How to Make a Financial Wellness Mixtape by Mixing Old School Hip Hop with Financial Literacy —With Mario Gage

Join us for a special episode where we sit down with Mario Gage, a financial literacy ambassador, disc jockey, millennial investor, and classic hip-hop collector from the South Side of Chicago. In this episode, we explore the intersection of old-school hip-hop and financial literacy and learn how Mario has used his love of music to teach financial literacy to everyone he encounters. Mario's interest in financial literacy was initially piqued while attending Ariel Community Academy and being a member of Ujamaa Jr. , a youth investment club, where he started his own personal stock portfolio at the age of 12. In 2004, Mario was named the first Money $mart Kid by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago for his essay on "The Three Jar System," a savings method taught to him by his mother. He continued to nurture his passions for investing, financial literacy and music while attending high school at the prestigious University of Chicago Laboratory School  and undergrad at the University of Chicago.

Mario shared his unique perspective on how he tracks his "music-related assets" through discogs.com, a platform he uses to organize his collection and keep track of the value of his investment. He stressed the importance of this website if you are a music collector since it can help you keep receipts  and reflect an accurate value for your financial selfie. Mario also shared some songs that told the story of hip-hop and success.

With a record collection of over 10,000 vinyl, Mario shares his love for classic hip hop and how he uses music to tell the story of success and financial empowerment. We also dive into Mario's goal digger journey to become a disc jockey for the late-night hip-hop radio show on WHPK of the University of Chicago's radio station and how he has used his platform to inspire others to pursue their goals. Join us as we learn from Mario's unique perspective on financial literacy and how he is making a difference in his community, one beat at a time.

Show Notes:

If you want to be one of those who get their money right, through our research for the show notes, we discovered Chicago's Federal Reserve bank would be hosting a free virtual Money Smart Week April 15-21st and have shared a link below in the show notes.

Listen To the Songs Mentioned:

MC Shan—The Bridge
Boogie Down Productions—South Bronx
Common—I Used to Love H.E.R.
Nu Shooz—I Can’t Wait
Poison—Bell Biv DeVoe

Connect With Mario Through Instagram
Learn More About The Ujamaa Jr. Investment Club
Watch Mario Spin At Silk
Subscribe To Trapital

Chapters

• 0:53 Hip-Hop Brought Us Together: The Story of Mario and Daniele's Meet-Cute
• 3:39 From the Boogie Down Bronx to the South Side: How Mario's Love for Old School Hip Hop Began
• 16:07 From Laboratory to Wall Street: How a Unique Educational Experience Ignited Mario's Passion for Financial Literacy
• 29:06 The Inspirational Intersection of Hip-Hop and Financial Literacy
• 48:02 Mic Drop