You’ll learn what it’s like to pursue a career as a blind travel agent, what it’s like to travel as a blind person, and some dirty little secrets about cruising with a guide dog. pennyforward.compennyforward@pennyforward.com Clubhouse House Facebook Youtube…

06/27/2022
Social Security At Work

Please join Chris Peterson, Lori Scharff, and the ACB employment committee, this afternoon for a panel discussion about Social Security benefits and work. Many blind people receive Supplemental Security Income, SSI, or Social Security Disability Insurance, SSDI, at points throughout their lives. You can earn more by working while collecting these benefits, and it’s important…

06/25/2022
From Disability Scoop: Labor Department Cracks Down On Subminimum Wage For People With Disabilities

Disability Scoop reported this week that the U.S. department of labor is cracking down on organizations that pay employees with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. If you’re 24 or younger, working, and making less than minimum wage, your employer should be providing you with career counseling twice in your…

06/24/2022