Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise will be holding its fifth annual "Money School" this Saturday, April 13.
The free financial program comes just two days before the tax filing deadline, and workshops will focus on money-related topics, including home buying and raising your credit score, and how to be financially independent, invest, budget and eliminate debt, according to a statement from the housing nonprofit.
If you go
What: Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise's fifth annual "Money School." Where: The BX – Brainerd Crossroads – at 4011 Austin Street in Chattanooga When: Saturday, April 13 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. For more information, visit MoneySchoolCHA.org or call 423-756-6201.
Breakfast and lunch is provided for free, and anyone 13 and older can attend.
"Money School provides resources to empower the citizens of Chattanooga to make knowledgeable, confident financial decisions," said Martina Guilfoil, CNE's president and CEO. "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."
A 2018 Money School survey showed that 99 percent of survey respondents said they would use the information they had learned in the workshops while 95 percent said they felt more confident in knowing the steps to achieve financial stability, the nonprofit states.
Ethan Pope, a Chattanooga-based home ownership coach, will kick off the event Saturday, and workshops for the rest of the day will be broken down into five categories - Money for Homeownership, Making Your Money Work, Investing Your Money, Saving Your Money and Money School for Teens. Free one-on-one counseling sessions will also be available for credit report analysis, mortgage assessment and personal finance advising.
In 2018, CNE began offering "Money School After Hours," which is a free monthly session for local residents. Last year, course topics ranged from how to pay off student loan debt to self-employment and completing taxes. Money School After Hours classes have not yet been announced for 2019.
Contact staff writer Allison Shirk Collins at ashirk@times freepress.com, @AllisonSCollins or 423-757-6651.