UWMC has been offering Financial Literacy Workshops, in Spanish and English, since 2018. As of May 2021, UWMC has held over 80 workshops attended by more than 1,700 community members experiencing financial hardship or with income below the federal poverty level.
The workshops' curriculum includes:
- Setting and achieving financial goals
- Planning and maintaining a balanced budget and learning the importance of saving
- Understanding and repairing credit scores and their impact on money management
- Understanding basic banking (i.e., how to set- up checking, savings accounts) and other financial options (i.e., money market accounts, retirement accounts, etc. )
- The importance of quality childcare and subsidies
The workshops take into consideration the role of cultural, social, and emotional influences on financial behavior and they teach participants how their financial goals and decisions affect their personal choices and behaviors.
A CSUMB faculty member attended one of the Financial Literacy Education workshops. She was able to use the information she learned at the workshop to create and maintain her budget. She paid off her student loans in one year. Due to her debt decreasing, her FICO score increased by more than 15 points. She was very impressed with the Financial Literacy Education workshops and invited UWMC again the following year to offer the workshops not only to the students, but also to CSUMB staff.
UWMC customizes these workshops’ curriculum to fit the needs of the community members. Should you and/or your organization like to cover specific topics, please let us know and we will design a course that addresses your questions.