12 young participants, 6 financial education sessions, and a first step toward building their financial futures.
Earlier this year, Siebert partnered with Voices For Children Foundation with a shared mission: to equip young people in Miami-Dade County's foster care community with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to take control of their financial futures.
Today, we're celebrating an exciting milestone. After months of learning, hands-on experience, and guidance from Siebert's team, 12 young participants have officially completed the program.
As Philanthropist Gloria Gebbia shared during the program's graduation: "When we began this journey, our goal was simple: to give young people the knowledge, confidence, and tools to take control of their financial futures."
Throughout the program, participants attended 6 financial education sessions led by Siebert's team, covering essential topics such as investing, understanding financial markets, managing risk, and building long-term wealth.
But what made this initiative different was the opportunity to put those lessons into practice. Each participant received $1,000 to invest, with the freedom to decide how to allocate their funds. With guidance from Siebert's team throughout the process, they explored investment options, asked questions, and made their own decisions, turning financial concepts into real-world experience.
The objective wasn't simply to teach participants about the stock market. It was to help them develop financial habits and confidence they could carry into adulthood.
As Siebert Chief Investment Officer Mark Malek emphasized during the program, the key to building wealth is consistency: start early, contribute what you can, and keep going.
At the program's graduation, the participants had the opportunity to reflect on their experience and share what they had learned. For some, investing had initially seemed complicated or intimidating. By the end of the program, their perspective had changed.
Shalom, one of the participants, shared that he initially expected to feel confused by the material and wasn't sure how much he would learn. By graduation, however, he recognized that he had gained tools and knowledge he didn't have before. His experience reflects one of the initiative's most important goals: making financial education approachable and helping young people feel more confident about managing their money.
As Gloria reminded the participants during the celebration: "I hope you leave this program knowing that you don't have to be wealthy to start building wealth."
While the educational sessions have concluded, Siebert's commitment to the participants continues. Through the initiative, the ABC's, a charitable organization affiliated with the Gebbia Family, has committed to supporting the participants' investment accounts over a five-year period, with annual contribution matching beginning in 2027.
As John T. Gebbia, Vice President of Finance at Siebert, emphasized during the graduation, starting to invest early can make a meaningful difference, not only because of the power of compounding over time but also because of the financial habits young people develop along the way.
This long-term commitment reflects the belief that financial empowerment isn't built through a single lesson or investment. It's developed over time, through education, experience, and continued opportunity.
For Siebert, the initiative also carries forward the legacy of Muriel Siebert, who became the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange in 1967 and dedicated her career to expanding access to financial opportunities.
The completion of the Siebert x Voices for Children initiative marks an exciting milestone for everyone involved. We're grateful to Voices For Children Foundation, the Gebbia Family, the Siebert team, and, most importantly, the 12 participants who embraced the opportunity to learn, grow, and take ownership of their financial futures.
Because investing in the next generation is about more than money. It's about creating opportunities that can last a lifetime
Siebert Financial (800)872-0444