I was 14 years old inside of a bowling alley, burglarizing an arcade game, and upon exiting the building a security guard grabbed my arm, so I ran. I ran down the street, and I jumped on top of a fence. And when I got to the top, the weight of 3,000 quarters in my book bag pulled me back down to the ground. So when I came to, the security guard was standing on top of me, and he said, "Next time you little punks steal something you can carry."
Bilo mi je 14 godina, unutar kuglane pljačkao sam aparat s arkadnim igrama i dok sam izlazio iz zgrade čuvar me je zgrabio za ruku, te sam pobegao. Jurio sam niz ulicu i skočio sam na vrh ograde. A kad sam stigao na vrh, težina 3000 kovanica od po 25 centi u rancu me je povukla nazad na zemlju. Pa, kad sam došao sebi, čuvar je stajao iznad mene i rekao: "Sledeći put, mali probisveti, ukradite nešto što možete da nosite."
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
I was taken to juvenile hall and when I was released into the custody of my mother, the first words my uncle said was, "How'd you get caught?" I said, "Man, the book bag was too heavy." He said, "Man, you weren't supposed to take all the quarters." I said, "Man, they were small. What am I supposed to do?" And 10 minutes later, he took me to burglarize another arcade game. We needed gas money to get home. That was my life.
Odveli su me u kazneno-popravni dom i kada sam pušten pod majčino starateljstvo, prve reči koje mi je ujak rekao su bile: "Kako su te uhvatili?" Rekao sam: "Čoveče, ranac je bio pretežak." Rekao je: "Čoveče, nije trebalo da uzmeš sve kovanice." Rekao sam: "Čoveče, bile su sitne. Šta je trebalo da uradim?" A deset minuta kasnije me je poveo da opljačkamo drugi aparat za igre. Trebao nam je novac za gorivo do kuće. To je bio moj život.
I grew up in Oakland, California, with my mother and members of my immediate family addicted to crack cocaine. My environment consisted of living with family, friends, and homeless shelters. Oftentimes, dinner was served in breadlines and soup kitchens. The big homey told me this: money rules the world and everything in it. And in these streets, money is king. And if you follow the money, it'll lead you to the bad guy or the good guy.
Odrastao sam u Oklandu, Kalifornija, sa majkom i članovima najuže porodice navučenim na krek kokain. Moja sredina se sastojala od života s porodicom, prijateljima i u skloništima za beskućnike. Često smo dobijali večeru u kuhinjama za beskućnike. Moj veliki drugar mi je rekao sledeće: novac vlada svetom i svime u njemu. A na ovim ulicama, novac je kralj. A ako pratiš novac, dovešće te do lošeg momka ili do dobrog momka.
Soon after, I committed my first crime, and it was the first time that I was told that I had potential and felt like somebody believed in me. Nobody ever told me that I could be a lawyer, doctor or engineer. I mean, how was I supposed to do that? I couldn't read, write or spell. I was illiterate. So I always thought crime was my way to go.
Uskoro sam počinio svoj prvi zločin, a bilo je to prvi put da mi je rečeno da imam potencijal i da sam osećao da neko veruje u mene. Niko mi nikad nije rekao da mogu da budem advokat, doktor ili inženjer. Mislim, kako sam mogao to da znam? nisam znao da čitam, pišem, ni sričem. Bio sam nepismen. Te sam uvek smatrao da je kriminal moj put.
And then one day I was talking to somebody and he was telling me about this robbery that we could do. And we did it.
A onda sam jednog dana razgovarao sa nekim i on mi je govorio o pljački koju bismo mogli da obavimo. I jesmo.
The reality was that I was growing up in the strongest financial nation in the world, the United States of America, while I watched my mother stand in line at a blood bank to sell her blood for 40 dollars just to try to feed her kids. She still has the needle marks on her arms to day to show for that.
Stvarnost je bila takva da sam odrastao u finansijski najsnažnijoj naciji na svetu, Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama, istovremeno posmatrajući majku kako stoji u redu banke za krv kako bi prodala svoju krv za 40 dolara, samo da bi prehranila decu. I dan-danas ima ožiljke od igli na rukama kao svedočanstvo toga.
So I never cared about my community. They didn't care about my life. Everybody there was doing what they were doing to take what they wanted, the drug dealers, the robbers, the blood bank. Everybody was taking blood money. So I got mine by any means necessary. I got mine. Financial literacy really did rule the world, and I was a child slave to it following the bad guy.
Te nikad nisam mario za zajednicu. Ona nije marila za moj život. Svi tu su radili to što su radili kako bi uzeli to što su želeli, dileri droge, pljačkaši, banka krvi. Svi su uzimali krvavi novac. Te sam ja sticao svoj kako bilo. Sticao sam svoj. Finansijska pismenost je zaista vladala svetom i ja sam bio njen dečji rob koji ide za lošim momkom.
At 17 years old, I was arrested for robbery and murder and I soon learned that finances in prison rule more than they did on the streets, so I wanted in. One day, I rushed to grab the sports page of the newspaper so my cellie could read it to me, and I accidentally picked up the business section. And this old man said, "Hey youngster, you pick stocks?" And I said, "What's that?" He said, "That's the place where white folks keep all their money."
Sa 17 godina sam uhapšen zbog pljačke i ubistva i uskoro sam saznao da finansije u zatvoru vladaju još više nego na ulicama, te sam želeo biti deo toga. Jednog dana sam požurio da zgrabim sportsku stranu iz novina kako bi cimer mogao da mi pročita, a slučajno sam odabrao poslovni odeljak. A taj starac me je upitao: "Hej, mladiću, odabrao si deonice?" Upitao sam: "Šta je to?" Rekao je: "To je mesto gde belci čuvaju sav svoj novac."
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
And it was the first time that I saw a glimpse of hope, a future. He gave me this brief description of what stocks were, but it was just a glimpse. I mean, how was I supposed to do it? I couldn't read, write or spell. The skills that I had developed to hide my illiteracy no longer worked in this environment. I was trapped in a cage, prey among predators, fighting for freedom I never had. I was lost, tired, and I was out of options.
I tada sam prvi put video tračak nade, budućnost. Dao mi je sažet opis toga šta su deonice, ali to je bio tek nagoveštaj. Mislim, kako da se time bavim? Nisam znao da čitam, pišem, ni sričem. Veštine koje sam razvio kako bih sakrio moju nepismenost više nisu delovale u ovom okruženju. Bio sam zarobljen u kavezu, plen među grabljivicama, boreći se za nikad pre stečenu slobodu. Bio sam izgubljen, umoran i nisam imao izbora.
So at 20 years old, I did the hardest thing I'd ever done in my life. I picked up a book, and it was the most agonizing time of my life, trying to learn how to read, the ostracizing from my family, the homeys. It was rough, man. It was a struggle. But little did I know I was receiving the greatest gifts I had ever dreamed of: self-worth, knowledge, discipline. I was so excited to be reading that I read everything I could get my hands on: candy wrappers, clothing logos, street signs, everything. I was just reading stuff!
Pa sam sa 20 godina uradio najtežu stvar u mom životu. Uzeo sam knjigu, i to je bio najmučniji period u mom životu, pokušavajući da naučim da čitam, isključio sam se iz porodice, od drugova. Čoveče, bilo je teško. To je bila borba. Ali nisam znao da dobijam najveći poklon o kom sam sanjao: samopoštovanje, znanje, disciplinu. Toliko sam bio uzbuđen što čitam da sam čitao sve što bi mi došlo pod ruku: omote od bombona, logoe na odeći, ulične znakove, sve. Prosto sam čitao svašta!
(Applause)
(Aplauz)
Just reading stuff. I was so excited to know how to read and know how to spell. The homey came up, said, "Man, what you eating?" I said, "C-A-N-D-Y, candy."
Prosto sam čitao svašta! Toliko sam bio uzbuđen što znam da čitam i znam da sričem. Drug mi je prišao, pitajući: "Čoveče, šta jedeš?" Rekao sam: "B-O-M-B-O-N-U, bombonu."
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
He said, "Let me get some." I said, "N-O. No."
Rekao je: "Daj i meni jednu." Rekao sam: "N-E. Ne."
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
It was awesome. I mean, I can actually now for the first time in my life read. The feeling that I got from it was amazing.
Bilo je fantastično. Mislim, zapravo sam mogao, prvi put u životu, da čitam. To osećanje je bilo divno.
And then at 22, feeling myself, feeling confident, I remembered what the OG told me. So I picked up the business section of the newspaper. I wanted to find these rich white folks.
A potom sa 22, pun sebe, osećajući se samopouzdano, setio sam se šta mi je stariji burazer rekao. Pa sam uzeo poslovni odeljak iz novina. Hteo sam da nađem te bogate belce.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
So I looked for that glimpse. As I furthered my career in teaching others how to financially manage money and invest, I soon learned that I had to take responsibility for my own actions. True, I grew up in a very complex environment, but I chose to commit crimes, and I had to own up to that. I had to take responsibility for that, and I did. I was building a curriculum that could teach incarcerated men how to manage money through prison employments. Properly managing our lifestyle would provide transferrable tools that we can use to manage money when we reenter society, like the majority of people did who didn't commit crimes. Then I discovered that according to MarketWatch, over 60 percent of the American population has under 1,000 dollars in savings. Sports Illustrated said that over 60 percent of NBA players and NFL players go broke. 40 percent of marital problems derive from financial issues. What the hell?
Pa sam tragao za tom iskrom. Kako mi je karijera išla dalje podučavajući druge kako da finansijski upravljaju novcem i da ulažu, uskoro sam saznao da moram da preuzmem odgovornost za sopstvena dela. Istina je da sam odrastao u veoma složenoj sredini, ali sam odabrao da vršim zločine i morao sam da ovladam time. Morao sam da preuzmem odgovornost za to, i jesam. Pravio sam plan rada kojim sam mogao da podučavam zatvorenike kako da raspolažu novcem kroz zatvorske poslove. Pravilno uređujući naš način života bismo obezbedili prenosiva oruđa koja bismo koristili da upravljamo novcem kad se vratimo u društvo. Kao što radi većina ljudi koja nije počinila zločine. Onda sam otkrio da prema MarketWatch-u, preko 60 procenata američke populacije ima manje od 1000 dolara ušteđevine. "Sprts Ilustrejted" tvrdi da preko 60 procenata NBA i NFL igrača bankrotira. 40 procenata bračnih problema proizlazi iz finansijskih pitanja. Koji vrag?
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
You mean to tell me that people worked their whole lives, buying cars, clothes, homes and material stuff but were living check to check? How in the world were members of society going to help incarcerated individuals back into society if they couldn't manage they own stuff? We screwed.
Hoćete da mi kažete da su ljudi radili čitav svoj život, kupovali auta, odeću, kuće i materijalne stvari, ali da su živeli od plate do plate? Kako će, za ime sveta, članovi društva da pomognu pojedincima u zatvoru da se vrate u društvo, ako ne mogu ni sami da se snađu? Propali smo.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
I needed a better plan. This is not going to work out too well. So ... I thought. I now had an obligation to meet those on the path and help, and it was crazy because I now cared about my community. Wow, imagine that. I cared about my community.
Trebao mi je bolji plan. Ovo neće da ispadne naročito dobro. Dakle... Mislio sam. Sad sam imao obavezu da izađem u susret drugima i da im pomognem, a to je bilo sumanuto jer sam sad mario za moju zajednicu. Uh, zamislite to. Mario sam za svoju zajednicu.
Financial illiteracy is a disease that has crippled minorities and the lower class in our society for generations and generations, and we should be furious about that. Ask yourselves this: How can 50 percent of the American population be financially illiterate in a nation driven by financial prosperity? Our access to justice, our social status, living conditions, transportation and food are all dependent on money that most people can't manage. It's crazy! It's an epidemic and a bigger danger to public safety than any other issue.
Finansijska nepismenost je bolest koja je sakatila manjine i niže klase u našem društvu generacijama i generacijama i trebalo bi da smo besni zbog toga. Zapitajte se sledeće: kako je moguće da 50 procenata američke populacije bude finansijski nepismeno u naciji koja se vodi finansijskim prosperitetom? Naš pristup pravdi, naš društveni status, uslovi života, transport i hrana sve to zavisi od novca kojim mnogi ne znaju da upravljaju. To je budalaština! To je epidemija i veća opasnost javnoj bezbednosti od bilo kog drugog pitanja.
According to the California Department of Corrections, over 70 percent of those incarcerated have committed or have been charged with money-related crimes: robberies, burglaries, fraud, larceny, extortion -- and the list goes on. Check this out: a typical incarcerated person would enter the California prison system with no financial education, earn 30 cents an hour, over 800 dollars a year, with no real expenses and save no money. Upon his parole, he will be given 200 dollars gate money and told, "Hey, good luck, stay out of trouble. Don't come back to prison." With no meaningful preparation or long-term financial plan, what does he do ... ? At 60? Get a good job, or go back to the very criminal behavior that led him to prison in the first place? You taxpayers, you choose. Well, his education already chose for him, probably.
Prema Kalifornijskom odseku za prekršaje, preko 70 procenata zatvorenika je počinilo ili im se sudi za zločine u vezi s novcem: pljačke, provale, prevare, razbojništvo, iznuđivanje - i spisak raste. Zamislite ovo: tipični zatvorenik će da uđe u kalifornijski zatvorski sistem finansijski neobrazovan, zarađivaće 30 centi po satu, preko 800 dolara godišnje, bez stvarnih troškova, i neće uštediti novac. Po izlasku na uslovnu dobiće 200 dolara na kapiji i reći će mu: "Srećno, ne upadaj u nevolje. Ne vraćaj se u zatvor." Bez smislenih priprema ili dugoročnog finansijskog plana, šta će da uradi...? Sa 60 godina? Da nađe dobar posao ili da se vrati kriminalnom ponašanju koje ga je prvenstveno odvelo u zatvor? Poreski obveznici, vi birate. Pa, njegovo obrazovanje je verovatno odabralo za njega.
So how do we cure this disease? I cofounded a program that we call Financial Empowerment Emotional Literacy. We call it FEEL, and it teaches how do you separate your emotional decisions from your financial decisions, and the four timeless rules to personal finance: the proper way to save, control your cost of living, borrow money effectively and diversify your finances by allowing your money to work for you instead of you working for it. Incarcerated people need these life skills before we reenter society. You can't have full rehabilitation without these life skills. This idea that only professionals can invest and manage money is absolutely ridiculous, and whoever told you that is lying.
Pa, kako da izlečimo ovu bolest? Saosnivač sam programa koji nazivamo Finansijsko osnaženje emotivna pismenost. Nazivamo ga FEEL, i obučava vas kako da razgraničite emotivne odluke od finansijskih odluka, kao i četiri bezvremena pravila za lične finansije: pravilan način štednje, kontrola troškova života, efikasno pozajmljivanje novca i variranje finansija koje omogućuje novcu da radi za vas, umesto što vi radite za njega. Zatvorenicima su potrebne ove životne veštine pre nego što se vratimo u društvo. Nema potpune rehabilitacije bez ovih životnih veština. Zamisao da jedino profesionalci mogu da ulažu i upravljaju novcem je potpuno smešna i ko vam to kaže, laže vas.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)
A professional is a person who knows his craft better than most, and nobody knows how much money you need, have or want better than you, which means you are the professional. Financial literacy is not a skill, ladies and gentlemen. It's a lifestyle. Financial stability is a byproduct of a proper lifestyle. A financially sound incarcerated person can become a taxpaying citizen, and a financially sound taxpaying citizen can remain one. This allows us to create a bridge between those people who we influence: family, friends and those young people who still believe that crime and money are related. So let's lose the fear and anxiety of all the big financial words and all that other nonsense that you've been out there hearing. And let's get to the heart of what's been crippling our society from taking care of your responsibility to be better life managers. And let's provide a simple and easy to use curriculum that gets to the heart, the heart of what financial empowerment and emotional literacy really is.
Profesionalac je osoba koja poznaje svoj zanat bolje od ostalih, a niko bolje od vas ne zna koliko novca vam je potrebno, koliko ga imate i želite, što znači da ste vi profesionalac. Finansijska pismenost nije veština, dame i gospodo, radi se o načinu života. Finansijska stabilnost je nusproizvod pravilnog načina života. Finansijski razborit zatvorenik može da postane poreski obveznik, a razborit poreski obveznik to može i da ostane. Ovo nam omogućuje da sagradimo most između ljudi na koje utičemo: porodicu, prijatelje i one mlade ljude koji i dalje veruju da su kriminal i novac povezani. Zato, oslobodimo se straha i nespokoja zbog krupnih finansijskih reči i svih drugih budalaština kojih ste se naslušali. I pozabavimo se srži onoga što sakati naše društvo, tako što ćemo preuzeti odgovornost i bolje upravljati našim životima. I obezbedimo plan rada koji je jednostavan, ali lak za upotrebu koji pogađa suštinu, suštinu toga šta finansijska osnaženost i emotivna pismenost zaista jesu.
Now, if you're sitting out here in the audience and you said, "Oh yeah, well, that ain't me and I don't buy it," then come take my class --
Sad, ako sedite tu u publici i govorite: "Ah, da, pa, to nisam ja i ne nasedam na to", onda dođite na moj čas -
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
so I can show you how much money it costs you every time you get emotional.
kako bih vam pokazao koliko novca vas svaki put košta vaša emotivnost.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)
Thank you very much. Thank you.
Mnogo vam hvala. Hvala vam.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)