-ZIP splits big payments into not-so-big ones and provides the flexibility and control to pay over time.

Available wherever you get your apps.

Learn more at zip.co.

ZIP is a proud sponsor of "Opportunity Knocks."

-Funding for "Opportunity Knocks" is provided by Visa.

Visa.

Everywhere you want to be.

Additional funding provided by the Wells Fargo Foundation, which seeks to strengthen historically marginalized communities by investing in pathways to economic advancement and generational wealth.

"Opportunity Knocks" is sponsored in part by the National Council for Financial Opportunities.

To learn more, visit theNCFO.org.

Support for "Opportunity Knocks" is provided by GreenPath Financial Wellness, a national nonprofit providing financial counseling and education for more than 65 years.

Learn more at greenpath.com.

-Previously on "Opportunity Knocks"... -Wow.

This is -- Okay.

I was not expecting this.

And you get all of this inventory because of couponing?

-Yes.

-I think you think you have a money problem... -Mm-hmm.

-...but you really have a time problem.

-Their father actually passed away April the 10th of 2024 last year.

He passed away in his sleep of a brain aneurysm.

-Okay.

So.

Wow.

-There's -- There's not a relaxing moment in my life, I don't feel.

-If you can't take care of you, you can't take care of anyone else.

-I feel like I'm drowning, and I just... I want to live a better life.

-Every day, millions of families must choose between putting food on the table or gas in the tank.

-It's desperation.

I can't juggle this much longer.

-It's not cheap to buy clothes and shoes for all four of the kids.

-"Opportunity Knocks" is back this season with four single moms, three expert coaches and resources in their own backyards.

What happens next could change everything.

-Everyone is putting up the facade and trying to live the American dream.

It is exhausting.

-How much debt altogether?

-Talk to me about credit cards or credit.

-Hmm.

-I feel like I should not be asking for help because I shouldn't need it.

-The constant stress.

-And I don't like crying about it.

-Will it be enough to overcome the obstacles in their lives?

-I wake up every single day stressed about it because I don't know what's next.

-It's spiraling and I can't keep up.

I need somebody to show me the way.

-This is the moment when opportunity knocks.

♪♪ -Wait a minute.

How about that?

Oh, that was terrible.

Hurry!

-Take that!

-[ Yells indistinctly ] -Wait!

Who taught you all this?

-Get inside!

-Oh, now me?

-Yes!

-Oh, you know what?

I just realized what you said.

If I make it, I have to buy you some candy.

Smart kid.

Okay.

-Do you feel strong enough to be able to overcome where you're at right now?

To start fresh and grow?

Or do you just feel right now that you just can't do it?

I just want to know where you're coming from.

-Mentally, I feel like I've definitely become a lot stronger, even though there's still pain there.

I don't know, I'm just at a point now where I'm just like, it's now or never.

Like it's time to just jump.

Just go for it.

Just take a leap of faith and just go for it.

-That's it.

So let's go into the dreaming stage right now.

I don't want you to think about what you can't do.

Or what do you think you can afford, what you can't afford.

Just dream with me for a second.

I did a visualization with her.

She talked about how she's living with her mom right now and wants to be on her own and wants to have something for her children.

Put out your hand.

-Mm-hmm.

-I'm giving you the keys to your house.

Keep your eyes closed.

You're opening the door to your house.

-Mm-hmm.

-What color is your house outside?

-Mm.

-Is it -- Does it have brick?

Is it -- Is it white?

And you could see the transformation.

She had her eyes closed.

But you can see her finally smiling.

You can see almost a kind of stress melting away because she visualized of what's going to happen.

-I'm gonna say two stories because I don't really do too much.

-Do you have a big backyard?

-Spacious backyard.

-Right.

What else?

Look.

I see you smiling.

You're walking through it.

-Like, "Don't be too extra."

-You're walking through it.

Look at that.

Look at that.

You're walking right through that house.

You make someone go from hopeless to hopeful by painting a better light of their future, a better picture of their future.

You have to get them to move forward.

If you haven't had a chance to work with a therapist... -I haven't.

-...and get all those feelings of what's happened because what's happened, I think, that you might have suppressed them right now.

-Mm-hmm.

-And I'm so glad that you told me that you're ready.

We're gonna bring you all the knowledge, all the experience, everything to help you.

But you're still gonna have to do it.

-Mm-hmm.

-And sometimes it's gonna be uncomfortable.

You got to feel the fear, man.

I will be there every step of the way.

You're gonna be meeting with different people.

By the time we're done with this process, you're gonna have a plan and a strategy and an action.

When somebody has gone through a tremendous loss, we have to find a way to turn that pain into purpose.

But if she can turn that pain into a purpose, then his death was for something.

It mattered.

I think that you're gonna be an inspiration to a lot of people, and one day you'll realize why you're going through all of this.

But I guarantee you, you're gonna be changing a lot of people's lives besides your own life.

-With having somebody on my side finally, it's -- it's really like a breath of fresh air.

Like, I can breathe again.

-I think you're ready for this journey.

-I am.

-And I'm really excited to work with you.

What I want you to do is I'm gonna give you homework now.

-What are you doing?

-You're gonna go to the Opportunity Coach.

-Oh, that's really cool.

-And you're gonna go through the area called Managing Debt.

-Let's see.

"Which of the following best describes your current financial situation?"

I don't even like thinking about it.

-Kristina is scared.

I think that she's gone through so much trauma.

She's afraid of the whole process.

-One of the hardest things for me to do is be, like, disciplined.

-Clearly.

[ Chuckles ] -I'm very anxious.

Um, a little on edge because I don't know what to expect.

-So you got a lot to work on.

We got to figure out how to take care of that car.

-Right now, I'm desperate to get that interest rate down on my car loan.

Ooh.

"Contact Southern Security Credit Union to refinance your auto loan for a fair, affordable rate."

-I think Kristina is ready to grow.

I think she's reached a point where she needs to grow.

-Oh, and look, I can actually set an appointment right here.

-Oh.

That's convenient.

-The hard part is when you have to do it yourself sometimes, right?

-"By taking these steps, you're reclaiming your security, rediscovering your confidence, and showing your children that even after loss, life can be rebuilt with strength, purpose, and hope."

I love that.

I love that.

I'm going on Monday.

-That's the first step to getting where you need to be.

♪♪ -So here's what I think is happening.

-Mm-hmm.

-I think you think you have a money problem... -Mm-hmm.

-...but you really have a time problem.

-Mm-hmm.

-You've got these kids, you're doing everything for them.

They are in tumbling.

They're in activities, they're in practices.

You're going above and beyond for your kids.

-Yeah.

-Because you feel like you don't have enough time to spend with them.

-Mm-hmm.

-And it's taking this problem.

Experts call it time poverty.

-Yeah.

-Right?

And turning it into a bit of a money problem.

So if we can get a handle on the money problem, you can buy yourself back some of that time.

-Yeah, I agree.

-There's no rocket science.

It's just good habits often repeated.

Tell me about your parents and how you grew up.

-I grew up pretty good.

I grew up, like, 10 minutes away from here.

I remember going to pick out the house with my parents, picking my room.

-That experience of remembering, picking out your room... -Mm-hmm.

-...is that what you want for your kids?

-Yeah.

My daughter talks about it all the time.

She's like, "I can't wait to have my own room to paint it pink and put all my stuffed animals everywhere."

And I can still go in my childhood house today and remember every memory I had in my room.

I want them to have that memory.

-If you can get yourself on the right track and consistently do those same things, you're gonna be fine.

Do we have a clean page here?

-We do.

Let's see.

-You said you're a goals person, right?

This is a goals page.

-Okay.

Save $100 a paycheck.

-Right.

Direct deposit.

Out of sight, out of mind.

You won't see it.

You won't spend it.

You won't touch it.

-I think I definitely have to change my spending habits for sure.

I also have to be accountable enough and be brave enough to actually look at all of my finances to see where all of my money is going.

-I think once you know what you've been spending, then we'll be able to figure out how much more you can save.

-Okay.

-This is a very disciplined woman.

She's a firefighter.

She just needs to put the same energy to doing this that she puts toward the rest of her life.

And she needs to believe that she can do it.

This is not a overnight, everything's gonna be better in the morning thing.

This is -- This is gonna take time, right?

It's gonna take a couple of years, but you can set goals for yourself.

-Mm-hmm.

-My job is to get you out of survival mode so that you have more choices, more time, more freedom, and more of a pathway to get where you want to go.

And I think we can do it.

-I'm optimistic.

-And committed?

-Committed.

Yes.

-Okay.

-Yeah.

My motivation to improve my financial situation definitely is heavily focused on my children.

-I think they're really gonna love going on this journey with you.

-I think including them is an important step in the process.

-Do you think you could actually ask both of them to draw the house?

-Yes, they'll both love it, especially my daughter.

She loves drawing pictures.

-By incorporating her kids into this process, she's gonna teach her kids an awful lot about money and an awful lot about life.

And those kids are gonna grow up knowing how to make their money work for them.

So I have a little bit of homework for you.

-Okay.

-Let's lay it out.

The Opportunity Coach is a tool that we use.

So when you open it, it's gonna ask you what you need the most help with.

Alright.

So the first one is managing debt.

So we talked about those three high-interest rate credit-card debts and how we're gonna try to consolidate those and lower the monthly payments on those.

-I like change, I think change is needed.

I am very excited to continue to work with Jean.

I'm excited to have my kids on this journey.

I'm excited to see how hard I can work to get here.

-And then the last one I want you to go to, and this is the golden apple... -Okay.

-...is homeownership.

-Okay.

-Alright?

This will help you start really mapping out the steps of what it's gonna take to buy a home.

-So I'm excited.

-I'm glad.

I'm excited, too.

You're not rid of me.

I will be back in six weeks' time.

I really think she's with me.

I think she is gonna do this.

I think she is gonna be great.

Your eyes are open now in the way that I think they were not open before.

-Mm-hmm.

-If you want to, you can find your way back.

The question is if you want to.

-Yes.

I don't mind working hard for stuff, clearly.

But, yes.

-Alright.

-Thank you for coming.

-Oh, sure.

-Nice to meet you.

-You as well.

[ Birds chirping ] -I feel like my biggest fear is failure.

And -- And I feel like I'm failing right now.

So that's why I reached out for help.

Because I don't like asking for help, but I feel like I'm drowning, and I just... I want to live a better life because, I mean, I'm not depressed or anything in any way.

I feel so much love with my boys and my parents on a day-to-day basis, but I am struggling financially.

-You are so strong.

Honestly, I don't even know if I can handle some of the stuff that you're going through because you are so strong, but you do need help.

-Yeah.

-So let's just work through this.

Okay?

And don't -- don't be afraid.

I'm so glad you're so vulnerable and you're letting me know all of this, because this is where we start.

This is how you get better.

-I don't want my boys to have to come home and we have no power or, you know, like, they're not -- they're not able to pick up our garbage because we can't pay the garbage bill.

Like, there's no other choice.

I have to make it happen.

-The events that have happened that you may not have control over, you have no control over that your son was born with autism.

-Yeah.

-Most people, when they have an event that's happening, that's a bad event, they react.

We want a better outcome.

We want to get out of debt.

We want to refinance.

We want to get control of this.

We want to figure out ways to get out of this.

-I felt immediately connected to Louis and that he actually cared.

Somebody was finally seeing me and seeing the hardship and the pain.

-Go into the future for me.

Just for a second.

Let go of any debts.

Let go of any fears.

You now are in control.

You can do anything you want.

-I mean, the dream would be able to buy a home in the Pacific Northwest, where there is a lot more resources for the autism community, not having to work all these jobs, being there for their sporting events and their field trips, and for their graduations and their weddings.

My motivation, of course, is my boys.

So that's why I just keep pushing, I keep pushing.

-I want you to start focusing on your future because that's what we're gonna work towards.

The other thing is that you got to think about your family.

You right now are the sole income earner for your boys.

What would happen, God forbid, if something happened and you were no longer here to take care of your boys?

And so that's why there's this concept called life insurance.

And usually when you work, most people aren't aware that they have access to life insurance through work.

-They do give me, like, life and disability.

-Have you signed up for it?

-Yeah.

-Do you have it?

-Mm-hmm.

-Okay.

Who's the beneficiaries to that?

-My sons and my mom.

-No life insurance company is going to give your kids, whether it's $250,000 or half a million or $1,000,000 of life insurance proceeds to a -- How old are your kids again?

-9 and 11.

-9 and 11.

You shouldn't be naming your children as beneficiaries on life insurance policies because that money will go through probate.

-I didn't know that Washington State would take away Parker's benefits should anything happen to me.

He let me know of a special needs trust.

-If you have that in place and you can get insurance and say, "If I die, that insurance is gonna go to the special needs trust, it's gonna go for my son," at least you know, whether you're on your deathbed or not, you did what you had to do to take care of your son.

-Yeah.

I've struggled so much, and I've been dealt a pretty difficult hand.

And I've done what I could to shuffle my cards.

But sometimes people just don't have a lot of good luck in life.

Um, and so I feel like I do deserve a helping hand.

-How are you feeling so far?

-I'm feeling hopeful.

-You are?

-Excited.

-Seriously?

-Yeah.

-Okay.

We're gonna start working on this.

Okay?

So we got to get started.

So we have this amazing online tool called The Opportunity Coach.

-Okay.

-And you're gonna go into the start with managing debt.

You're gonna make a list of all your debts all in one place.

Okay?

This is about building the right habits.

This is about learning the right knowledge.

This is about taking action that you're gonna do day by day, slowly, that will not only improve your life, but it will improve the lives of your children and the lives of your family.

We're gonna work together and get control of your credit and start rebuilding that credit.

And it's gonna give you some wonderful information on how to do that.

-My goals seemed unreachable, but after meeting Louis, I felt hopeful that I would be able to reach my goals and it wouldn't have to take my whole life.

-And by the time we're done working together, you're gonna feel like you're in control.

Because I want you to be happy.

If you don't feel like you're in control, and if you feel like you -- Don't make me cry.

And then you feel like you're in control, you're in control inside.

-Yeah.

-Right?

I think that for the first time, she felt some form of relief.

Now there was hope in her life.

Are you excited?

-I'm gonna make you proud.

-Fantastic.

Alright, so then I will see you in six weeks.

-Sounds great.

-Okay.

-Can't wait.

♪♪ ♪♪ -So The Opportunity Coach directed me to a place called Dress for Success.

I have no idea what we're gonna do.

-Hi.

Good afternoon.

I'm Rhonda.

-Hi.

I'm Kristina.

Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

-Okay.

-I just have some paperwork I need you to complete for us.

It's my understanding that you are employed.

-Yes.

-And that you're seeking better or up-skilled employment.

-Correct.

-Okay.

You got a great work history here.

That's wonderful.

-So Dress for Success is an organization that helps women find employment.

They also provide business attire.

-So today we're gonna give you an interview suiting.

I'm gonna sit and take some time with your résumé and try to match you with some possible employment opportunities.

-Okay.

The job search is really important to me right now because I need more flexibility.

And of course, I need -- I need more money to pay off a lot of my bills.

-Alright, so let's go.

And I'm gonna take you over to Miss Teresa.

-Okay.

-So you can have some fun.

♪♪ -So this is where we style you.

We took the liberty to pick out a few things for you.

If you like them, that's fine.

If you don't, that's okay, too.

-Perfect.

-Alright, let's get started.

Step in here.

Start wherever you want.

-Okay.

-I would put another shirt with that because of the way this jacket is made and the pants are just too long.

-At first I was thinking, "This -- This isn't really my style."

-This is a thumbs down.

-Unfortunately.

But, you know.

-That's a nice tailored suit.

You know, there are certain colors that you wear.

There are certain things that you do not wear.

That's why we're here.

Let's try that with that.

Okay?

-I know what to wear to an interview, but right now I'm at a point in my life where I just want a more elevated look.

-Perfect.

One more.

I do like that.

Oh, yeah, that is perfect.

It fits you really nicely.

The pearls added a little oomph to the outfit.

So you can come see it.

The shirt looks good with the suit.

Alright.

-I like it.

-Alright.

We got two.

-It's a good feeling to know that there's actually resources out there and organizations that can help you.

And just to know that people aren't gonna judge you based off of your situation.

-It was a pleasure working with you... -It was.

-...to style you for whatever is coming next in your life.

So I'm excited about that for you.

Here are your suits.

-Wishes to you.

Be careful out here.

-Thank you.

-I look forward to seeing you again for sure.

-Going forward, I feel like it's gonna assist me with my new journey to finding my -- my future career.

♪♪ ♪♪ -Let me log in my profile.

Right here?

-Mm-hmm.

Scroll to... "Discover your finance personality."

-Goals and life events.

Perfect.

Okay.

"What are your top financial priorities this year?"

Building a savings.

For a reduction of loss of income?

No.

Career change?

Maybe.

-Yeah.

-I mean, if I start something with my couponing.

Scroll down to view my full report.

Oh, 'Your opportunity plan."

Patrice told me to log on to The Opportunity Coach to help me find resources here in my area, El Paso, for managing my credit-card debt and for starting a business.

So it looks like Raiz Federal Credit Union can help us, El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

"Your journey shows that recovery is possible and that the real opportunity can begin with one brave step forward."

The Opportunity Coach pointed me towards Raiz Federal Credit Union, which is great because I already have my car loan there.

-Hi.

Good afternoon, Jovanna, how are you doing?

-Doing good.

And you?

-Good, good.

A credit union is a not-for-profit financial institution.

Ultimately, what that means is when you become a member, you become a co-owner of the institution.

So our members, you know, they're the voice of the credit union.

We're here to guide you and to be a champion for your journey.

So in reviewing your profile, I saw that you have your vehicle loan here with us.

-Yes, I do.

-Um, did you know that by having your vehicle loan here with Raiz, that makes you a member?

-No.

-No?

-No, I did not.

-Okay.

Great.

So before we get started, I wanted to ask you, what brought you in today?

-Well, I just went through a separation, so I'm just trying to figure out my finances on my own.

Previously, you know, my ex was the one that took care of everything.

So now it's me.

And it's a little bit overwhelming because I feel like there's a lot of stuff that maybe I didn't pay attention to back then.

And so now I'm being forced to.

I'm a dispatcher at a trucking company.

I've been doing transportation for 15 years.

So it's kind of like something that just is very natural to me.

Um, and -- and then I have, like, a little side gig, I guess you can call it, um, it's couponing.

-Wow.

-Yeah, I do it on my spare time.

And so I have a stockpile at home and on the weekends that my daughter doesn't have softball, I will open up my garage and do, like, a garage sale.

And then, like, people just come and buy.

So I get a little bit of income from that.

And I also have a TikTok channel where I do my couponing, so I get a little bit of income from that as well.

-So I'm just trying to line everything up and start taking care of it on my own.

-What is causing you the biggest stress?

-I would say probably the amount of credit cards that I have and the personal loans.

I feel like they're all maxed out.

And even though I keep making my payments, they're not going anywhere, so that's definitely the biggest, like, weight on my chest.

-Your interest rates, I assume they're very high if you're not seeing a decrease there in payment.

Okay.

Thank you, Jovanna, you know, for being so vulnerable and sharing everything that you have with me.

It definitely does seem like you're going through a lot and there's a lot of different things that are happening that are causing a lot of stress.

Um, but please know that here at Raiz, we are your money mentor and we're gonna do everything we possibly can to help you achieve the goals that you have in mind.

Okay?

So just give me a few minutes.

Let me go ahead and step away.

Speak to my team and I'll be right back.

Okay?

-Okay.

-Yes.

Thank you.

-I was nervous and not really hopeful because I didn't know what they were gonna have to say about my credit.

♪♪ -Next time on "Opportunity Knocks"... -I have a car loan and the interest rate on it is about 23%.

-23% is outrageous.

-The Opportunity Coach led me to the United Way, which is gonna give me some free coaching tips for my finances and also some tips for becoming a first-time homebuyer.

-I took out a personal loan through an online creditor.

The APR is 178%.

-Okay, Jovanna, so I went, I spoke to our team and what we decided would be the best plan of action is... -Oh, my God, no way.

-Everyone deserves opportunities.

Find yours at opportunityknocks.net.

-ZIP splits big payments into not-so-big ones and provides the flexibility and control to pay over time.

Available wherever you get your apps.

Learn more at zip.co.

ZIP is a proud sponsor of "Opportunity Knocks."

-Funding for "Opportunity Knocks" is provided by Visa.

Visa.

Everywhere you want to be.

Additional funding provided by the Wells Fargo Foundation, which seeks to strengthen historically marginalized communities by investing in pathways to economic advancement and generational wealth.

"Opportunity Knocks" is sponsored in part by the National Council for Financial Opportunities.

To learn more, visit theNCFO.org.

Support for "Opportunity Knocks" is provided by GreenPath Financial Wellness, a national nonprofit providing financial counseling and education for more than 65 years.

Learn more at greenpath.com.