New Tool Helping Families Connect to Financial Assistance Programs

For new moms, Kimberly Ubaldi and Diana Rojas. The focus right now is on tummy time for their babies. But even though these babies are just seven months old, their moms are already planning for their future. Having a savings account for him, saved up already. Especially with San Diego being so expensive, just trying to have a little savings account for their future. But finding the money to pay for future expenses isn't that easy to find. Until now. Before, parents had to Google and search the internet and scan through countless results. In the coming months, California will launch a new website that will narrow down a list of all of the financial options your family qualifies for. It's called the Early Investment Accounts Navigator. Just answer a few basic questions, such as your zip code, the age of your kids, and your income bracket. From there, you'll see what financial assistance you qualify for. From state-run programs like CalKids, which provides money for eligible babies and public school students, Hope Trust accounts for foster youth and young people who lost a caregiver to COVID-19, and federal accounts, such as 538 Trump Accounts, which gives U.S. citizen children born in certain years a one-time $1,000 contribution. We can create the accounts and the opportunities, but they're not meaningful to families unless they know they exist. This website will launch in California by the end of September, and there are plans to expand this to other states. Kimberly and Diana say they're looking forward to this website rollout, thankful for the additional help this will bring to other families in the future. Especially if this new website will have all the tools that we need in one place, that will definitely help. Marie Cornell, ABC 10 News.