Released: October 06, 2016

Veterans Financial Coalition teaches groups to help vets in Texas

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Killeen, TX, October 6, 2016—Today in Killeen, Veterans Financial Coalition partners, Consumer Action and Visa Inc. are hosting a “Train-the-Trainer” roundtable as a part of a series of trainings titled Economic Survival Guide for Service Members and Veterans. The educational initiative aims to inform nonprofits that serve veterans, service members and military families on how to best prepare for their financial futures.

The first of the 2016 events, was held in San Diego last July, with the next event scheduled for Monday, October 17 in Jersey City, NJ. The program is geared toward community-based organizations in cities with large veteran populations.

“There is a critical need to reach and educate veterans in Central and South Texas and to provide them with the knowledge they need to protect themselves and prosper financially. With proper training, education and access to appropriate resources, we believe veterans can make informed decisions about their financial futures,” Ken McEldowney, executive director of Consumer Action said. “These train-the-trainer roundtables give Central and South Texas non- profits the tools they need to assist service members, veterans and military families.”

The Economic Survival Guide and the Train-the-Trainer program were both developed by Consumer Action for the Veterans Financial Coalition and made possible by a grant from Visa Inc. Each training session, led by Consumer Action’s outreach managers, prepares representatives of participating local community-based organizations to conduct one-on-one financial education, counseling, group presentations and workshops in their communities. Participants will earn continuing education units (CEUs) from the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education® (AFCPE®), a Veterans Financial Coalition partner.

“Visa is deeply committed to increasing the financial readiness of those who have served our nation,” said Hugh Norton, head of U.S. financial education, Visa Inc. “We are proud to enable training programs like the Economic Survival Guide for Service Members and Veterans. Programs like this are an important piece of our commitment to supporting the financial needs of these heroes.”

About the Veterans Financial Coalition

The Veterans Financial Coalition is a clearinghouse of important personal finance resources provided by coalition members. The website serves as a hub of free resources, ranging from educational games and guides, consumer protection brochures, training program information, and research.

The Coalition members are the National Military Family Association, Call For Action, the National Consumers League (NCL), the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education® (AFCPE®), Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and Visa Inc. All of these organizations bring unique and important assets and initiatives that will strengthen the coalition and its mission of improving the financial security and well-being of our nation’s growing population of veterans.