Fatima Kaba, 28

Q: What was your worst financial decision?

A: Back in 2007 I gave all my savings of  $5,000 to a friend. I grew up with him in the same neighborhood in the city of Conakry in Guinea-Conakry, Africa. We were like family. He came to the United States in April 2007. In November 2007, his wife back home had complications with her pregnancy. At the time, he wasn’t working and he needed money for her c-section, so I gave him my entire savings. He promised to pay it back in six months. But he refused to pay me back when I asked him to. He was avoiding my phone calls. I can’t do anything to him because of our family’s close relationship back in Guinea. You do good and you get bad in return; it is a lesson for tomorrow!

Trisha Bennett 30

Q: What was your worst financial decision?

A: Buying a Maltese puppy for $3,000.00 when I lived in Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale.  I really love dogs but I had no time to take good care of him. His name was Louis V. One day I was taking my niece to the fair and I allowed her to hold the puppy because I had to push the baby’s stroller. One of the clowns blew a whistle and Louis V got scared and ran out into the street and got hit by a car.  The vet was going to charge me $4,000.00 to repair the broken bones, which I couldn’t afford, so I ended up giving the dog to the vet. He probably fixed him up and sold him to someone else for a bag of money. Two years later and I still feel sad.

Maureen Herold 49

Q: What was your worst financial decision?

A: I own a four bedroom house with my husband. The house is in Great Kills, Staten Island. I was a nurse and had to leave my job due to a back injury, and the extra income was not there for the bills. We depended on a credit card to pay for food, bills, etc.. Before I knew it, we were struggling with $40,000 credit card debt. To crawl out of debt, I re-mortgaged my house from $1710 a month to $1600 per month, but it added an extra seven years to the mortgage. At the time, I know using the card was a mistake, but it was the only way to keep my head above water.

Natascia Bartolini  30

Q: What was your worst financial decision?

A: A year ago I paid $60 for a monthly membership to the Vanderbilt YMCA on East 47^th Street. Because I am lazy, after three months I stopped going to the gym. I wanted to cancel the membership but I had signed a contract for one year. So, I wrote a fake letter claiming that I was First Secretary of the U.N. Mission of the Republic of San Marino and that I was being transferred to the mission in Geneva, Switzerland because of a shortage of secretaries there. They let me break the contract. I just hope that they do not see me around.

Casey Herold 16

Q: What was the worst financial decision you ever made?

A: When i was 14, these brand new Jordans came out. I saw them on eBay for a good price before the release date. I was kind of skeptical, but at $90 (the new ones were going for $175), I had to buy them. When they came in the mail a few days later, I could tell right away that they were fake Jordans. I tried to contact the seller, but he deleted his account. To this day, I haven’t gotten my money back.

Kelly Johnson 49

Q: What is the worst financial mistake you ever made?

 A: In 2006, I thought I was buying my dream home at a really good price. I bought a beautiful single family home in Deer Park, Long Island for $430,000.  In 2010, I was terminated from my job. I can no longer pay the  $2,510.00 monthly mortgage. I tried to modify the mortgage but was denied because I do not  have an income.  While going through the modification process, I discovered that the house is worth only $280,000.00. I  cannot sell  because I would owe the bank $150,000.00. 

Marko Plavsic 33

Q: What was your worst financial decision?

A: Going  on vacation with my ex girlfriend. I paid $3900 for us to go to the Dominican Republic for 10 days. The flight and the four-star all-inclusive hotel were included. That vacation was supposed to be great. However, Jennifer ruined everything. We were together for a few months, so I thought it would be cool to go away with her. I was wrong.  She said it was too hot, the beach was rocky, she complained  all the time. I wanted to fly back home on the 3^rd day. I could not stand her anymore, and as soon as we got back I broke up with her.

Jason Libfeld, 42
Q: What was your worst financial decision?

A: I am $150,000 in debt. Unless I win the lottery; I will spend the rest of my life paying student loans. During my time at Columbia, I spent summers working as an English teacher, but it barely paid for food and transportation. Worse, I am paying for a Master of Fine Arts at Columbia. I enjoyed my time studying arts and acting in plays and writing poetry, but I see now that my MFA  was a  bad investment because it is hard to earn money doing what I like. I work as a student life coordinator in a small community college in the Bronx, but it is  nowhere near what I wanted to be. I imagined my life after Columbia as a writer living in a beach house and writing successful plays. But now I don’t even have time for arts. I work from 8am -- 7pm, and I just hope that I will be able to pay my monthly bills. My father stopped talking to me because of the loan;  he even asked me who would  have to pay it back if God forbid I die.

Shelly Buguia 27

Q: What was your worst financial decision?

A: Purchasing a Gucci bag for $900.00, which I don’t even use.  As a result of that irresponsible decision, I am now broke and don’t have enough money to pay my bills.  What I should have done was pay my bills first, then save whatever money I have left towards purchasing the bag at a later time when I was more financially capable.