Outreach & Training

Consumer Action’s multilingual and multicultural community outreach managers work to empower individual consumers and community educators nationwide through free, unbiased, rights-focused consumer literacy information and training. The team works with a nationwide network of community-based organizations (CBOs). Many of these CBOs become our network Affiliate members and receive membership benefits that include multiple free publication orders per year and the opportunity to participate in special in-person events. Visit our Affiliate webpage to learn more about becoming a Consumer Action Affiliate member.

Our Events

• Lost your job in the pandemic? You’re not alone
  Consumer Action invited two experts from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce to speak at its Sept. 9 webinar: “Tracking the COVID-19 Economic Devastation: Workers facing job losses, and education and training strategies for recovery.”
• Estate Planning: Getting your affairs in order in the age of COVID
  Over 275 community-based organizations across the U.S. attended the webinar, which featured guest speaker David Godfrey, senior attorney for the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging.
• Protecting yourself from cons in the age of COVID
  Consumer Action trainers Nelson Santiago and Linda Williams brought together frontline consumer advocates for a timely webinar on “COVID-19 Scams and Healthcare Fraud.”

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Training Tools

• Protect Yourself Against Common Financial Scams
  
• JPMorgan Chase funds Consumer Action’s innovative new FinTech initiative
  Consumer Action has received a $100,000 commitment from JPMorgan Chase to support the scale of its financial technology innovation and education initiatives to directly address America’s savings crisis and improve financial health for low- and moderate-income (LMI) and underrepresented consumers.
• Money Management 1-2-3: How financially savvy are you?
  Community educators presenting one or more parts of the Money Management 1-2-3 module can use this game as an ice-breaker and a training tool. Change the questions as needed to match your lesson plan and audience.

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Our Network

• Financial health measurement: A barometer of consumer finances
  In August, Consumer Action’s Audrey Perrott shared insights into Consumer Action’s financial health measurement journey using the Financial Health Network’s FinHealth Score® Toolkit at the Financial Health Network’s “Orienting Around Financial Health” virtual meeting.
• A webinar on financial health and technology
  Consumer Action’s director of strategic partnerships, facilitated a webinar and served as a virtual mentor to educate the current First Founder’s Accelerator cohort about financial health, financial technology and privacy rights.
• Out and About: Consumer Action equipped with New Strategies
  Audrey Perrott of Consumer Action attended Georgetown University’s New Strategies Program for Nonprofit Executives.

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Best Practices

• CFPB Watch: Flagrant redlining, fake foreclosures, and stimulus funds
  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is suing non-bank mortgage lender Townstone Financial Inc. for redlining.
• Out & About: Black women talk finances
  Audrey Perrott attended the Currency Conversations campaign with our network of community-based organizations.
• PACE home improvement loans: Borrowers beware!
  Things your clients should know before pursuing a PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) program loan. While they sound like a dream come true for cash-strapped homeowners, the dream has turned into a nightmare for many, since PACE loans have minimal underwriting guidelines and limited consumer protections.

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Recommended Training Tools

• Living Life Online (FTC resource)
  The nation's consumer watchdog offers great guidance for staying safe and avoiding scams online.
• CTIA’s Your Wireless Service
  CTIA - The Wireless Association has many solid resources to add to your wireless education efforts.
• Avoid ID Theft Training Kit
  The Federal Trade Commission offers a training package on ID Theft.

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Videos & Webinars

• Albert host financial technology webinars
  Consumer Action and Albert co-hosted two webinars on March 29 to educate our community partners about the Albert Genius service.
• Webinars teach CBO partners how to help clients deal with debt collectors
  Consumer Action and the Consumer Relations Consortium (CRC) partnered webinars in June
• Consumer Action YouTube Channel
  The Consumer Action YouTube Channel features short educational videos and webinars.

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