Economy: Transition Your Money
The Transition Your Money group (TYM) works to organize individual/family investment in the vitality, sustainability, and diversity of the community in and around the St. Anthony Park neighborhood, rather than in the stock market or other distant purposes. We're creating spinoff groups and projects, too.
With community support, enterprises of all types and sizes are more likely to thrive.
We meet on 3rd Wednesdays via Zoom, 7:00–8:30 p.m. For link, email mrusselle@gmail.com. See upcoming meetings as events on our Facebook page. To join the email list for monthly notices, email seagles@softwarecpr.com.
TYM works with these guiding principles:
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We work to offer options for people at different stages of life and levels of wealth and income
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We invest in this immediate geographic area and in a low-carbon future everywhere
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We implement patient capital
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We emphasize safeguarding of principal
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We share experience and expertise among ourselves and with others
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We partner with compatible community institutions
Join us and have a say in what we do! We're exploring self-directed IRAs, solo 401Ks, and creating a real estate investment co-op similar to the Northeast Investment Co-op in Minneapolis. Current partners include the St. Anthony Park Community Council and SAP Community Foundation, Creative Enterprise Zone, and Sunrise Banks.
Sustainable agriculture interests many of us. The Northfield-based nonprofit Main Street Project is restoring land with poultry-based agroforestry that draws on the knowledge of its diverse community. Read our Park Bugle article about the farm and Julie Ristau's presentation to our group.
Our next spinoff
Let's launch a LION
Join us at our next meetup.
To be informed of where and when, email info@TransitionASAP.org.
Have you had enough of bulls and bears... and sharks? Do you want to support Main Street, not Wall Street? To help grow an economy with opportunity for all, we're thinking LION: that's a Local Investing Opportunity Network. We put out a call to the neighborhood, then gathered three times in 2022 to swap ideas.
Whether you're an entrepreneur, potential investor, or curious community member, join us next time. You don't need lots of money to invest in local enterprises. Be a customer or offer creative support: an in-kind gift, a bit of your own expertise, or an exchange of services.
We're not all lions, either! It takes all kinds: leaders and followers, idea people and detail people... and the serendipity of community. As a model, we're looking to a LION based in Washington State. Another resource is the UK-based REconomy Project, linking localization efforts around the globe to share what's working where.
For details, email info@TransitionASAP.org.
Local Dough
investment club
This spinoff group shares TYM's values. Local Dough members make monthly contributions, meet quarterly, and share knowledge and research to invest in co-ops and other generative enterprises. Read more in the Nov. 2021 Minnesota Women's Press: "Local Dough: A Values-Based Investment Club."
Contact Local Dough by email at
local-dough[at]googlegroups.com.
More Resources
Community investment funds: Funds that collect money from investors and use it to invest to improve the community. When sponsored by a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, such a fund can borrow money from non-accredited investors and invest it to further the nonprofit purposes, as stated in its tax exemption letter. Example: Our Katahdin investments, okinvestments.org.
Local investment networks: Groups organized to learn about local entrepreneurs that need investment capital. By establishing a relationship with a local business through the Network, individuals can make investments directly in that business without being an accredited investor. Example: Fund Milwaukee, fundmilwaukee.com.
C Notes: Small dollar bond-like investments: mycnote.com.
Ours to Own: Small dollar bond-like investments:
Prepare and Prosper: Twin Cities group that works with low-income people on building emergency funds and financial planning: prepareandprosper.org.