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 Brett Handler is an entrepreneur and owner of Dreamstar Custom Homes, which builds residences in some of the finest communities in South Florida. He is passionate about delivering quality for his clients and caring for the environment. His company was one of the first in its region to be certified as a Green Professional by the National Association of Home Builders.
Mr. Handler grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and studied finance at Towson University receiving a BA in business. After graduation, he spent 7 years as a stockbroker, where he learned about investing and finance. He taught himself how to handle budgets, invest wisely and manage debt.
Today, Mr. Handler is very active in his community, volunteering his time at schools and with athletic organizations and charities. He is a Junior Achievement Mentor in Personal Finance and serves on The Board Of Directors of Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches, as well as its finance committee.
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 Hugo H. Ottolenghi is an educator, editor and co-author of a book on personal finance. He worked for Bankrate.com for more than a decade, helping consumers get the best returns on their savings and the lowest rates on their loans. With two former colleagues, he co-wrote the fourth edition of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Managing Your Money" by a division of Penguin Books.
Mr. Ottolenghi graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a master's degree in journalism and a concentration in economics. He received his undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College.
Today, Mr. Ottolenghi works on new-media projects such as blogs, online video and Facebook pages. He teaches at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Florida International University and at Indian River State College.
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About The Book, Dear Graduate |
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Brett Handler came up with the idea for DEAR GRADUATE while teaching high school students as part of his volunteer work for Junior Achievement. It is a partnership among educators, volunteers, and business people. Seeing just how unprepared the seniors in high school were to answer basic financial questions, Mr. Handler went on to survey college graduates to check their financial readiness. After reviewing the results it was apparent that something needed to be done. The rhetoric of how ill trained our children are in financial matters would continue. Mr. Handler decided to do something to reverse this trend and Dear Graduate was born.
As a respected homebuilder in his community, Mr. Handler wanted to share with students what he learned about financial success. To his surprise, many of the students – and even a teacher or two – knew little about the basics of handling their money. Mr. Handler saw a need and filled it with DEAR GRADUATE.
Mr. Handler wrote and recorded DEAR GRADUATE with Hugo H. Ottolenghi, who edited the content and produced the CD. Mr. Handler and Mr. Ottolenghi are close friends who share a commitment to helping young people.
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About the Concept
