Prosperity Works

What does it really take for a family to be financially secure?

A new report from The Aspen Institute, "Essential Wealth: A New Benchmark for Financial Security,” introduces a new way to measure the wealth households need to achieve financial resilience and well-being.

One finding stands out: Nearly three out of four Americans don’t have the wealth they need.

The new Essential Wealth metric gives nonprofits, policymakers, financial institutions and funders a tool to better understand where families are today—and develop strategies that help them build assets and move toward lasting financial security.

At Prosperity Works, we know building wealth is about more than getting by. It’s about giving families the resources and opportunities to plan for the future, weather financial challenges and thrive.

Learn more and explore the new report from the Aspen Institute here: https://heyor.ca/F6peDA

Essential Wealth: A New Benchmark for Financial Security Aspen FSP's essential wealth metric is a new benchmark that measures how much wealth families need not just to survive, but to thrive.

Prosperity Kids Savers: The Lucero Family

When Estelia Lucero enrolled her three children in Prosperity Kids in 2015, she had one goal: to make sure they had money for college expenses when the time came.

Estelia regularly contributed to accounts for Cristian, Yessica and Yuridia. The children didn’t know about the savings until Cristian began preparing for college, but for Yessica and Yuridia, learning they had money set aside made college feel more achievable.

Today, Yessica and Yuridia are beginning their first year of college and using their Prosperity Kids savings to purchase computers and other essentials. Cristian received scholarships and grants, so he has continued saving his funds for the future while pursuing a degree in business administration. He hopes to eventually use the money toward a home or small business.

For Estelia, the accounts have helped ease the financial pressure of having three children pursue higher education, allowing her to focus on celebrating their accomplishments!

Learn more about Prosperity Kids and how you can support our work here: https://heyor.ca/q4TGR5

You don't need to own a home or install solar panels to benefit from clean energy.

If you're a qualifying low-income New Mexican, Community Solar can help you save money on your monthly electricity bills while supporting renewable energy in our state.

Find out if you're eligible and sign up today: https://heyor.ca/eAblzR

Access to a bank account shouldn't depend on where you live.

Across the country, many communities are becoming banking deserts, areas with few or no nearby bank branches. Without access to safe, affordable banking services, many families are forced to rely on costly alternatives like payday lenders and check-cashing services, making it harder to save money and build long-term financial security.

That's why Bank On New Mexico is working to expand access to safe, affordable bank accounts across our state. By bringing together financial institutions, community organizations, and local partners, we're helping connect more New Mexicans to banking services that support financial health and economic opportunity.

Check out where the banking deserts are in NM: https://heyor.ca/WMBMlY

Banking Deserts Dashboard The Banking Deserts Dashboard quickly identifies banking deserts and potential banking deserts. This dashboard offers state and county-level data from 2019-2025.

As students head back to school, they're preparing for new classes, new opportunities and bright futures. You can help make those futures even brighter.

A gift to Prosperity Kids helps New Mexico children build savings, develop lifelong financial skills and invest in their dreams for higher education and beyond. Together, we can give the next generation the tools and confidence they need to succeed.

This back-to-school season, invest in a child's future. A gift as small as $200 helps to seed an account for one child. Donate today and help create more opportunities for New Mexico's kids: https://heyor.ca/dv7hW5

The rule of law protects all of us.

When powerful companies seek to own essential public infrastructure, New Mexicans deserve a process that's transparent, accountable, and grounded in the law.

In yesterday's Albuquerque Journal, Prosperity Works attorney Cara Lynch explains why the PRC's decision requiring Blackstone and TXNM Energy to unwind an unlawful $400 million stock transaction wasn't about stopping an acquisition–it was about making sure corporations follow the same rules that protect every New Mexican.

The acquisition is still moving through the regulatory process. But enforcing the law ensured the companies corrected the violation before that review continued–and that shareholders, not ratepayers, bear the cost.

Responsible investment means following the law, correcting mistakes, and earning the public's trust.

Read Cara's full op-ed: https://heyor.ca/Dzk06R

Delma Madrigal, Economic Success Director and Bank On New Mexico project lead, had the opportunity to share about youth-friendly accounts and offer banking tips for students and families at the 'Pathways to the Stars - What's Next?' Fair for the Semiconductor Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship Program this month.

Students are 16-18 years old and were selected statewide from 9 high schools with 5 counties represented. They are interested in engineering, manufacturing, and technology careers.

NewSpace Nexus
New Mexico Dept. of Workforce Solutions

Thank you to Saranam LLC for inviting Prosperity Works to a Back to School Community Event. We shared information about how to lower electric bills through community solar. Kids were able to get school supplies they needed to head back to school and parents received information on community resources. Helping kids and families start the school year off right is part of the critical work we do.

A huge shout-out to our Youth Banking Strategic Alignment Planning Session planning team, with their help we were able to share valuable information with local youth organizations across New Mexico.

And a special thank you to Jump$tart New Mexico for sponsoring our lunch!

Planning Team
Pictured:
Vanessa Arballo, City of Albuquerque - Bank On Burque
Benjamin Gutierrez, U.S. Bank
Romulous Charles, One Generation Fund
Delma Madrigal, Prosperity Works - Bank On New Mexico
Christine Batan, Jobs for America's Graduates - New Mexico
Not Pictured:
Jen Garcia, WaFd Bank and Bank On Doña Ana

Thank you to all who attended the Youth Banking Strategic Alignment Planning Session held at the America's Job Center New Mexico in Albuquerque. We were able to share valuable information and we look forward to future collaborations with the youth programs from the organizations that attended.

New Mexico Public Education Department - Student Support Services Division
New Mexico Dept. of Workforce Solutions - TANF, Pre-Apprenticeship and WIOA
YDI - WIOA and Albuquerque Against Violence AAV
Goodwill Industries of New Mexico - Jumpstart
Enlace Comunitario
Albuquerque Job Corp
One Generation Fund
Future Focused Education
SMART Local Union 49 Joint Apprenticeship Training Program Sheet Metal Apprenticeship
New Mexico Eviction and Prevention Diversion
Community Action Agency of Southern New Mexico