SEVCA Offers a Free Workshop Series on Money Management
FINANCIAL FITNESS Courses
Fall 2020
Now is a great time to learn more about how to gain control and manage your money. Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA) is providing a series of 4 Financial Fitness workshops to provide training, support and resources to help participants gain control and manage their money. Workshop topics include: Creating a personal, workable budget; Reducing debt; Setting personal goals; Modify spending; Basics of banking; and understanding credit.
The workshops are free to Vermont residents and there is an incentive for those who attend all three classes on Budgeting and Credit. Attendees will be asked to confirm that they have been impacted by COVID-19. Courses will be offered in an online platform. For more information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Zoom Workshop dates and time:
Workshop 1: Sept 29th: 10am-1030am or Sept 30th: 6pm-6:30pm
Workshop 2: Oct 6th: 10am-1030am or Oct 7th: 6pm-6:30pm
Workshop 3: October 13th: 10am-10:30am or October 14th: 6pm-6:30pm
Workshop 4: October 20th: 10am-10:30am or October 21st: 6pm-6:30pm
Workshop 1: Take Control of Your Money – Start by Creating a Budget
Date: Sept 29th: 10am – 10:30am OR Sept 30th: 6pm-6:30pm
Understanding and tracking the details of your financial situation is the start to making better money decisions and building a more secure future. And when life situations change, and it often does (job loss, moving, illness, birth of a child, new job, divorce, etc.) it’s again time to review how to manage your money. This workshop will help you take control of your money by taking the first step….creating a budget. We’ll learn what a budget is, why use one, and step-by-step create a budget.
Workshop 2: Review Your Budget - Set Your Goals
Date: October 6th: 10am-10:30am OR October 7th: 6pm-6:30pm
In Part 2 of the series, participants will be referring to the budget created from the first workshop. Now that there is an understanding of the ins and outs of where money is going, the next step is to identify personal goals. Examples are: paying off debts or credit cards, saving for a phone or down payment on a car. Creating a plan and taking control of your income and expenses will help achieve your goals. We’ll focus on strategies to achieve goals by ways to lower expenses and to increase income, and what to do with bills you can’t immediately pay. We’ll look realistically on how long it will take to achieve goals in order to be successful.
Workshop 3: Credit Cards – Tame the Credit Card Beast
Date: October 13th: 10am-10:30am OR October 14th: 6pm-6:30pm
Let’s face it, credit cards make life more convenient. But when credit cards are overused, they become a trap and one of the biggest barriers in reaching financial goals. The average Vermont household carries a monthly balance of $5400 in credit card debt. This workshop will review credit: The Do’s and Don’ts of credit, how to avoid credit traps and ways to get out of credit card debt. We’ll also learn about the infamous “Your Credit Score”, why is it important, what causes a high or a low score and how can you improve your score.
Workshop 4: Banks and Credit Unions – Banking Basics
Date: October 20th: 10am-10:30am OR October 21st: 6pm-6:30pm
Where you keep your money, whether it’s in a bank, credit union or under the mattress, does affect your finances. This workshop will explain the differences between banks and credit unions plus describe the types of accounts, benefits, and services (and fees) that they offer. We’ll look at checking accounts, debit cards, savings accounts, loans and interest rates. We’ll also look at a few “Instant Cash” payday loan companies (where their services include a huge fee or interest payment) and “paycheck advance” services.