The month of November is Financial Literacy Month, and the United Way of Bruce Grey is helping people get the confidence they need to make good financial choices.
The Coordinator of the United Way’s Financial Literacy Program, Caroline Araujo-Abbotts, said that they’re hoping anyone who wants to be more comfortable talking about their finances takes part.
“Financial literacy’s ‘how do we get there?’ to be a more confident person managing our finances, knowing what our finances are each month, to know how to make informed decisions. That’s really what we’re hoping for people, is that they can have that confidence and sense of well-being around their finances, and financial literacy is how we get there,” she explained.
Financial Literacy Month was started 15 years ago, by the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC). Araujo-Abbotts explained that it’s a chance for Canadians to take stock of their own finances, and get comfortable to build financial knowledge in Canada, and be confident in making choices that can make them more resilient and stable.
This year’s theme is Talk Money, which encourages people to have open and honest conversations about money to strengthen financial knowledge, skills, and confidence.
Meetings are available over by phone, virtually, or in-person.
“At the United Way, we also have our Utility Assistance Program. With that, I make sure people are connected with that if they are going to be eligible for it,” said Araujo-Abbots. “We also make sure everyone is getting the income that they’re eligible for. So if someone hasn’t done their taxes, they’re likely not getting the benefits and credits that they would be eligible for. So we also connect them with volunteers that can help them do their taxes.”
For the Financial Literacy Program, it is free, it’s confidential, and it’s available to anyone in Grey or Bruce Counties.
There is no income eligibility, and no criteria except that those who participate want to talk about their finances.
In 2024, 297 households accessed the Financial Literacy Program. For more details, click here.