We’re working to demystify the U.S. financial system for immigrants
In 2025, we helped 76 immigrants learn to budget, save, and invest. 84% of graduates had a high-yield or investment account, up from 20% before the program.
To measure our impact, we surveyed 55 participants before and after the program. On a 5-point scale, each rated their financial confidence and financial stress.
Why we exist
No one chooses to keep cash under a mattress. They keep it there because they’re afraid of what they don’t know. For immigrants, with no credit history and no one to guide them, navigating the U.S. financial system is hard, and trusting it is even harder.
The U.S. has an immigrant population of 50.2 million. But most immigrants have to figure out money on their own, without knowing what kinds of assets are legal to invest in with their visa.
Out of the Mattress was built to change that. We give immigrants the tools and community to move their money from the mattress to the mutual fund.
Our founder’s story
Larissa Gomes is the founder of Out of the Mattress. Previously, she worked at Bloomberg on the Terminal software used by finance pros worldwide, and at WGSN, a global consumer trend forecaster. The National Financial Educators Council certified her as a Financial Education Instructor in 2024.
Larissa moved from Brazil to New York in 2012 with no idea how money worked here. When her first job offered a 401(k) match, she didn’t take it: nobody had explained what a 401(k) was, and she had never heard the term. It wasn’t until she joined Bloomberg, which gave her a free financial coach, that she learned what missing out on 5 years of compounding had cost.
Once she learned how the U.S. financial system worked, she had to pass it on. Out of the Mattress is the organization Larissa needed when she arrived.
Help us build the organization immigrants need
Your gift funds our full mission next year: more cohorts on a schedule people can plan around, more workshops with community organizations, and the team that keeps it all running.
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