Money Matters Episode 83- What Alternatives are there to Payday Lending? W/ Adam Potter

Could falling oil prices actually be a good thing for certain industries in Houston? If Houston is doing well why is there such a large unbanked or under banked population compared to the rest of the country? We explored both of these questions on a new monthly segment with Houston Business Journal's Legal and Money Reporter, Suzanne Edwards.   Edwards most recently comes from Shanghai, China, where she was an editor at SinoMedia and, before that, a contributor to China Economic Review. Edwards is an Austin native and interned at the Austin Business Journal, an affiliated publication. She began her journalism career as an intern at the Associate Press' Rome bureau. Edwards graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and majored in journalism, as well as Asian cultures and languages. In addition to English, she speaks Mandarin, as well as Italian and Spanish. Edwards will focus her coverage for HBJ on following Houston's thriving financial industry, including banks, credit unions, wealth management, philanthropy, venture capital, private equity and more. She also will cover the highly competitive law sector in Houston, where expansions and M&A continue at a rapid pace.   You can follow Suzanne on twitter  at @HBJSuzanne or visit her online at: http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/bio/24321/Suzanne+Edwards   We were also joined today by president of SimpleFi, Adam Potter. We discussed alternatives to payday loans such as credit blind programs that lend to indivduals without actually checking credit.   We discussed Financial Literacy in the workplace and how financial health can be related to physical health.   Adam, 35, served as a Marine Corps officer for 10 years, rehabilitating war and disaster ravaged populations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and South Asia. He also supported the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society financial wellness programs - which have successfully counseled troops into better financial behavior and away from predatory lenders. He believes the work done by the military relief societies to recover troops who were overwhelmed by their expenses and debt should be continued in the private sector. Adam is an alumnus of John Hopkins University and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.   To Find out more about Adam Potter you can visit his website at:   www.simplefi.org   You can listen live by going to www.kpft.org and clicking on the HD3 tab. You can also listen to this episode and others by podcast at: http://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/moneymatters or www.moneymatterspodcast.com ‪#‎kpft‬ ‪#‎HBJSuzanne#houbizjournal #simplefinews