• Home
  • Archive
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • May 9, 2025

The Madison Times

The Paper That's More Than Black and White

  • News
    • Local News
    • National News
    • International News
    • Sports News
    • Education News
  • Columns
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Life Lessons with Alex Gee
  • Events
  • Health
  • Finance
  • Lifestyle
  • Classifieds
  • Community
    • Middle Spread
  • Milwaukee

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

It’s Financial Health Month: Chart the Path Toward Your Next Milestone

April 24, 2021

Photo: Getty Images

SPONSORED CONTENT

When was the last time you looked at your bank account balance? According to a recent study, over 60 percent of Americans check their balance at least once week . This is a habit, if practiced the right way, can you put on the path to achieving your financial goals.

Whether you’re looking to becoming financially independent, planning for a long awaited vacation, or saving for a down payment to buy your first home, April is Financial Literacy Month and we want you to be aware of some of the tools and skills right now to help make your financial journey as smooth as possible.

Managing your money can be overwhelming but it doesn’t need to be. Understanding things like budgeting, saving, paying your bills, and even building your credit score are skills that can help at any stage of your life. Even in these difficult times with the pandemic when so many are facing greater uncertainty around finances and job security, understanding core financial skills can be a difference-maker.

The past year has impacted families, friends, colleagues and our community. Since the start of the pandemic, 44% of Black Americans have said that either they or someone in their family has experienced a job or wage loss due to COVID. In these situations, especially, it is critical to know how to manage your finances to stay or get back on track.

If you’re unsure of where to begin, how to start making progress, or simply looking to refresh your knowledge, consider the following as you chart a successful path forward and take control of your financial future.

Advice and Tools

Our financial goals hub (at Chase.com) is a great place to start. Start by picking a goal – save, budget, or build credit – and explore advice, offerings and tools that more simply allow you to control your financial future. Our Grow Your Savings page, for example, offers an interactive calculator that maps out a timeline to reach savings goals and highlights how the Autosave tool can help you manage a regular savings schedule to stay on track and meet your goals. Other resources are also available, such as budget worksheets to monitor and track monthly spending, guidance on using the Credit Journey tool to build and protect credit, as well as background on low-cost checking accounts designed to provide access for anyone who has had trouble getting or keeping an account in the past.

Reserved Capital for Business Owners

Education, reliable support and resources are fundamental first steps to financial literacy, but equal access to capital is just as critical. With 41% of Black-owned businesses shuttering since this time last year, COVID-19 has only worsened the disparities and inequities that demand an intentional reprioritization of capital. Through our Entrepreneurs of Color Fund, we’re working to provide more access to capital to future entrepreneurs, existing business owners and communities who have historically and unfairly struggled to secure it. JPMorgan Chase also recently announced it is setting aside funds specifically for Black and Latinx business owners – stop into your local branch and talk with a Chase For Business representative to see if you qualify.

Equitable Home Lending

Home equity is also a major contributor to families’ wealth, making it imperative that we increase home ownership among Black communities. One way we hope to do this is through our Chase DreaMaker mortgage, which makes applying for your first mortgage or refinancing a current one more attainable with a smaller down payment, and by offering reduced mortgage insurance, more flexibility around your credit score, potential assistance grants and homebuyer education courses.

Local Advocates

In Milwaukee we’ve also hired a community manager – a new role created by the bank – who is working with the community and small businesses to increase awareness of available resources. Our community manager is connecting with neighborhood organizations and creating programs to help connect more customers with financial health tools, products and services. Look for free interactive programs on topics such as budget building, home buying tips, interview and job search skills, how to fund a small business, and others coming soon.

No matter where you are financially, budgeting and saving are two habits that can help you bounce back from life’s unexpected moments or keep on track to ensure you meet your goals. Chase is here to help everyone have open conversations about what it means to become financially healthy and provide support, tools and advice to get there. Financial health is a journey, and we can help you think about a plan for now and the future.

For more resources, information and access to tools that can help you achieve your financial goals and milestones, visit chase.com/personal/financial-goals

Sponsored content from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Popular Interests In This Article: Financial Literacy, JPMorgan Chase

Read More - Related Articles

  • It’s Always the Right Time to Plan for Retirement
  • Educators Credit Union Announces Partnership with Local National Basketball Association Champion Bobby Portis to Provide Free Financial Educational Tools
  • These Tax Tips Can Make Filing (1040) EZ
  • Earn and Learn Puts Teens and Young Adults on the Path To a Career
  • Local Business is Weathering the Storm of Inflation


Connect With Us

Become Our Fan On Facebook
Find Us On Facebook


Follow Us On Twitter
Follow Us On Twitter

Editorials

Karma Chavez
Amanda Zhang
Julianne Malveaux
Benjamin Chavis
George Curry

Journalists

Jacklin Bolduan
Brianna Rae
Aarushi Agni
Rob Franklin
Claire Miller

Topics

Brown Girl Green $
Young Gifted & Black
Universally Speaking
Ask Progress
Civil Rights

Topics

Police Shooting
Police Brutality
Black Lives Matter
NAACP
Racism

Politicians

Barack Obama
Hillary Clinton
Gwen Moore
Paul Soglin
Scott Walker

Contact Us

Phone:
414-449-4860

Copyright © 2025 Courier Communications. All Rights Reserved.
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.