November 18, 2015

Jacksonville, FL – In partnership with United Way of Northeast Florida’s RealSense initiative and the Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education® (AFCPE®), on Thursday, November 19, 2015 nearly 40 employees from the local nonprofit group, Family Support Services of North Florida, will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®). Financial counselors will address personal financial issues, assess financial health, and begin the process of guiding clients in developing successful strategies for achieving their financial goals. Counseling is free and unbiased and focuses on the unique financial goal of each individual.

The event takes place during an important week for both organizations. On the heels of its 2014Common Good Award from United Way Worldwide, United Way of Northeast Florida’s RealSenseinitiative was selected from a pool of about 1,300 United Way chapters to conduct a Center of Excellence seminar. This day-and-a-half event November 17-18 is aimed to educate top-level United Way staff from across the country on strategies to engage community and business partners in their United Way’s community impact work.

This same week, AFCPE® will host their Annual Research & Training Symposium at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront. The 2015 AFCPE Symposium brings together more than 450 professionals from financial education, research and practice. The 3-day professional development event, November 18-20, attracts financial professionals from military, government, universities, nonprofit organizations, banks and credit unions and private practice. Leaders and innovators in the field of financial counseling and education gather to gain exposure to new research, exchange ideas and take away important implications that can be applied to their work in financial education and practice.

“As a nonprofit association dedicated to improving the financial wellbeing of individuals and families worldwide, we are thrilled to partner with United Way of Northeast Florida’s Realsense for this important community outreach event,” said Rebecca Wiggins, AFCPE Executive Director. “AFC professionals have both the knowledge and the experience to help clients achieve lasting financial behavior change. On November 19, our financial counselors will provide the first step in this important continuum of care. Clients will then be connected to local resources to continue the financial counseling journey to meet their financial goals.”

RealSense believes that the workplace is an ideal platform for financial education and community impact. Providing financial education in the workplace not only enhances employee wellbeing, but also increases retention and enhances performance,” said Jeff Winkler, head of administration and strategy at United Way of Northeast Florida, United Way. “We are delighted to partner with AFCPE to bring this important financial support to a local community business and continue in our mission to strengthen the financial stability of Northeast Florida households.”

About United Way of Northeast Florida
United Way focuses on education, income and health – the building blocks to a good life. The organization supports measurable solutions to ensure children enter school ready to learn, students stay on track to graduation, families achieve financial stability and people have the tools to lead healthy, productive lives. More information can be found at: www.unitedwaynefl.org.

About RealSense

United Way of Northeast Florida’s RealSense initiative is a coalition of agencies, nonprofits and local businesses working in partnership to improve the financial stability of Northeast Florida residents. Since 2003, RealSense brought more than $52 million in EITC federal dollars into the local community. More information can be found at www.unitedwaynefl.org/realsense.

About AFCPE®

The Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education® (AFCPE®) is a non-profit, professional organization dedicated to educating, training, and certificating financial counselors, educators, and other related professionals. We are uniquely built upon decades of extensive field research, out of which our nationally recognized certification programs were created. AFCPE’s certification marks represent the highest standards of excellence in the field of financial counseling and education. Our programs, nationally recognized by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Department of Defense, provide professionals with the knowledge and skills to help individuals and families from all walks of life make more effective financial decisions.  We support our professionals by providing career advancement and professional development opportunities, including exceptional financial education trainings, the Journal for Financial Counseling & Planning and our Annual Research & Training Symposium.

#Lisa Daniel, Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Phone:  904.610.3936 | lisad@uwnefl.org

#Rachael DeLeon, Communications Director
Phone: 614.746.0300 | rdeleon@afcpe.org

Comments are closed.