Partners in Employment, the employment services arm of SaskAbilities, partnered with TD Secure Futures recently to offer free in-depth financial literacy classes to anyone in Moose Jaw between the ages of 16 and 30 — the first four graduates say the program gave them valuable tools and insight into personal finance topics.
"Our goal was to help persons of disability or who experience other barriers and assist them in understanding financial matters, and we're doing that in co-ordination with the Toronto Dominion bank," explained Dorreen Gane. Gane is a career planner with Partners in Employment, and facilitated the workshops. She hopes to find further community partners to offer the classes with, such as local school divisions, because everyone needs financial literacy to survive and thrive in today's world.
Gane noted that even though SaskAbilities as an organization is dedicated to supporting people who live with disability, the course will help anyone.
"What we've done is get right down to the bare-bones basic, and we've had lots of great discussions about credit, and debt, building budgets, saving money, repayment steps, how to file income taxes and figure out what credits are available, all kinds of stuff," Gane continued. "We had a trip to the TD bank yesterday, and Kara Cale, who is the branch manager there, gave us a phenomenal information session. We went through everything possible, it felt like, from credit card scams, which are really bad right now, to building credit, what assets are, and the basics of banking."
The first four graduates to receive a certificate of completion were Jessica Holmes, Jade Bryson, Jada Frykland, and Brooke Boulanger.
Holmes said that even though she's been managing her own money for a while and has a solid financial foundation, the course still offered valuable insights.
"One of my main takeaways from this class is that even though I have a good fundamental understanding, there is still more to learn. Like, I specifically learned more about my options in Canada when it comes to programs to build a better budget, or reaching out to the bank for more information and help with my portfolio.
"I think it shows that even when an individual has been on their own and thinks they know their budget and everything about it, there are still chances to have our eyes opened to different or better ways of doing it."
Boulanger commented on how important it is to understand password security and be aware of scams.
"You can't just trust anybody, because my [family member's] credit card was hacked and a huge amount of money was put on there. You have to be so careful, even with businesses, because sometimes they ask for information that they shouldn't, and you shouldn't give it to them. ... There could just be one bad person, like, working there, who takes your SIN number and information and uses it for something bad."
Bryson, 17, is responsible for her family's budget. She took a lot from the course, she said, but was especially focused on better budgeting.
"One word: Couponing," she said half-jokingly. "And it's really important to understand the difference between needs and wants, and have a safety fund, because you don't know what's going to happen and if an emergency comes up you might not have enough for rent, for example.
"I think this class was very beneficial, and there's quite a few takeaways in my opinion, but the biggest is just how important it is to have a basic understanding of how you can use your money and how you can save your money. ... And you don't always have to go without. Sometimes, if you have the money, you can treat yourself."
Partners in Employment are looking for more participants to take the free course. Those interested should contact Dorreen Gane at 306-693-3020 or [email protected].
More information about SaskAbilities is available from their website at www.saskabilities.ca.
