Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise (CNE) will host its fifth annual Money School event on Saturday, April 13, from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the BX – Brainerd Crossroads. Money School is a free, financial education day that features workshops focusing on money-related topics including home buying, raising your credit score, finding financial independence, investing, budgeting, debt elimination and more. The day is open to anyone aged 13 and older; it is free for all attendees, and breakfast and lunch are provided. Giveaways for attendance and participation will also be awarded.
“Money School provides resources to empower the citizens of Chattanooga to make knowledgeable, confident financial decisions,” said Martina Guilfoil, president and CEO of CNE. “The cornerstone for a strong community is stable families, and a key component of family stability is financial literacy and money management skills. These are services Money School offers.”
Money School will be launched with an introduction by Ethan Pope, a Chattanooga-based homeownership coach who has worked 20+ years advising individuals and families interested in buying homes, improving their credit and saving money. After kick-off, the day’s remaining workshops are broken into five categories: (1) Money for Homeownership; (2) Making Your Money Work; (3) Investing Your Money; (4) Saving Your Money; (5) Money School for Teens. Each workshop is led by an expert in that respective field. In addition to these classes, free one-on-one counseling sessions will be available for credit report analysis, mortgage assessments and personal finance advising.
The goal of Money School is to help Chattanoogans improve their understanding of financial concepts and services so they are empowered to make informed choices and take action to improve their present and long-term financial well-being.
At Money School 2018, 99% of survey respondents said they would use the information they had learned in the workshops. Eighty-eight percent said they were more knowledgeable about financial products, and 95% felt more confident in knowing the steps to achieve financial stability.
Sponsors for Money School are The Lyndhurst Foundation, Benwood Foundation, EPB Fiber Optics, BB&T Bank, CFA Society of East Tennessee, Citizens Tri-County Bank, CHI Memorial, Grant Konvalinka and Harrison, Pinnacle Bank, Synovus Bank, Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union, SmartBank, ASA Architects, Elemi Architects, Regions Bank, Chambliss Attorneys at Law, Real Estate Partners of Chattanooga and State Farm Insurance. Media coverage is sponsored by Brewer Media, EPB, Groove 93, Power 94, NoogaVision and the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Local partners participating at the event include CO.LAB, Kiva, Chattanooga State Community College, Consumer Credit Counseling Service, Empower Chattanooga, Liberty National Life Insurance, Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation, Operation HOPE, Change Your $tory, U.S. Small Business Administration, Bridge Financial Planning, SCORE, A Step Ahead Foundation, Tech Goes Home, Lee Prichard of Edward Jones and Gary Hathaway of New York Life Insurance Company.
The BX – Brainerd Crossroads – is located at 4011 Austin Street in Chattanooga. For more information about Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise’s Money School event, including the complete schedule, visit www.MoneySchoolCHA.org or call 423 756-6201.