A Message from Penny Forward Founder and CEO, Chris Peterson
Dear Penny Forward Members and Allys,
At Penny Forward, we’re constantly striving to balance accessibility and sustainability while staying true to our mission of empowering the blind and low vision community with financial education. Today, I want to share some updates to our guest membership benefits, explain why these changes are necessary, and highlight how we’re supporting our members through this transition. These updates will take effect starting March 1, 2025.
What Do Guest Memberships Currently Include?
Our guest membership has been a great way for people to explore Penny Forward without a financial commitment. Guest members currently enjoy:
- Access to all online courses.
- Early access to the Penny Forward podcast.
- Access to our free Monthly Member Meetup calls.
- Recordings of our free book brunch and Financial Sense calls.
These benefits have helped us introduce our services to 218 new members of our community. However, we’re making some changes to ensure we can continue providing high-quality, affordable resources for years to come.
What’s Changing?
Starting March 1, 2025, the guest membership benefits will include:
- Access to the “Budgeting and Banking Basics” course and one additional course that will rotate monthly.
- Access to our free Monthly Member Meetup calls.
- Access to recordings of our free book brunch and Financial Sense calls.
These changes are a necessary step to ensure the long-term sustainability of our organization.
Why Are We Making These Changes?
When we introduced the guest membership in 2023 alongside the launch of the Penny Forward app, it was a decision born of necessity. At the time, Apple required us to offer a free tier because our app didn’t support in-app purchases. Rather than delay the app’s release, we introduced the guest membership so we could move forward and announce the app during the 2023 national conventions of the American Council of the Blind and the National Federation of the Blind.
Since then, we’ve worked with a new developer to create a new version of our app that supports in-app purchases, which launched in December 2024. With this improvement, we’re no longer bound by the original constraints that required us to offer a free tier. As a nonprofit organization, we’ve always prioritized keeping our prices affordable so as many people as possible can benefit from our services. However, offering free access to everything simply isn’t sustainable.
We understand that there are people who need financial education but may not be ready to commit to a paid membership. That’s why we’re keeping the guest membership—to provide a starting point for those who are exploring our platform or experiencing financial hardship. At the same time, we’re focusing on encouraging more people to invest in paid memberships, which are essential for sustaining our work.
We Understand This May Be Disappointing
We know that change isn’t easy, and we’re aware that this decision may feel disappointing to some members of our community. Please know that this wasn’t a decision we made lightly. We’re doing our best to make this transition as smooth as possible while ensuring that Penny Forward remains a strong and thriving resource for the blind and low vision community.
To help with this transition, we’re offering an introductory discount for new monthly or yearly members who sign up for a yearly membership in 2025. For your first year, you’ll pay just $49.50 (half the usual rate of $99 per year). After the first year, the standard rate will apply. We hope this makes it easier for guest members to take the next step and experience the full range of benefits we offer.
- Access to all Penny Forward Podcast episodes one week earlier than nonmembers.
- Access to all current and future online courses
- Access to our Weekly Wednesday Workshops, including recordings
- Discounted one-to-one financial counseling
- Access to one year of YNAB (a $99 value)
- Access to a student discount at Computers for the Blind (CFTB).
- Access to a five percent off discount at Hable.
- Ability to submit articles to the blog, newsletter, and calendar events
- Penny Forward welcome gift
Our Commitment to You
At Penny Forward, we remain deeply committed to making financial education affordable and accessible. Every decision we make is driven by our mission to empower people with blindness or low vision to achieve financial independence. We’re grateful for your understanding and support as we continue to adapt and grow to serve you better.
If you have any questions or concerns about these changes, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to listen, answer your questions, and support you in your financial journey.
Thank you for being part of the Penny Forward family. Together, we’re creating a future where financial independence is truly within reach for everyone.
With gratitude,
Chris Peterson, AFC®
Founder and CEO, Penny Forward
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