From effort to expectation
2026 is officially 2 weeks old 🎉
They say it takes 14 days for your brain to shift from effort to expectation. That’s not long enough to form a real habit, but it is enough time to start believing a new story about who you are.
So here’s my question:
What story do you believe about yourself in 2026?
I’ll go first. This year, I believe I’ll:
get more states to require a semester-long personal finance course for high school graduation. (There are currently 30 states that already do this!) You can help me in New York right now by submitting comments to the Board of Regents letting them know this issue is urgent! The public comment period ends 1/19/26.)
nurture this community of supporters - THANK YOU! I’ll drop a newsletter update in your inbox twice a month with freebies, tips, financial current events, and curated content.
put more free books in schools! I’m honored to join Christopher Rivas’ Brown Literacy Movement. Christopher is an American actor, author, and podcaster known for his role as Oscar on the hit TV show “Call Me Kat” and through his initiative we’ll be gifting many more books to schools!
Haven’t read my book, Mind Your Money, yet? Enter this raffle before January 31st for a chance to win a signed, hardcover copy!
I’ve been busy behind the mic lately! I hosted some podcasts and was interviewed on others, and you’ll definitely want to check them all out:
Brown Enough with Christopher Rivas: Mind Your Money with Yanely Espinal
Raising Money-Smart Kids with Content Creator, Lizbet Barajas
Jonathan Cohen on Losing Big: America’s Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling
Let’s wrap up with a headline that’s been getting a lot of attention:
Will credit card interest rates really be capped at 10%?
American presidents have no control over interest rates. The Federal Reserve Bank (The Fed) does that! The Fed operates independently from the administration in power, to keep political pressure away from decisions that affect our finances.
So, when Trump said he’ll “lower” rates, that’s commentary, not policy.
If there’s a topic you want me to dig into this year, hit reply and let me know!
Excited for what’s to come 🚀
Yanely a.k.a. MissBeHelpful