New Opportunities teaching financial skills to community members.

New Opportunities is reaching out to residents in its seven-county region with information about how to better handle their finances.
But the financial literacy classes, don’t just teach participants about how to create a budget or how to determine how much of their income is going toward expenses, says Albina Tigges, a financial counselor for New Opportunities, though that is an important feature of the program.
The classes also are “bringing a taboo topic to light, by putting pen to paper,” Tigges said, adding that some families in the first five-month program cycle had never done those calculations.
The program also builds confidence. Family Development Center Director Heidi Billmeier said one of her five participants wasn’t able to finish the program because she gained the confidence to move from a low-paying job to a higher-paying one, but lost the free time to attend the financial classes.
Read more in the July 18 edition.