Four nonprofit groups are sponsoring a freebie that might come in handy if you're looking to get your financial life on track: financial planning sessions in two dozen cities during October.
The groups are billing the sessions as free, “no strings attached,†one-on-one meetings with financial professionals - mostly certified financial planners, but also other members of the Financial Planning Association. The planners are volunteering their time and will not distribute business cards or sell financial products or services, according to the organizers.
The groups sponsoring the third annual “Financial Planning Days†events include the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, the Financial Planning Association, the Foundation for Financial Planning and the United States Conference of Mayors.
In one-on-one meetings, the financial planners can help answer questions on budgeting, managing credit, getting o ut of debt, income taxes, homeownership, handling mortgage foreclosures, paying for college, estate planning, insurance and other topics.
Most locations will also offer free workshops on various personal finance topics, like taxes and retirement.
The events begin this week on Thursday and Friday in Miami. The next round occurs Saturday in Baltimore; Columbus, Ohio; Huntington Beach, Calif.; Newark; Oakland, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; and San Diego. The events will be held in other cities later in the month; for a complete list of locations, cities and dates, see www.financialplanningdays.org.
You can register online in advance by clicking on the city where you want to attend, or by calling, toll free, 1-877-861-7826. You can also walk in and register on the day of the event, but preference is given to those who pre-register.
Participants do not have to bring anything, but organizers suggest they might want to bring relevant financial documents and a lis t of questions to make the most of their time.
