By Dustin Tyler Joyce
November 22, 2010

Many residents of Indianapolis's Far Eastside are used to money being tight, and the slow recovery is certainly no help. That's why dozens of them boarded specially chartered buses early the morning of November 13 to receive the help they need. Buses took them to the University of Indianapolis, where financial planners met them and other Indianapolis residents for a day of one-on-one money counseling and classroom'style workshops.

Certified Financial Planners and experts from the Financial Planning Association were part of Indy Financial Planning Day, hosted by Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and first lady Winnie Ballard. It was the last of 20 such events this fall in cities across the country. The nationwide effort is a major new initiative of the Conference of Mayors financial education campaign, DollarWI$E, and its national partners: the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, the Financial Planning Association, and the Foundation for Financial Planning.

"This is a homerun for the city of Indianapolis," said Ballard as he surveyed a large room filled with financial planners offering free, no'strings attached advice to attendees.

The event complemented Indianapolis' financial education efforts, which include Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), Bank On Indy to bank the unbanked, and ongoing financial education classes throughout the city. Ballard's wife Winnie leads the efforts. She began working with DollarWI$E early in her husband's administration and decided to make increasing Indianapolis residents' financial literacy her signature project as the city's first lady. "I would like to thank The U.S. Conference of Mayors and DollarWI$E for introducing this entire field of financial literacy to Indianapolis," Ballard commented as he welcomed attendees to the event.

More than 90 residents benefited from the services that were provided by 40 volunteer financial planners. The Financial Planning Association of Greater Indiana arranged to have representatives from more than a dozen community organizations and government agencies onsite to provide additional information and services to attendees. These exhibitors ranged from a crisis-assistance hotline and network to the Indiana attorney general's office to the Social Security Administration.

University of Indianapolis President Dr. Beverley Pitts was also on hand to welcome attendees and show her university's support for the effort. The University of Indianapolis provided the event space, tables, chairs and setup. Student volunteers from the university's School of Business assisted with registration and helping attendees know where to go.

As the Far Eastside residents boarded the bus to return to their neighborhood, many of them expressed their gratitude to event organizers for the information and direction they had received. Financial Planning Association of Greater Indiana President Jack Perry, the event's lead organizer, summarized the day well, saying, "Thanks to the services our volunteers provided, these residents can feel secure that they know how to make their money work for them and their families. They can return to their homes better prepared to weather whatever economic storms lie ahead."