On September 27 and 28, United Way‘s 211 helpline was joined by more than 50 professional financial experts to provide free financial advice to Bay Area residents during the first-ever San Francisco Financial Advice Line in partnership with the San Francisco Office of the Treasurer
Jose Cisneros, Treasurer-Tax Collector for the city and county of San Francisco (left), spearheaded the 211 Financial Advice Phone-a-Thon. He is pictured with United Way CEO Anne Wilson and his staff member, Leigh Phillips.
More than 230 calls were answered on topics that ranged from bankruptcy to retirement planning. Callers were able to speak directly to certified financial planners from the San Francisco Financial Planning Association and consumer credit counselors at Consumer Credit Counseling Service of San Francisco to help get the financial assistance that they need.
Jose Cisneros, Treasurer-Tax Collector for the city and county of San Francisco, spearheaded the event though his Office of Financial Empowerment. He commented, “Our success this week comes from the strong partners we’ve worked with to make the phone-a-thon happen –211, United Way, Consumer Credit Counseling San Francisco, and the Financial Planning Association. That all these folks are willing to donate their services is tremendous.”
The advice line was covered live by KPIX (Channel 5) News as well as by ABC-7 consumer advocate Michael Finney.
Ralph Latza, President of the San Francisco Financial Planning Association, which recruited financial experts for the advice line, said, “In this environment, people want to know where to turn. With this inaugural event, we are creating doors and opening them so people at every level have access.”
If you missed the 211-advice line, you are encouraged to attend upcoming Financial Planning Days in the Bay Area (http://www.financialplanningdays.org) near you. For example, San Francisco’s Financial Planning Day will be held on October 22.
KPIX interviews a volunteer. Click on the links in this blog post to see TV news coverage from KPIX and ABC-7.
The San Francisco Financial Advice Line was made possible through the partnership of:
- United Way’s 211 Helpline
- Charles Schwab
- Consumer Credit Counseling Service of San Francisco
- San Francisco Financial Planning Association
- San Francisco Smart Money Network
- San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment
- San Francisco Office of the Treasurer
- San Francisco Mayor’s Office
- Wells Fargo
To learn more about 211, dial 211 or visit www.211bayarea.org
