Burton Interviews Mission Asset Fund on Stage at TriNet PeopleForce 2023

Burton Goldfield: José, I talk about my passion for TriNet because I get to work for people like you.

José Quiñonez: Oh, thank you.

Burton: And you have an amazing story and you've honed in on a very important problem. Can you first define what financial insecurity or security is?

José: Yeah. You know, so when we started the Mission Asset Fund, the idea was to how do we help low income people, particularly immigrants, improve their financial lives. And at that time, 16 years ago, the conventional wisdom was that, well, just give them more financial literacy, another class, another, you know, shiny brochure on how to balance their checkbooks and how to save and how to not spend so much, you know.

But in really thinking about the realities of the population that we were serving, we noticed right away there's actually, you know, these folks are actually very financially savvy already in the way that they manage their money and the way they think about the money and the way they, you know, even manage their family finances here in this country and even abroad.

And so we knew that it wasn't that we needed to come at them, not from like, oh, you don't know enough. You're illiterate, so you don't know. I'm going to teach you how to do this or that. Instead, we knew that we needed to do something that they were already doing with their finances.

And so it wasn't about them trying to get them to do, you know, something different, it was about how do we meet people where they are and then build upon what is good in their lives. So that's how...so we kind of started that...you know, we approached the problem from a different angle altogether because ultimately, we all need to improve the way we manage our money.

Burton: Right.

José: We all need to figure that out. But there’s a way, you provide that information to people, that is really important.

Burton: How do you think it affects people, humans, to go from crisis to crisis in their lives?

José: You know, I’m an immigrant. My family were immigrants. We know that life and sometimes you have to step back but that's just life, right? We have to sort of take it for what it's worth. But we have to sort of, you know, provide people with a sense of hope, a sense of progress that even, you know, crises, another crisis will come.

But as long as there's some, you know, improvement in their lives, even if it's small, but as long as there's progress, there's improvement so that there's hope within that. And I think that's what kind of keeps people going from one to the next, because people are not in despair. They're not like hiding in the closets or, you know, curled up in a corner anywhere.

No, they're still showing up. They're still vibrant. They're still in life, you know, in society. But it's about reminding them about that, reminding them about our human spirit and how we are resilient human beings, so that that way we can keep going.

So I think about that a lot because it's not just about, oh, you need to save more money or you need to, you know, balance your checkbook here or there. It's not it's not about that. It's about how do we remind ourselves of the power that we have as human beings so that we can continue moving forward.

Burton: How do you measure your success? I talk about KPIs. What do you do at the end of the day to say this was a good day, a good week, a good month, a good year as it relates to the population that you're addressing.

José: You know, it’s a great question. And for us, I mean, you know, we're a nonprofit, right? And we have to operate on a different set of dynamics. But I think for my personal definition of success is to try and to change the way people think about poor people. You know, it's about changing the way that we think and relate to poor communities in this country. Because, you know, typically we think of, you know, we sort of blame them for their own poverty.

You know, as a society, we sort of say that they're in that situation all because of them, because, you know, they didn't make the right choices. They didn't go to the right schools. They're not reading the right books or they're just, you know, buying too many lattes. I mean, literally, we have said that it’s like they're buying too many lattes, you know. But to me it’s like, actually, no, that's not their problem. It’s not only that. There are more systemic issues that we need to also take into account. And so I try to change that conversation so that way we can truly change not just the way we think about it, but also provide, you know, products and services that can truly help individuals move forward.

And so it's not about you know, it's also not about thinking about people as broken human beings that, you know, I would never relate to them. I actually think about them as resilient, as powerful individuals, that are you know, for immigrants, particularly like, again, they're managing money across nations in multiple denominations, right?

So they know more about how to manage their money than we do. But yet, because we, you know, belittle them, we never give them credit for what they're doing.

Burton: Right. You’re making a big difference. You're talking to thousands of entrepreneurs. What can small businesses do to help these individuals if they're so inclined?

José: You know, I would tell them to follow your lead. Of actually providing services, thinking about the clients. I think what you've built with TriNet has been phenomenal where you have, you know, help small businesses and startups. And that's how we found you. Because we were a startup organization and we're like, we need help. And you were there to help and you were there to provide us with the tools, the mechanisms and the systems to actually allow us to flourish in what we're doing.

I think, it’s the same thing. It's like when you're talking about clients, individuals, it's also about meeting with what they need, creating what they, you know, the tools so that they can then flourish themselves, individually.

So I would say that I think we need to remove our blinders and not be so, I guess, thinking about them in particular ways and more like we have to sort of, meet people where they are without our own notions of them or the ideas or stereotypes, if you will by really, truly trying to be a colleague and a partner.

And so that way what we bring to the table is valuable, just as what they bring to the table is as well.

Burton: I’d like to shift gears for a second and ask about where your passion comes from and a little bit about your background being an immigrant here in the U.S.

José: Well, I think it's really the same passions that you have in trying to be a changemaker. Again, we're in this moment. We're here. How do we make the best of it? Right? And then, of course, maybe we all started in different times, different places in society, but that doesn't really matter as much in terms of what we're trying to achieve in this world.

And so, you know, early on, thankfully, I had some advisors, some mentors that allowed me to think in those terms so that I can make the best of the opportunities that I have before me. And also, thankfully, I came to this country at a time where the U.S. was not as anti-immigrant and as, you know, was a little more confident in ourselves as a country. I can remember, it was President Ronald Reagan that allowed for immigrants to come out of the shadows through an amnesty bill that he signed back in ‘86.

And that's how my family were able to kind of, you know, get ourselves, you know, with legal status. I mean, it was at a moment in time when the country was again confident and I don't I don't think we're there not as much anymore.

But because of that, I've sort of seen my trajectory as more like, well, then I know I had that opportunity. Now what can I do to help immigrants like me to do what they can in their lives in a similar way?

Burton: It’s an amazing story and I wish there were more people like you. Do you see the country and the world being more inclusive or less inclusive over the next 10 years.

José: Yeah, you know, this is where I'm not pessimistic. I believe in hope. I believe that, our world is... there's more connections and we are learning more about each other. And I think that's a good thing. Right?

And also, we're appreciating each other in different ways. Now, of course, there are other forces that don't like that you know, in there are forces, there are there have been there and there will be there because there's a lot of people that don't don't like they don't like change.

You know, I remember this one story of an older woman that she went to her you know, phone company provider, you know, because the phone company changed her area code and then she was like, I don't want to change this area code. I like my 4-0-8 area code. And she just didn't like change.

And I was like, I remember thinking about this sort of thing, like, oh, that there are people that don't like change. Now, it's not all of us. There are some people that don't like that.

I believe that there are more people that are embracing of the diversity, embracing of that richness. They're embracing of knowing more about other people there that are confident of who they are themselves in order to embrace the other. And so I believe that we're going to we're getting more and more in that situation.

Again, there's forces that don't like change. And that's, you know, we have to recognize that. And some of that is definitely there. The headlines that we read about or that, you know, the different political leaders that are trying to steer us in that direction. But I think that the forces on our side are even more and more powerful because how can you not embrace richness and more possibility?

Burton: Right, right. As a CEO of a company impacting people's financial lives, I know this is not the community you address, but what's your advice to CEOs and people who are building small businesses, maybe a tip or two about financial security.

José: Yeah, you know, it's a good question. To me, it’s really about themselves. What is it that is the driving force behind their operation? Because as you know we can get into a conversation about money, how much and all that. But to me it leaves the most important resource or most important valuable asset, which is their passion and their dream. Right?

So as entreprenuers we're always trying to prove something, right? I mean, you’re doing that.

Burton: Every day.

José: You’re doing it! And I think that drive, that passion is like the most valuable thing that can propel an organization forward because that's why it attracts other people. I mean, that's how you've attracted your whole team, right?

It’s your vision, your passion. And the same thing with MAF and other nonprofits where that passion is so important. So my advice is to make sure that you protect that. Make sure you nurture that. Make sure you elevate that in some way. Because if that goes away, if that diminishes in some, in a way or that gets compromised in some way, then you diminish your, you know, we're in our own ability to create something. So I think about that daily, actually, where, you know, I meditate, I try to protect myself. I try to, you know, figure out what is it that we're trying to create here so that that way we can, you know, when I show up at a work, where I show up at my own personal life or professional life, I can try to be as authentic as I possibly can so that that way we can continue doing the work that we're doing.

Burton: Well, you are an inspiration to me. You've had an impact. And I believe myself and many of the people listening are struggling to have that impact not only on our own company, but on the world around us. I feel so blessed and fortunate. I feel fortunate that you're a TriNet customer and that I get a chance to take some of your energy and inspiration.

And I talk about how much I love my job because I can talk to people like you, and I would just want to say, I appreciate you. I know the folks that you're impacting greatly appreciate your long-term vision and the impact you've had on their lives. And I believe it absolutely changes society. And we are going to make a better society.

But it's hard every morning when I read the headlines, so I'm going to be honest with you.

José: It is hard. And I do want to take a moment to thank you for what you built with TriNet because honestly, you know, HR stuff is not something that I've ever wanted to know. It's like I was like I told that, you know, it's like, I don't want that in my head with all due respect. But I feel like with, you know, with your business, how, what you created, you allowed me to focus on my own passions knowing that, we work together, we’re building something, but again, this is about, taking all the tools, all the technology, all the resources that are available to us and then wielding it to make sure that our passions are realized.

Because the headlines are still going to be bleak. They're going to get bleaker in the future. But that won't be as bleak as our human potential, as our human drive to improve our environment and our world. Because that's what we are as human beings.

It's like that is what we have at our core. And that's what we set out to, you know, find new places, you know, new challenges and that is never going to be diminished.

Burton: Yeah.

José: So no matter how bleak the headlines, I think we are much bigger for that. And the question is, can we find each other so that while we can work together to do something. And I think in this society, whether in a way how connected we are with each other, I think we're doing it. But it does take work. It does take resources, does take something more to make sure that that actually comes to pass.

Burton: Well, thank you very much for joining us. I appreciate knowing you, you're an inspiration.