Oak Brook, Ill., (June 9, 2009) —This Father’s Day, OptINnow is asking people to share lessons their dads taught them about personal finance and to learn more about the power of microfinance to help families in the developing world who are struggling to make ends meet.

Dad’s tips can be posted at OptINnow.org, a website sponsored by Opportunity International, with photos and stories of real men and women across the globe who need a loan to help them build a business and a better life for their families. For as little as $25, donors can select an entrepreneur to fund with a loan and track his or her business success. When the loan is paid back, the money is loaned over and over again to help many more people.

“Dad’s financial advice is the same kind we give every day to thousands of people who are working their way out of poverty,” said Ruth-Anne Renaud, vice president of interactive marketing for Opportunity International. “Opportunity’s business training, combined with small loans, helps these entrepreneurs create businesses that allow them to feed their families, send their kids to school, provide health care and employ their neighbors. Plus, we teach them to save for a rainy day – just like Dad did.”

Financial Advice from Dad Here are just a few of the money tips from Dad that have been shared to date at OptINnow:

• Don’t spend what you don’t have.
• Always save. You never know when a rainy day will come and you’ll need those savings until the sun shines again.
• Learn from my mistakes: always pay cash and don’t wait to start saving money.
• Stay out of debt. Live within your means. Give back.
• Always keep at least $100 in your pocket for life’s little emergencies.
• Work hard for what you want. Delayed gratification is good.
• Give generously and with joy.
• Never buy a car or anything else (other than a house) until you can afford to pay cash.
• Study the business cycles over the past 100 years and make your stock/bond investments accordingly.
• Give back financially. Make it your personal mission to continually give more than is required or expected.

To pick up more advice or to post your own dad’s tips, visit www.optinnow.org/fathersday. Think about the value of the financial lessons your dad taught you – and then consider passing those lessons along by helping to fund a father featured on OptINnow.org.

About Opportunity International

Opportunity International provides access to savings, small business loans, insurance and training to over five million people working their way out of poverty in the developing world. Clients in over 20 countries use these financial services to start or expand a business, provide for their families, create jobs for their neighbors and build a safety net for the future. For more information, visit http://www.opportunity.org or join the conversation at http://facebook.com/opportunityintl and http://twitter.com/opportunityintl.