I am not an expert in financial stability in any way, however, my clients and my agency seem to think so, and I hate letting them down. “Financial Stability Counselor” is my official title and has been for the past year. I did not receive any official training in this position, and I sort of feel like the blind leading the blind. I was fortunate enough to have parents who modeled responsible spending, and I know how to do math (a budget). Anything that I learned about credit or debt, I’ve learned the hard way.
Unfortunately, many people, like my clients, can’t, and I use this word deliberately, afford to learn the hard way. In my day job, I do my best to talk with them about ways in which they might save pennies from the few dollars they earned collecting cans. With some of the clients who receive social security benefits, work temp jobs or pawn things every month, we talk briefly about budgeting and about the value of “paying yourself first.” For many of them, I can’t get anywhere, for they do not want to discuss their finances with anyone. It’s a very personal issue, and I think they’re afraid that I’ll criticize how they spend their money.
Dear reader, how did you learn that things that you needed to for financial stability? Do you feel like you know what you need to?
I’m constantly looking for new ways to reach my clients and get these lessons to them, and with the economy like it is, I think we’ll all need it more than ever.
