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."
當我 14 歲時, 有一次我在保齡球館, 偷了大型電玩機台裡的錢。 當我要離開球館時, 一名警衛抓住了我的手臂, 於是我逃跑了。 我跑到大街上,跳上了欄杆。 當我跳到欄杆上時, 背包裡三千個兩角五分硬幣的重量, 將我拉倒在地。 當我恢復意識時,警衛低頭看著我, 他說:「臭小子,下一次記得 偷你自己搬得動的東西。」
(Laughter)
(笑)
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.
我被帶到少年隊, 隨後交由母親帶回時, 我叔叔問我的第一句話是: 「你是怎麼被抓的?」 我說:「老兄, 因為背包實在太重了。」 他說:「小子,你不應該 把所有的錢都拿走的。」 我說:「老兄,可是錢幣很小啊! 那我應該怎麼做?」 10 分鐘之後, 他帶我去偷另一部遊戲機台。 因為我們需要錢加油,才能回家。 這就是我的人生。
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.
我生長在加州奧克蘭, 和我的母親以及沉迷於古柯鹼的親戚 住在一起。 我就在家人、朋友 和遊民收留所間遊蕩著。 通常我們的晚餐,都得去排隊 領取救濟品和免費餐點。 這個大家庭教導我的是: 金錢統治著這個世界, 以及當中的所有事物。 而在這幾條街上,金錢才是王道。 如果你追隨著金錢, 它會引導你成為壞人或是好人。
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.
不久之後我犯下了人生第一個案件, 這是第一次有人告訴我, 我很有潛力, 感覺就像是有人願意相信我。 因為從來沒有人告訴過我, 我可能會成為律師、 醫生或工程師。 我的意思是,什麼是我應該做的? 我不會閱讀、寫字甚至是拼字。 我是個文盲。 所以我一直認為, 犯罪是我唯一能走的路。
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.
後來有一天, 我在跟某人聊天時, 他告訴我,我們可以去搶劫。 而我們真的做了。
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.
現實就是,雖然我生長在 全球最強大的金融國家── 美利堅合眾國, 而我卻只能眼睜睜看著母親 排在血庫外的隊伍中, 賣出她的血液賺取 40 美元, 只是為了讓她的孩子有飯吃。 到今天,她的手臂 仍然留著針孔的痕跡,
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.
見證著當時那段日子。 所以,我從來不關心我居住的社區。 他們也不關心我的人生。 那裡的每個人 都在做他們自己的事情, 以換取他們想要的東西。 無論是毒販、搶匪或是血庫, 每個人都在賺血腥錢。 所以,我也用 各種必要的手段來賺錢。 我也賺了血腥錢。 財務素養的確主宰著這個世界, 而我只是追隨著 這個壞傢伙的童工奴隸之一。
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."
在 17 歲那年, 我因為搶劫殺人被逮捕, 我很快就學到, 財務素養在監獄中, 甚至比在街道上更為重要, 所以我想要瞭解它。 有一天,我急著想要 搶到報紙的體育版, 這樣才能讓獄友讀報給我聽, 然而我無意之中拿到了商業版。 我的老獄友說: 「嘿!小伙子,你會挑選股票嗎?」 我說:「那是什麼?」 他說:「這就是白人 藏著錢的地方。」
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
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.
這是第一次,我看到了希望, 還有未來。 他用簡短的描述, 告訴我什麼是股票, 但這也只是驚鴻一瞥。 我的意思是,我應該怎麼做? 我不會閱讀、寫字甚至是拼字。 過去我已經培養出各種技巧, 來隱藏自己是文盲, 但是在這個環境中, 這些都不再有用。 我彷彿被困在牢籠裡, 處在一群掠奪者之中, 成為他們的獵物。 為從未獲得過的自由而戰鬥。 我迷失了,覺得累了, 但我卻束手無策。
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!
所以在 20 歲時, 我做了一件我生命中 最困難的事情。 我拿起了一本書,開始閱讀。 這是我一生中最痛苦的時光, 我努力學習如何閱讀, 然而我卻被我的家庭、 我的兄弟所排斥。 這真的很艱難。 這是一場戰爭。 但當時我還不知道, 我從中得到夢想中最珍貴的禮物: 自我價值、 知識、紀律。 閱讀令我感到興奮, 於是我讀了所有能看到的東西: 糖果包裝、服飾商標、 道路標誌,所有的東西。 我只是拼命地讀!
(Applause)
(鼓掌)
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."
只是拼命地讀! 我很興奮地學習如何閱讀和拼字。 有次一位哥們看到我, 他說:「老兄,你在吃什麼?」 我說:「C-A-N-D-Y,糖果。」
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
He said, "Let me get some." I said, "N-O. No."
他說:「給我一些。」 我回答:「N-O,不要。」
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
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.
這實在太棒了。 我的意思是, 在我人生中第一次能夠閱讀。 我從閱讀當中得到的感受 是充滿驚奇的。
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.
到了 22 歲時,我感受到自我, 感受到自信。 於是我想起了當年老獄友告訴我的。 於是我拿起報紙的商業版面, 我試著要找到這些有錢的白人。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
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?
所以我開始尋找那些蛛絲馬跡。 隨著我進一步發展事業── 教導別人如何管理金錢和投資, 我很快就學到, 我必須為自己的行為負責。 的確,我在生長在一個 非常複雜的環境中, 但我必須坦白地承認, 是我自己選擇走上犯罪的道路。 我必須承擔責任,而我做到了。 我正在建立一套課程, 要教導監獄裡的犯人 如何藉由監獄的勞動工作進行理財。 學會管理好自己的生活方式, 未來也將成為一個有用的工具, 當我們重新回到社會時, 可以用它來管理財務, 就像沒有走上犯罪之路的 大多數人所做的理財方式。 後來我發現, 根據華爾街日報的市場觀察站, 60% 以上的美國人 銀行裡的存款不到 1000 美元。 美國運動畫刊報導, 超過 60% 的 NBA 球員 與 NFL 球員面臨破產。 其中有 40% 的婚姻問題, 都是來自於經濟問題。 到底在搞什麼鬼?
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
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.
你的意思是告訴我, 人們工作了一輩子, 為了購買汽車、衣服、 房子和生活用品, 卻每個月都把賺來的錢花光? 他們身為社會的一份子, 要如何去協助更生人重回社會, 如果不懂得管理好自己的財產? 我們搞砸了。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
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.
我需要一個更好的計劃。 現在的方式看起來並不太順利。 所以…… 我想到, 我現在有義務讓更生人 走上正確的道路, 並且協助他們, 這真是瘋狂, 因為我現在居然會關心我的社區。 哇,想像一下, 我居然會關心自己的社區。
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.
財務素養上的文盲, 就像是一種疾病, 會讓社會上的弱勢族群和底層階級, 世世代代都陷入困境, 我們應該對此感到憤怒。 問自己一個問題: 為何像美國這樣經濟繁榮的國家, 還會有 50% 以上的民眾, 對財務素養一無所知? 我們的司法正義、我們的社會地位、 生活條件、交通和食物都需要金錢, 但是大多數人卻不懂得管理財務。 這真是瘋狂! 這是一種流行病, 對於公眾安全的危害, 甚至比其他議題更大。
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.
根據加州政府矯正部門的統計, 監獄裡的犯人有超過 70% 已經犯下或是被起訴的罪名 都與金錢有關: 搶劫、竊盜、詐欺、偷竊、勒索── 還有很多項目。 試想一下: 一位普通的犯人, 進入加州監獄, 沒有接受過任何財務方面的教育, 他每小時賺 30 美分, 每年賺 800 多美元, 沒有任何現金花費,也沒有儲蓄。 在假釋期間,他會拿到 200 美元, 然後被告知: 「嗨,祝你好運,不要惹麻煩。 別再回來監獄了!」 缺乏有意義的準備, 或是長期財務規劃的情況下, 他能做什麼? 如果他 60 歲了呢? 找到一個好工作? 還是回到之前的地方,去從事那些 讓他進監獄的犯罪行為? 你們這些納稅人,你會選擇哪一種? 很好,他受的教育 也許已經決定了他的選擇。
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.
那麼我們如何治療這種疾病呢? 我們共同創立了一個 稱為「財務賦權情緒素養」的計畫。 簡稱為 FEEL, 它教導你如何將情緒決策 與財務決策分開, 以及四項長期個人理財原則: 一、用適當的方式省錢, 二、控制生活成本, 三、有效率地貸款, 四、多元化財務收入; 讓你的錢替你工作, 而不是你為了錢而工作。 囚犯在重新進入社會之前, 需要具備這些生活技能。 如果沒有這些生活技能, 你就無法完全改過自新。 如果你以為只有專業人士 才能進行投資和管理金錢, 這個想法是荒謬可笑的, 會這樣告訴你的人,就是在說謊。
(Applause)
(掌聲)
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.
專業人士指的是 擁有比大多數人更優秀的能力, 然而沒有人知道你需要、 擁有或是想要多少錢, 這意味著你自己就是專業人士。 各位女士、先生, 財務素養並不是一種技能, 而是一種生活方式。 財務穩定是適當的 生活方式下的副產品。 一位財務健全的囚犯, 未來將會成為一名納稅人, 而一位財務健全的納稅人, 就會保持納稅人的身分。 這使我們能夠建立起一座橋樑, 連結我們所能夠影響的人: 那些仍然認為 犯罪和金錢息息相關的 家人、朋友和年輕人。 所以讓我們拋下所有對於 財務術語的恐懼和焦慮, 拋下所有那些 你在其他地方聽到的廢話。 我們要直指核心, 找出那些正在削弱社會的原因, 就需要善盡自己的責任, 成為更好的生活管理者。 讓我們提供一個簡單、易學的課程, 能打動人心的課程, 這才是財務賦權情緒素養的 真正核心價值。
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 --
現在,如果你正坐在觀眾席,說: 「哦,好吧,那不是我, 我才不買帳。」 那你應該來上我的課──
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
so I can show you how much money it costs you every time you get emotional.
我可以讓你看到, 你每次激動時,會花費多少錢。
(Applause)
(掌聲)
Thank you very much. Thank you.
非常感謝大家,謝謝。
(Applause)
(掌聲)