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The United States is a diverse nation of consumers with different wants and needs, backgrounds, opinions, values, and expectations. However, not all voices are always clearly heard, often leading to decision-makers remaining ill-informed. With the holiday season in full swing, here are key insights about U.S. Hispanic consumers regarding holiday shopping and how they compare to the non-Hispanic U.S. population. READ MORE AT CIVIC SCIENCE

Only 34% of Hispanics believe they are saving enough or have saved enough for retirement, six points lower than the national average, according to a report by an insurance industry research company.

According to LIMRA, 50% of Hispanics say they worry about having enough money for retirement and The Latin Times, in conversations with several Hispanic workers and financial advisors, found out that there is a growing concern among members of this community regarding resources for a life after giving up work. READ MORE AT THE LATIN TIMES

The wealth gap between U.S. Latinos and white Americans can vary greatly depending on which state they live in, according to new research. White people in Illinois on average have nearly twice as much wealth as Latinos in the state, according to the report. In California, the gap is nine-fold. READ MORE AT AXIOS

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated in the United States annually from the 15th of September to the 15th of October. In Hawaii, we have various events across the islands to commemorate this time, including the yearly Hispanic Heritage Festival.

Currently, around 11% of the population of Hawaii identifies as Hispanic and it is one of the fastest-growing demographics in the state, increasing more than 80% since 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. READ MORE AT HONOLULU CIVIL BEAT

Retirement planning can look vastly different between older and younger generations of U.S. Latinos, as well as those who are immigrants versus descendants, or who came to the United States with family or solo. Older relatives may send money back to the country they emigrated from to help family members who remained, or in hopes of building a home where they will live out the rest of their lives. Younger generations, meanwhile, might use the stock market to grow their wealth and stay in the U.S., experts said. READ MORE AT MORNINGSTAR

Over the last several years, two important economic trends in the United States have become intertwined. This first is the rise of the Latino community as an economic force, as the demographic rapidly expands across the country while still facing barriers to wealth-building and opportunity that other groups do not. The second is the exploding popularity of financial technology, or “fintech”.

Today, Latinos are embracing fintech at high rates compared to other groups, yet a stark absence of data and research is preventing policymakers and other stakeholders from understanding the technology’s impact on this critical segment of the population. READ MORE AT BROOKINGS

Hispanic American financial institutions were created to provide services to low-income and minority communities, particularly Hispanic American communities. Historically, Hispanic Americans have been affected by discriminatory lending practices like redlining and experienced limited economic opportunities to build wealth.

Hispanic American banks were founded in areas where minority communities lived. These financial institutions were able to connect with their local communities and fill the banking gap by addressing areas like language and culture. READ MORE AT INSIDER

A recent study finds the financial capability of Latinos improved over the last decade, but obstacles to Latino wealth remain.

Between 2009 and 2021, the number of Latinos reporting that they had set aside some amount of emergency savings nearly doubled, from 29% in 2009 to 48% in 2021. On the whole, Latino adults reported they were “better able to manage everyday money matters” and experienced less “financial fragility” in 2021 compared to 2009. READ MORE AT MARKETWATCH

The dream of homeownership is one shared by many Americans - yet it's a goal too often out of reach for people of color, said Otis Rolley, president of the Wells Fargo Foundation and head of Philanthropy and Community Impact. The reasons for the homeownership gap are many - including historic redlining, challenges to accessing credit and capital, public policy, and the real estate industry intentionally steering people of color away from certain communities and neighborhoods. READ MORE AT MORNINGSTAR

Latino adults have gotten better over the past 12 years at budgeting, managing debt and building personal wealth, according to a new report by the foundation arm of Wall Street's brokerage regulator. But the Hispanic community still faces gaps in financial knowledge, the study found.

Fewer Latinos reported difficulty in paying expenses in 2021 compared to 2009 (50% versus 67%), according to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's educational foundation. READ MORE AT FINANCIAL PLANNING

“They’re very resilient. They wish for growth: they’re very ambitious, even in difficult times.” That’s Barbara Gomez-Aguinaga, associate director of the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative (SLEI) and lead author of SLEI’s latest State of Latino Entrepreneurship report.

According to SLEI, Latino business owners have for many years been outpacing their peers in terms of revenue and payroll growth. Annual growth rates in revenue and payroll were higher every year for Latino-owned businesses than for White-owned businesses through 2019. READ MORE AT FORBES

Even though Latinos are the second-largest ethnic group in the U.S., they’re underrepresented across many industries, including finance, which can have long-term effects on the ability to grow wealth. Lack of access to capital markets makes it harder for Latinos to build meaningful wealth. It also means they’re underrepresented as shareholders of companies if they aren’t holding stocks and that they’re not lending a proportional voice to investing decisions. READ MORE AT CNBC

Millennial age groups – born mid 1980s to early 2000s – now have more money at hand than they have ever controlled before. And they are spending it, says Olivia Johnson, assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Consumer Sciences at the University of Houston College of Technology.

Tech gear, cars, travel, fashion, furniture, houses, home security, insurance – everything young consumers might want and would likely need – form a retail turf being fought over by companies seeking to occupy that market segment. READ MORE AT UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON

SPRINGFIELD – Workers in Illinois who participate in the Secure Choice retirement savings program have set aside more than $90 million of their own money for their retirement, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said today.

The accomplishment signals a growing recognition that workers understand Social Security will not provide enough income after their working days are over and reflects data that shows workers are more likely to save for retirement if they can do so through workplace payroll deductions.

“While each person has their own American dream, each dream includes a retirement with dignity and confidence,” Frerichs said. “Secure Choice can help accomplish both.”

The Illinois General Assembly created Secure Choice in 2015 and declared employers must either offer a retirement savings program or participate in Secure Choice. In doing so, lawmakers assured employers they would not be responsible for investment decisions and barred them from contributing to a worker’s account. Lawmakers also assured workers that their accounts would travel with them if they changed employers.

Lawmakers also created a seven-member board to oversee the program; determined that investments would be managed by the private sector; and assigned implementation of the savings program to the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office. Based on recommendations from the board, and with consultations with lawmakers, the program launched in 2018.

Today, 109,000 workers, many of whom never thought they could save for retirement, have worked with 7,400 employers to set aside $91 million.

Enrollment was apportioned by employer size so as not to overwhelm employers. Wave one in 2018 included employers with 500 or more employees. Wave two in 2019 included employers with 100-499 employees and another wave that same year included employers with 25-99 employees. The deadline for wave four, employers with 16 or more employees, was Nov. 1, 2022. The deadline for wave five, employers with five or more employees, is Nov. 1, 2023. Eligible employers can register or report an exemption at www.ilsecurechoice.com any time before their applicable deadline.

Secure Choice is critical because 40 percent of Illinois’ private-sector workers do not have access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan and 23 percent of retirees rely upon Social Security for 90 percent of their retirement income. The employer component is key because workers are 15 times more likely to save for retirement if they can do so through payroll deductions, according to an AARP study.

The default option for program participants is to enroll in a target-date Roth IRA with a five percent contribution rate. Participants can choose to change their contribution level or fund option at any time. Accounts are owned by individual participants and are portable from job-to-job. Investments are held in a separate trust outside the Illinois Treasury.

“This is a program that’s easy to implement and anything I can do to help my employees both professionally and personally is a win-win.” said Keely Selko, Office Manager at the Dearborn in Chicago, an early Secure Choice participating employer.

About the Illinois Treasurer

As Illinois State Treasurer, Michael Frerichs (FRAIR'-iks) is the state’s Chief Investment and Banking Officer and actively manages approximately $52 billion. The portfolio includes $26 billion in state funds, $17 billion in retirement and college savings plans and $9 billion on behalf of local and state governments. Frerichs’ office protects consumers by safeguarding more than $3.5 billion in unclaimed property, encouraging savings plans for college or trade school, increasing financial education among all ages, assisting people with disabilities to save without losing government benefits, and removing barriers to a secure retirement. The Treasurer’s Office predates Illinois incorporation in 1818. Voters in 1848 chose to make it an elected office.

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Even though Latinos are the second largest ethnic group in the U.S., they’re underrepresented across many industries, including finance, which can have long-term effects on the ability to grow wealth. A group of Latino-led and focused venture capital firms is looking to change that.

Lack of access to capital markets makes it harder for Latinos to build meaningful wealth. It also means they’re underrepresented as shareholders of companies if they aren’t holding stocks and that they’re not lending a proportional voice to investing decisions. READ MORE AT CNBC

The total economic output of Latinos across the U.S. was nearly $2.8 trillion in 2020, or more than 13% of the country’s GDP. Latino GDP was highest in the finance and real estate sector, which represented $460 billion of the total.As a group, however, the most significant data point in the report is what Latinos spend annually. In 2020, personal consumption accounted for nearly $14.1 trillion of the nation’s GDP and U.S. Latinos represented $1.84 trillion of that total.

Latino spending is greater than the economies of Canada or South Korea. Or in national terms, Latinos’ consumption rivals the entire economies of New York or Texas. READ MORE AT KEARNEY HUB

Comcast RISE to Award $1 Million in Grants to Small Businesses Owned by Women and People of Color in Cook County

Eligible businesses can apply October 3-16 for a $10,000 grant; 100 recipients will be selected

CHICAGO (September 14, 2022) – Comcast today announced it will award $10,000 grants to 100 small businesses owned by women and people of color in Cook County through its Comcast RISE Investment Fund. Cook County is one of five locations selected for this new round of the grants program. Other locations include Miami, Oakland, Seattle and Washington D.C. Comcast will award a total of $1 million in grants in Cook County alone – $5 million across the five locations – in this round. This brings the total amount of Comcast RISE Investment Fund grants awarded to $21 million nationwide to date. This is the second time Comcast has opened the fund to Cook County businesses.

“The pandemic has affected businesses owned by women and people of color in Cook County and elsewhere exceptionally hard,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. “I encourage eligible businesses to apply for a grant. This money can help strengthen their position, especially as we emerge from the pandemic. “

“Women-owned businesses face a variety of challenges, including accessing funding,” said Women’s Business Development Center President and Chief Executive Officer, Emilia DiMenco. “These dollars will allow them to invest in their businesses and strengthen their financial position moving forward.”

“Hispanic-owned businesses face enormous barriers to success,” said Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President and Chief Executive Officer, Jaime di Paulo. “These dollars will allow them to invest in their people, their equipment and their technology, and help prepare them for the future.”

To help drive awareness of the program and provide additional support, training and mentorship, Comcast is awarding a total of $50,000 in grants to four Cook County community-based organizations, including the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, South East Chicago Commission, South Shore Chamber of Commerce and Women’s Business Development Center.

Comcast RISE also provides marketing and technology services

In addition to the Investment Fund, Comcast RISE, which stands for “Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment,” provides the opportunity for small businesses owned by women and people of color in Comcast’s nationwide footprint to apply to receive one or more of the following services:

Marketing services: Comcast’s advertising sales division, Effectv, and its creative agency, Mnemonic, help recipients with marketing and media campaigns, including:
Media: Linear TV media campaigns that run over a 90-day period.
Creative production: Turnkey 30-second TV commercial production, plus a media strategy consultation and a 90-day linear TV media campaign.
Consultations: Digital audits by Ureeka, a go-to platform for small businesses looking to use their website and online marketing to acquire customers, in the form of Website Repair Reports and Search Engine Optimization Keyword reports to target website mechanics and effective organic marketing; and
Technology Makeovers: Technology upgrades from Comcast Business include computer equipment, as well as internet, voice and cybersecurity services for up to 12 months (taxes and other fees may apply).
Comcast RISE was formed in late 2020 to give small businesses owned by people of color the support and resources they need to not just survive but thrive. In November 2021, Comcast RISE announced a major expansion to all women-owned businesses. To date, more than 9,500 Comcast RISE awardees have been announced from 704 cities across 37 states and the program is on track to provide support to 13,000 small businesses by the end of 2022. Comcast RISE is part of Project UP, the company’s comprehensive 10-year, $1 billion initiative to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities.

For more information and to apply, visit www.ComcastRISE.com. The Comcast RISE Investment Fund grant application is open from Oct 3-16 to Cook County businesses owned by women and people of color that have been in business three or more years with 1-25 employees. Check the site for more information about eligibility. Site visitors can also apply for the opportunity to receive marketing and technology services through Comcast RISE.

Many Latinos living in the U.S. suffered through acute economic upheaval in their countries of origin. Our troubled experiences influence our financial behavior and our economic outlook. It’s like we have financial PTSD.

Our instinctive reaction is to save money in places that feel safe — under the mattress or, at best, in a checking or savings account — rather than investing it to build wealth. Far too many Latinos grew up with parents who did this because they had no trust in banks.

We know firsthand how life-altering experiences can lead to financial trauma. READ MORE AT THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

McKinsey research reveals interventions that can help boost Latino participation in the US economy and strengthen the nation’s economic performance overall. 

Senior Partner, Lucy Pérez, how greater support for Latino workers, business owners, consumers, savers, and investors in the United States could create economic opportunities not just for individuals and families in this demographic but also for the whole country. READ MORE AT MCKINSEY RESEARCH

We have witnessed the tremendous buying power of Hispanics as their homeownership rates skyrocket. And yet, many Spanish-speaking customers run into roadblocks when it comes to financing. According to the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, Latinos experienced a 19.1% home purchase denial rate for conventional loans and were 81% more likely to be denied than their non-Latino counterparts. READ MORE AT NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL