By Sacramento City Express
The City’s Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) is expanding its free financial counseling and coaching program to help residents protect earnings and assets and take care of loved ones with legacy planning.
Through its longstanding partnership with the national nonprofit Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund), the Sacramento FEC now offers one-on-one support to help residents create wills, add beneficiaries to accounts, and prepare essential documents such as powers of attorney to protect their assets for the future.
“Every Sacramento resident deserves the peace of mind that comes with planning for the future,” said the City’s Financial Empowerment Manager, Amy Williamson. “By offering free legacy planning services at the FEC, we’re helping residents protect what they’ve built and ensure their loved ones are cared for.”
Research shows that the majority of Americans own at least one asset of value, such as a home or bank account, but nearly 70% have not taken the necessary steps to protect their assets. The new service aims to change that by making legacy planning more accessible for everyone, especially those who may not have access to traditional estate planning resources.
“FEC counselors work hard to help clients build assets. With the addition of legacy planning services, counselors can also help Sacramentans protect and preserve those assets for future generations,” said President and CEO of the CFE Fund, Jonathan Mintz. “We’re thrilled to partner with the City of Sacramento to provide these crucial services and make legacy planning available to all.”
Residents can schedule a free appointment with a certified financial counselor/coach by visiting www.cityofsacramento.org/FEC, emailing FEC@cityofsacramento.org, or calling 916-808-4927. Counseling is available directly in English and Spanish, with interpretation available in some other languages.
About the Financial Empowerment Center (FEC)
The Sacramento FEC, operated through a City partnership with the Sacramento office of International Rescue Committee (IRC), provides free, one-on-one, personalized and professional financial coaching to local residents 18 years and older. Since its launch in 2020, the FEC has worked with more than 1,700 individuals, providing services such as budgeting assistance, savings strategies, debt reduction, credit establishment/improvement, and access to safe and affordable financial products.
About the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund)
The CFE Fund supports municipal efforts to improve the financial stability of households by leveraging opportunities unique to local government. By translating cutting edge experience with large scale programs, research, and policy in cities of all sizes, the CFE Fund assists mayors and other local leaders to identify, develop, fund, implement, and research pilots and programs that help families build assets and make the most of their financial resources. The CFE Fund is currently working in over 145 cities and counties, disbursing over $70 million to local governments and their partners to support these efforts. For more information, please visit www.cfefund.org or www.fecpublic.org to learn more about the FEC Public initiative.
