Inspired by a family of service members and entrepreneurs, Jasmine Paul has long had the desire to create something in the spirit of solving other people’s problems.
Yet when she needed that same spirit for her own problems, she hesitated to reach out for help. It was her senior year of college and, with her personal finances in disarray, Paul was living out of her car and sleeping on friends’ couches.
Despite being raised by parents who retired from the military, Paul admits she had no intention or inclination to go into the service herself. But she needed to pay for school. Little did she know that receiving a commission would do so much more than ease her financial burden.
“Once I commissioned into the Air Force, I was like, ‘OK, we got to figure out this money thing, because I don't want to go back to that situation,’” Paul said.
She read books, asked questions and got curious about personal finance. Meanwhile, she relished being a nuclear missile combat crew officer. Then something unexpected happened — she discovered she wasn’t the only adult who struggled with financial literacy.
“I had airmen maxing out credit cards and, unfortunately, had some go through some really hard personal finance experiences,” Paul said.
Empowered with more information and experience, Paul — who eventually became a finance officer in the Air Force — started helping her fellow service members pay off debt, helping around 110 people pay off more than $350,000.
“Everyone just kept saying, ‘I wish I learned about money as a kid,’” Paul said. “That’s where The Wealth Playground was birthed."
Following in her aunt’s and grandmother’s footsteps, and inspired by her personal experiences, Paul founded her business — driven to get to the root of the financial literacy gap and provide solutions. Enter The Wealth Playground, a youth financial education company that offers children’s books and curricula Paul authored, along with virtual and in-person learning products. Paul works with nonprofits, school districts and other organizations to reach thousands of kids.
She had the experience, the knowledge and a clear mission, but the further Paul walked in her entrepreneurial journey, the more isolated she felt. Like so many founders, especially those who spend their formative years in military service, Paul struggled to find a community of like-minded founders who understood the challenges she faced.
Then in 2024, Paul attended DAV Patriot Boot Camp, a three-day, in-person program that connects military- and veteran-connected founders with no-cost education, mentoring and community. Paul said it felt like she was back in the military with her brothers and sisters. She also credits the one-on-one mentoring she received with giving her a well-earned push.
“I feel like Patriot Boot Camp gave me that hype that I needed,” Paul said. “Like, ‘Oh, you’re dope! Why are you playing around?’”
The program also gave her one of her first opportunities to compete for funding in a pitch contest. It went well — she won first place.
“That’s something I’ve been practicing for a while now, and so it was really awesome to be able to share [my pitch] and [for] people get it,” she said. “So winning was like icing on the cake.”
She later went on to compete in DAV Patriot Boot Camp’s annual pitch contest, held on the big stage and with more money up for grabs during the DAV national convention. Now Paul leads a virtual master class on pitching, designed for founders and other creators.
Since her Patriot Boot Camp cohort, she’s added more products to her shop, had one of her children’s books included on an American Library Association’s list for libraries, graduated from a Goldman Sachs accelerator program, and secured over $45,000 in pitch winnings and grants. She also continues building key partnerships with organizations like the Taco Bell Foundation.
“Jasmine and The Wealth Playground show what’s possible when veterans find missions in entrepreneurship — they make lasting, positive impacts on communities and help solve universal problems,” said DAV Patriot Boot Camp Director Matt Feldhaus. “We’re honored that we could be part of her journey and beyond proud to support her launch into this next phase of growth.”
Years ago, as she dealt with financial challenges, and later when she left the Air Force after more than a decade of service, Paul faced immense uncertainty. Now she wants others to know that there’s always hope.
“I would just share for all the veterans out there, especially those who are transitioning … there’s life after the military, and there are people who are going to support you and welcome you, and that you’re going to be OK,” she said. “There's programs like DAV. There’s a plethora of information out there. And so, for anybody transitioning, you’re going to be OK.”