GRAND FORKS – The Altru Family YMCA is hosting a financial wellness seminar, led by an Alerus Center wealth adviser, on Monday, Feb. 23.
The one-hour seminar, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 6 p.m. at the YMCA, 215 N. Seventh St.
Those attending the seminar will learn about emergency savings, debt management, retirement planning, risk management and health savings accounts. They will also receive information on handy resources, action steps and more, according to the YMCA announcement.
Kari Vien, with Alerus Financial, will present the program. With more than 15 years of financial industry experience, she holds Series 7 and Series 66 securities registrations and is licensed for life, health, annuity and accident insurance in North Dakota and Minnesota.
Monday’s event is aimed at “teens as well as adults, so anybody just starting to make money” and who could benefit from financial education and increased financial literacy, said Freddie Brown, youth development and aquatics director at the YMCA.
Brown, who organized the program, said he hopes it will “bring people together and provide them with resources, opportunities and extra resources” that might not otherwise be readily available to them.
“I wanted this (event) to be more of, like, ‘OK, now I’m making money, now let me figure out what to do, instead of just constantly spending, let me find out ways I can prepare for the future, ways I can build my money, ways I can prepare for retirement’ – that is where (the idea) is coming from.”
The program is not so much aimed at helping those struggling to make ends meet, but more focused on “the idea of, ‘I’m just looking to build my money, not just let it sit in the bank; I just want (it) to keep increasing. So that’s where I got this idea from.”
This is the first time this type of program has been presented at the YMCA, to his knowledge, Brown said.
Anyone who is interested in attending the seminar is asked to call the YMCA, at (701) 775-2586, to register.
