HFS in the Community – October

October was quite a busy month for Financial Education and Community Events!

UHH Study Abroad Presentation

Students at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo have the unique opportunity of being able to take their education abroad and study in various foreign countries. Each year we get the opportunity to speak with these study abroad students and teach them about how to handle their finances in a foreign country. There are many things to consider, including foreign transaction fees, currency exchange, accessing your money and more. We are happy to be able to help make their experience a little less stressful by being financially prepared. Mahalo for having us!

Ola I Ka Hana – Understanding Credit

The students at Ola I Ka Hana had a request for us; they wanted to learn all about credit! From credit cards to loans, they wanted to learn about it all and we were more than happy to help. We spent a little over an hour with them talking about the ins and outs of credit scores, credit cards, loans and more. The students had such great questions for us and by the end of the presentation they had a much greater understanding of how it all works. When these students start borrowing money, we know they will be prepared!

Youth Challenge Cadets Prepare for Reality

We were invited back to the Youth Challenge Academy to run through a Reality Fair workshop with the newest cadets. We held a workshop for three different groups, with varying reactions in each one. Some students found it easy and others were shocked by the amount of expenses that real life brings about. The cadets had so many questions about finances after the workshop that we we will be visiting again to talk with them about money management, credit and more!

UHH New Student Programs Financial Wellness

Being a college student can be rough financially, especially if you’re living off of financial aid funds, or can’t work a full-time job due to your class schedule. We worked with New Student Programs at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo to offer a Financial Wellness presentation open to anyone who wanted to attend. We covered everything from basic budgeting to credit and even identity theft. Mahalo to New Student Programs for inviting us to speak – and for providing financial wellness for your students!

HMSA’s Akamai Living Fair in Hilo

No matter what stage of life you’re in, financial wellness is always an important topic. We attended HMSA’s Akamai Living Fair at the Edith Kanaka‘ole Tennis Stadiumon October 18^th to speak to our island’s senior citizens about financial wellness. We took the opportunity to educate our seniors on the signs of identity theft and scams, and how to avoid becoming a victim of a scammer. Many of the people we spoke with expressed that they get scam calls on a daily basis and have learned to hang up, or not answer the phone for numbers they don’t recognize. Which is the right thing to do! We had a wonderful morning speaking with these fantastic members of our community and thank you to HMSA for providing a great event for Hawai‘i Island.

Elderly Financial Wellness – Living on a Fixed Income

As we get older and move into retirement, living on a fixed income can prove to be a challenge. Especially when life can be unpredictable. We were invited to speak to the residents at Kulaimano Elderly Housing and go over some tips on how to better manage funds and prepare for the unexpected while living on a fixed income. We also made sure to talk about many of the scams that currently affect our island’s elderly, give the group tips on how to spot a potential scam and what to do if they think someone is trying to take advantage of them or someone they know. Such valuable information!