OUR SERVICES
GROUP WORKHOPS
Recurring classes and specialized seminars focused on various aspects of personal and household finance.
Part One: Making Ends Meet
This workshop is geared toward participants who are struggling to make ends meet— potentially burdened by heavy debt-loads and/or living paycheck to paycheck.
While they realize the need to better manage their household financial situation, these participants are not yet in a position to pursue long-term household budgeting and savings. This course will provide participants with ways to leverage income, make informed decisions about competing financial priorities, and to address short-term financial short falls. This course hopes to help its participants reduce their anxiety around household finances and take steps towards establishing a degree of basic household stability.
Topics include:
1. Attitudes and Money
2. Needs, Wants and Priorities
3. Juggling Priorities and Cash Flow Management
Part Two: Budgeting and Saving
In this workshop, participants will develop their money management skills to achieve and reinforce short-term household stability, as well to take the initial steps towards creating a plan for long-term financial stability and security. Participants will learn how to create and manage a household budget by tracking spending, managing variable expenses, and accounting for changes in income. Participants will set short-term and long-term goals.
Topics include:
1. Creating and Managing a Budget
2. Adjusting your budget when income changes
3. Setting Goals
4. How to Save
Part Three: Hands-On Banking
This workshop will provide participants with an overview of banking services and how to use them successfully and responsibly. Participants will learn how to make informed decisions when it comes to choosing a bank or credit union, establishing an account, and selecting other services. Participants will explore how to minimize cost and stress while managing their accounts pro-actively. This course can be easily tailored toward the needs of first-time bank account holders with more emphasis on the fundamental components of using a bank account such as writing checks, making deposits, withdrawals, etc.
Topics include:
1. Why Have a Bank Account?
2. Banks and the Services that they offer.
3. Choosing the Bank and Services that Work for You
4. Understanding ChexSystems.
5. Successful Banking
Part Four: Building, Repairing, and Protecting Credit
Participants in this workshop will explore the fundamental components of building, repairing and protecting credit.
Beginning with a basic introduction to credit and how it affects our lives, this workshop will help participants access their credit reports, dispute inaccurate information and address derogatory items. In addition, participants will explore how to make strategic decisions to increase their credit scores and how to protect themselves from identity theft and scams.
Topics include:
1. What is Credit?
2. Your Credit
3. Building Credit
4. Repairing Credit
5. Protecting Credit: What to do if you are a victim of identity theft.
6. The truth about “Credit Repair”
One-on-One FINANCIAL COACHING
CDFR offers one-on-one financial coaching to help you achieve your financial goals. Financial coaches don’t do the work for you, but they will support you in taking those important steps to get in control of your finances and plan for a sound financial future.
Common coaching topics include:
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Creating a realistic household budget
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Pulling and reviewing your free credit report
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Creating a debt management plan
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Creating a savings plan
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Getting on track with your student loans
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Using a bank account wisely
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Connecting to other relevant referrals
Financial coaching is right for you if:
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You are ready to improve your financial situation and you can put time into it.
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You are ready for support budgeting, saving, building credit, reducing debt and/or planning your financial future.
Once you are matched with a coach, the coach will contact you to set up a time to meet that is convenient for you both. The two of you will commit to meet at least once per month for six months. Coaches will come with budget worksheets, information on credit, and other resources to fit your financial coaching interests!
