As we strive for Black excellence, for many of us, financial hardship can get in the way of our hopes and dreams. Between housing, food, student debt, and — let’s be honest — some unwise spending, it can be hard to allocate money towards your personal goals.
That’s where $hares wants to help.
$hares is an animated web series that focuses on helping millennials of color become financially literate — founded by Anthony Copeman and Natasha Abellard, former classmates from NYU’s pre-college program who reconnected after college.
Copeman graduated from Temple University with a degree in accounting and currently works full-time in the financial industry. Abellard graduated from Spelman College with a degree in English and got a master’s degree in multimedia journalism from NYU.
In Copeman’s words, they “wanted to help young people make money work for them, not against them. We wanted to start something that not only sparked conversation but allowed people to take action on their financial journey.”
$hares videos are short, direct, and give viewers actionable advice they can implement in their daily lives. They also share tips on social media to stay connected with their audience.
While Copeman brings financial knowledge to the table, Abellard brings passion and experience in the digital content world.
“When Anthony came to me with the vision for $hares, I was producing and hosting and writing for outlets,” Abellard said.
At the time, her finances were in a bad place but the process of researching and designing $hares content helped her clean up her own finances. Now, she’s excited to share what she’s learned along the way with other millennials of color.
$hares content definitely emphasizes the importance of budgeting and managing debt. Still, they also cover more nuanced topics like life insurance, investment, financing a home, and starting a college fund for children. Life insurance is a topic particularly close to Abellard’s heart. After the birth of her son, she realized that she needed a solid plan to ensure he’ll be taken care of even after she’s gone.
So far, they’ve partnered with Chase, Essence, and Refinery29 to help bring financial education to women of color. Part of their long-term goal is to help major financial institutions develop their educational platforms through the $hares model. They also hope to expand into classrooms across the country so young people of color can learn healthy financial habits early.
