Once again, a special two-day Financial Helpline is being set up to answer your financial questions and direct you to resources that might be able to help. To call the helpline, just dial 211 from 4-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6 or Wednesday, Oct. 7. Residents can also watch educational videos, vist our Financial Education Web site or attend a workshop.

“The volume and urgency of the calls we received during the first Helpline in July made the demand for this service very obvious,” said County Executive Andy Spano. “People are hurting for a place to go for unbiased and trustworthy information. We made a point of recruiting experts who can give you practical advice, and if necessary, provide referrals to additional programs and resources that can help.”

The Helpline project is a joint effort of Westchester County, United Way of Westchester and Putnam, and Community Capital Resources (CCR) to help residents better manage their finances in this time of economic uncertainty.

The first Helpline in July received calls from more than 300 people who sought free advice from financial experts, with questions running the gamut from budgeting to pensions to IRAs. Some of the more common topics included home foreclosure and debt management issues such as credit cards and student loans.

Because Oct. 5 through 11 is Financial Planning Week, many of the experts this time around will be financial planners recruited with the assistance of the local chapter of the Financial Planning Association. Calls will also be answered by financial experts from local banks and credit unions, and by debt and mortgage counselors from local nonprofit agencies.

Callers are invited to address any financial topics of interest such as budgeting, debt, mortgages, foreclosure, investments, credit, retirement planning, consumer scams, and paying for college. The Helpline will operate from the 211 Call Center. Spanish-speaking experts will be available and a language translation service will make it possible to get help in other languages.

“We got an excellent response from county residents when we offered this service in July and we are delighted that the Financial Planning Association has agreed to bring their expert knowledge to our second Helpline event,” said Gary Brown, director of the Westchester County Office of Consumer Protection.

Ann Herrero, director of Pro Bono Services for the Financial Planning Association of the Greater Hudson Valley (FPAGHV), said the financial planners are happy to be participating as part of the Financial Planning Week celebrations, a series of nationwide activities to bring together those who provide, support and benefit from financial planning.

“We know that not everyone has access to a financial planner they can trust and we are pleased to be able to offer our services to our community,” she said.

During Financial Planning Week, the Financial Planning Association holds events across the country to build awareness of the financial planning process to enable individuals to make prudent financial decisions to achieve their life goals and dreams. 

Videos
For additional information about personal money management, you can also check out a new series of eight videos that will be shown online and on cable television and are available on DVD. Produced by Community Capital Resources, the “Building Your Financial Future” videos are structured as easy-to-understand short stories and highlight important information about topics such as basic banking, debt management, credit cards and scores, buying and maintaining a home, budgeting and savings, and investing and retirement.

The new videos are available in English and Spanish and each is less than 10 minutes in length. Each one illustrates the best financial practices through the enactment of various real world scenarios.

“CCR was very fortunate to get a grant from the New York State Banking Department to produce these videos which provide great information on financial issues we all deal with every day,” said Kim Jacobs, CCR’s executive director. “The videos are short, entertaining and to the point and can help residents learn about these important topics in the comfort of their homes.”

Schools, church groups, non-profits and other community organizations can get a DVD of the videos and a discussion guide by contacting Douglas Young at (914) 747-8020 ext. 10.

Workshops
The county-wide initiative also includes workshops that run throughout the year and a Financial Education Web site. The United Way has also added a new run of workshops to the mix by offering businesses and agencies an opportunity to educate their employees.

Employee workshops are also being offered to businesses and agencies thanks to the Westchester Putnam United Way. President and CEO Naomi Adler announced that United Way, with grant support from JPMorgan Chase, is offering area employers trained volunteers who will come on site and address the issues the company has identified as being of most concern to their workers, at no charge to the employer.

“There is ample empirical evidence that employees who are struggling with financial problems cause a serious loss of productivity to their employers,” Adler said. “In these difficult economic times, this may be one of the most important employee benefits that companies can offer.”

Employers who have an interest in working with United Way to get this critical information out to their employees should call Mary Ann Luna at (914) 997–6700 ext. 740.

For further information contact:

Gary Brown, Director
Westchester County Office of Consumer Protection
(914) 995–2162

Ann Herrero, Director of Pro Bono Services
Financial Planning Association of the Greater Hudson Valley
(203) 326-6912

Naomi Adler, President and CEO
United Way of Westchester & Putnam
(914) 997-6700

Kim Jacobs, Executive Director
Community Capital Resources
(914) 747-9020 ext 12