Russell Simmons Gets Your Money Right

WASHINGTON — One of the major highlights of
this year’s Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) Annual Legislative
Conference (ALC) will be the Washington, D.C. Hip-Hop Summit on Financial
Empowerment. Thousands of young people will gather at the Washington
Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place NW, Hall A, 1:30-3:30 p.m. on
Saturday, September 29, 2007 to participate in the Hip-Hop Summit Action
Network (HSAN) “Get Your Money Right” financial literacy international
tour.

With the recent housing market crash in the United States affecting the
economy, jobs, student loans and consumer confidence, young people are
eager to receive sound financial advice on how to best manage their money
and navigate through this volatile economic environment.
Bloomberg recently reported, “The housing recession is making it harder
for Americans to tap home equity to finance the spending that accounts for
70 percent of the economy. A slowdown in hiring and slimmer pay raises may
further weaken consumer sentiment and purchasing power as overall growth
slows.” Reuters recently announced, “The multibillion-dollar market for
securitized student loan debt faces new stresses as Congress moves to
reshape the troubled student loan industry.”
The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network and title sponsor Chrysler Financial
are pleased to bring the Financial Empowerment Summit to Washington, D.C.
during the CBCF’s national annual event. Doors at the Convention Center
will open at noon. Tickets for the D.C. Summit are free and available at
http://www.hsan.org. The presenting sponsor of the Summit is Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Joining HSAN Co-Founders Russell Simmons and Dr. Benjamin Chavis in
Washington, D.C. will be D.C.’s own Mya and Tabi Bonney; Questlove from the
Roots; platinum selling R&B star, Lyfe Jennings; platinum selling hip-hop
star Mike Jones; Belly; Lil Boosie and Bun B of UGK. Hip-hop television
personality, Free, will co-moderate the Summit with Dr. Chavis.
The Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment is a grassroots effort to
help engage young people in discussions about the importance of personal
finance. The “Get Your Money Right” agenda features an interactive panel
discussion on financial literacy, including such topics as the basics of
banking, repairing and understanding credit scores, asset and wealth
management, vehicle financing and home ownership.
The Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment’s “Get Your Money Right”
International Tour, now in its third successful year, brings together the
powerful combination of hip-hop stars and Chrysler Financial experts to
speak to students and community members about the importance of financial
literacy.
The tour will utilize the “Get Your Money Right” workbook, produced and
distributed by HSAN in both English and Spanish and given to all
participants. The workbook is free and is also downloadable at
http://www.hsan.org.
Russell Simmons affirmed, “We are taking back responsibility in this
unique, but effective manner in encouraging youth to take the correct path
toward financial success. ‘Getting your money right,’ helps to get your
life right. Our Hip-Hop Summits are all about empowerment.”
“How we as consumers manage our money determines our credit worthiness,
provides us with access to financial tools, such as mortgages and affects
our overall quality of life,” said William F. Jones Jr., Chief Operating
Officer — Chrysler Financial. “At the Summit our employee volunteers will
empower participants to make good financial choices that will benefit them
for a lifetime because it is easier to establish good credit initially than
to repair bad credit later.”
“The opportunity to live productively begins with a plan that mandates
personal financial responsibility,” said Johnny Furr, Vice President of
Urban Marketing and Community Affairs for Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “We consider
it a real benefit to support HSAN’s mission to provide young people with
the tools, knowledge and inspiration they need to begin creating the
futures they want tomorrow, today.”
Community partners for the Summit include NAACP Washington, D.C.
Branch; Greater Washington Urban League and College Summit. The media
partner for the Washington, D.C. Hip-Hop Summit is Radio One’s 93.9 WKYS
FM.
Dr. Benjamin Chavis concluded, “I am so proud of this generation of
hip- hop youth leaders. They are serious about wealth building not out of
individual greed, but out of a collective desire to eliminate poverty. We
are helping young people to make a positive difference in their quality of
life and to promote the overall economic empowerment of communities.”
The 2007 “Get Your Money Right” tour will make two more stops including
Miami, Fla., October 20 and Atlanta, Ga., November 3.
About Chrysler Financial
Chrysler Financial offers automotive financial products and services to
both dealers and consumers of Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge vehicles in the
U.S., Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. In addition to offering
vehicle wholesale and retail financing to more than 4,400 Chrysler, Jeep
and Dodge dealers, Chrysler Financial also provides fleet management and
lines of credit to dealers. Currently, nearly three million drivers in the
United States enjoy the benefits of leasing or financing with Chrysler
Financial. Chrysler Financial has an employee base of 4,200 and supports a
global portfolio of $75 billion. For more information visit
http://www.chryslerfinancial.com.
About Anheuser-Busch
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc. is the leading American
brewer holding 50 percent of the U.S. beer market. The company is American-
owned and brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light.
Anheuser-Busch is ranked first in the U.S. beverage industry in Fortune
magazine’s 2005 “America’s Most Admired Companies” and in the top 30 on
Fortune’s 2005 “Global Most Admired Companies” list. The company is one of
the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major
manufacturer of aluminum cans and is the world’s largest recycler of
aluminum beverage containers. For more information, visit
http://www.anheuser-busch.com or http://www.africanamericanbud.com.
About Hip-Hop Summit Action Network
Founded in 2001, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) is dedicated
to harnessing the cultural relevance of hip-hop music to serve as a
catalyst for education advocacy and other societal concerns fundamental to
the well being of at-risk youth throughout the United States. HSAN is the
largest non-profit, worldwide coalition of hip-hop artists, entertainment
industry leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents, and youth
leaders united in the belief that Hip-Hop is an enormously influential
agent for positive social change which must be responsibly and proactively
utilized to fight the war on poverty and injustice. http://www.hsan.org

SOURCE Chysler Financial