3rd Decade Inc
Empowerment Through Education
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Young adults today often lack access to high-quality financial education, training, and support to make good decisions about their financial futures. The National Institute on Retirement Security study found that 66% of millennials haven’t saved any money for retirement. Another study by the New York Fed found that Americans 18-29 years old now owe over $1 Trillion in debt. We have long acknowledged that money is the top stressor of American families, and the numbers increase for the younger generations; (The American Psychological Association). 3rd Decade encourages you to be aware of obstacles and statistics and take your financial journey into your own hands to overcome whatever comes your way.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
3rd Decade Program
The 3rd Decade program is aimed to equip participants with the knowledge to make the right decisions at various stages of their lives through financial planning.
Through education and one-on-one mentoring participants will become empowered to build strategies around their goals needs and wants, they will establish good savings habits, and receive an easy-to-understand financial plan.
Financial security is more about good money habits and decisions rather than how much you make. At a minimum, we want participants to walk away with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to make good financial decisions.
1. Education: Four classes (10 classroom hours) 1 class a month for 4 months by professional financial educators.
2. Financial Mentoring Services: Two years of unbiased support that extends the program beyond the classroom.
**The information presented is unbiased, 3rd Decade neither promotes nor sell products.**
Where we work
External reviews

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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of groups/individuals benefiting from tools/resources/education materials provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups, Family relationships, Social and economic status
Related Program
3rd Decade Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
# of People who completed the first portion of the 3rd Decade Program. Class 1: Behavioral Finance Class 2: Financial Assets & Managing Risk Class 3: Taxes and Retirement Accounts Class 4: Insurance
Number of program graduates
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups, Social and economic status
Related Program
3rd Decade Program
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Throughout the year participants complete the 2-year program when they have their final Progress Meeting with their Financial Mentor. 2019 completed in 2021. 2020 participants will complete in 2022.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
3rd Decade Program
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
They are newly added participants to the 3rd Decade Program in that given year.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
3rd Decade strives to build financial confidence in participants and encourage open, thoughtful conversations on finances to help mitigate money as a stressor. The education and mentoring offer a judgement free zone where participants will learn the about behavioral finance, how to manage financial assets and risks. Personal taxes, retirement accounts and the importance of insurance. The 3rd Decade is also offering up to $1,000 investment kick-start paid directly to Roth IRAs of young professionals between the ages of 18-35. Investment in one driven individual can produce lasting impact for society.
At 3rd Decade we focus on making financial knowledge less exclusive. We have seen exceptional change within our community and look forward to carrying this momentum across the country.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our program has three core components: education, mentoring, and capital.
Education: 3rd Decade provides four (4) educational classes over the course of 3 months to all participants. Each class is 2.5 hours each for a total of 10 hours of training focusing on personal finance, budgeting, savings, debt management and investing. Classes are a mixture of lecture, video, hands on activities and resource presentation. All classes are held in the evenings. Our curriculum was developed using best practices from the wealth management industry and is taught by professional financial educators.
Mentoring: 3rd Decade program provides a free two-year relationship with a professional financial mentor to establish and manage your personal financial plan (a spending, saving and investing plan). This unbiased support helps extend the program beyond the classroom to ensure participants can implement their knowledge. The financial mentorship comes in the form of three 1:1 meetings for a total of 5 hours of financial mentoring over a two year period. The meetings are structured as an initial discovery meeting to uncover personal financial goals and budget followed by a 1-year and 2-year check-in to hold participants accountable to their goals.
Financial Contribution: 3rd Decade provides up to a $1,000 contribution into a Roth IRA for any program graduate. Graduation requires 100% participation in classes and financial mentor meetings.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
2021: 3rd Decade’s board and staff have experience across many sectors; we use our expertise to create solutions and meet participants where they are at in life. We leverage technology and community partners to help us reach young adults across eight different cities.
Headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, 3rd Decade grows partnerships in new cities across the country to scale the program’s positive impact. Partner Firm Mentorship Match Initiative; 3rd Decade partners with financial advisory firms who provide volunteer financial mentors to serve a 2-year term with our participants.
These partnerships have allowed Tucson, Tempe, Flagstaff, Denver, Reno, Los Angeles/Santa Monica, Austin, and Charlotte participants access to quality education and financial mentors committed to helping people accomplish their goals.
3rd Decade is excited to engage with new firms to expand the program to participants across the US.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
501 Alumni 661 Active participants in 6 states
Average Change in Networth: $65,484.67
Median change in Net Worth: $52,962.50
Average Change in Households with starting Net Worth < $100,000: $53,847.87 ( 74.6% of individuals)
Demographics for participants:
Average Female Age: 31
Average Male Age: 31
61% Female Participants
39% Male Participants
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
The program is offered for free to young adults age 18-35 who have an individual income of less than $75,000 or a household income of less than $120,000, are workers, students, or homemakers, are ready to manage debt and start a financial plan and have the ability to save. Many of our participants are teachers, firefighters, or service professionals.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Case management notes, Suggestion box/email,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
At the end of each class series, the team meets and reviews feedback from all participants to make changes to the curriculum to better serve those in the community. After feedback from a participant wanting more information on student loan repayment, the team implemented an additional resource tab to our curriculum so students who want a deeper dive into any of the topics covered would have them easily accessible. Our relationship with our mentors is also very important to the health of our program and after feedback from them, we have created a more in-depth training program and added a team member who is dedicated to supporting them during their time as mentors.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
We believe it has strengthened our relationship with those that we serve. They know that their voices are being heard and that our goal truly is to support them along their journey. They are our best advocates, and we become a better organization as we learn to better serve our community.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
3rd Decade Inc
Board of directorsas of 5/11/2022
Robert Swift
TCI Wealth
Term: 2019 -
Missy Eddy
TCI Wealth
Jeff Locke
Five Oceans Advisors
Keri Lopez-Howell
Mister Car Wash
Desiree Cunningham
Red Ventures
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/06/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.