By Raquel Calo

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – How to work and live in Hawaii was front and center at the third annual Cost of Living Summit.

Gov. Josh Green says his administration is pushing several affordability measures, from expanding affordable housing and rental assistance programs to helping the next generation build wealth in Hawaii.

“Housing and affordability, that’s by far the number one and two issues,” Green said. “To do that successfully, we have to have good economic growth and opportunity. That extra $3,500 or $4,000 a year makes the difference for a lot of people on affordability, and it’s also meant to help small businesses get started.”

More than 130 young professionals, business leaders, and policymakers attended the summit, focused on finding ways to make living and working in Hawaii more affordable.

One of the main sessions, a financial literacy workshop, encouraged open conversations about money and building wealth in an expensive state.

“People don’t talk about money, especially in Hawaii. Money is a very private conversation,” said Clifton Yasutomi, who helped lead the workshop.

Yasutomi says financial education can empower residents to reach their goals, something small business owner Aly Wee understands firsthand.

“I opted to start my own business,” Wee said. “I realized there was a certain earning cap from a potential perspective, where the earning potential is unlimited.”

Even with her success, Wee admits Hawaii’s high cost of living once had her thinking about leaving.

“I actually thought about moving to Vietnam,” she said. “It’s a developing country, and people say it resembles China 20 years ago. I thought there was a great opportunity to really get the biggest bang for my buck.”

Wee says those plans are now on pause as she focuses on workshops like this one to help plan her financial future.

“What I’d like to take away from this is action-oriented solutions with a plan so we can make an impact for our generation, and for future generations of Hawaii,” she said.

See the full story here.