We were featured in the Women in Financial Services Portland Metro Newsletter! Check out the article after the jump.
As you can see, we start financial education at a very young age! Pictured here are MFS Ready, Set, Go Program Manager, Maria Perdomo and young client, Lucy, on a field trip to Point West Credit Union.
MFS Economic Empowerment Program Coordinator, Mark Oliver leads an IDA workshop with MFS clients.
When you live paycheck to paycheck, tough decisions need to be made about money. Many low income families don’t always know how to access financial institutions and the services they can provide.
The MFS Economic Empowerment Program is one of the many programs that MFS offers to families and the community. This program is designed to equip people with the financial knowledge and tools they need to succeed.
Our clients typically understand the basics – a checking account and a savings account. But they may not know about the additional services that financial institutions can offer — things like emergency loans, CDs, secured credit, and financial coaching. MFS empowers families with information to make better choices. And, we help them navigate those financial waters.
We sit down with families and individuals to narrow in on a budget plan, pull a credit report, and set long-term financial goals like college education or retirement. They get to think and act strategically around money.
Along with individual coaching, we run one to two workshops a month at schools in Multnomah County, North Clackamas and Gresham. These workshops are structured to meet client needs. We ask clients what they want to know and then design a workshop around that. (You can guess what kind of workshop is requested in April.) We often provide daycare, dinner or snacks at our workshops.
MFS would like to thank WIFS for partnering with us. We feel your mission and work is a great match for our programs.