Finalists chosen for 'Imagine a Happier You' financial mentoring

SALT LAKE CITY — A divorced mother with seven kids and a full-time job, a college professor who isn't making her money work for her and a woman who works days while her husband works nights to avoid day-care costs are among nine finalists for yearlong financial mentoring as part of Deseret Media Companies' "Imagine a Happier You" campaign.

The campaign focuses on helping women figure out finances and map their brightest money futures using interactive tools, blogs and tips from some of the best experts available.

It's also a learn-along-with-me journey as Deseret News and El Observador de Utah readers, KSL-TV viewers and KSL NewsRadio listeners will follow the three women who are ultimately selected for the money makeover.

Nearly 550 women applied for mentoring in three categories: budgeting, debt and investing. There are now three in each category, and one will be chosen from each group in a process that includes public voting online at www.imagineahappieryou.com, starting Sunday and continuing through noon Aug. 9. The trio will be introduced at the Zions Bank Smart Women/Smart Money conference Aug. 19, then will work closely with the initiative's partners/mentors: AAA Fair Credit, Merrill Lynch and Zions Bank.

Narrowing the field was tough, said Nelda McAllister, Imagine a Happier You executive director, who was especially impressed that "while they were diverse in their needs, there was a lot of similarity in that they each seemed to want to help others. 'I want this so I can give my son a better future' or 'I want to send my daughter to college.' "

Online voters are being asked to select "someone who will be open enough, courageous enough, dedicated enough to succeed in the makeover journey," McAllister said. "You'll be able to read their profiles, watch a video about them and then place your vote, one for each category."

Budget finalists

Cherie Anderson and her husband work different shifts so someone's always home with their girls, 2 and 4. Through hard work, they've paid off much of their debt, and she says they've tried to make good choices. But when they decided to get the federal stimulus credit for buying a house, they didn't realize the stress it would place on their finances. She'd like to be debt-free within five years, build her emergency savings and learn to budget effectively so her money works for her.