Sarah Roberts | Staff Writer |
Free financial counseling is now available to the community on the UVU campus at the recently opened Woodbury Financial Counseling Center. The clinic takes place on Monday evenings from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the CS building. A few different types of counseling are offered to accommodate every financial stage.
Remedial counseling is available for those with financial struggles. Remedial clients will work on a forming a plan to get out of debt and avoid any debt in the future. Another form of counseling, preventative is available for those looking to improve their finance management. These clients will work on tightening their budgets and creating solid financial goals. The clinic also offers productive counseling for those interested in increasing their net worth. Productive clients will focus on investing in their futures.
Each client receives personally tailored sessions, with a team of counselors examining the case and then providing five or six 30-minute sessions of one-on-one financial counseling. All client information is kept confidential, and case numbers are used in place of names to avoid any invasion of privacy.
The progress of clients is closely monitored and recorded through the course of the clinic. The case is first built by information and budget identifying sheets, and then spending plans, financial planning worksheets, and meeting evaluations are used to ensure improvement in each session.
This clinic is open to anyone in the community, and students are highly encouraged to attend and learn how to correctly manage their finances before they become overwhelmed in the future.
“This is the time to get some financial counseling,” said Dr. Bernard Poduska, Financial Counseling Center supervisor, in regard to student involvement with the clinic.
He compares financial checkups to health checkups. People go to the doctor to both fix and prevent health problems, and Poduska advises students to do the same by checking up on their financial situation.
The counselors at the clinic are seniors at UVU who have studied the Personal Finance program in the Woodbury School of Business. They have spent time volunteering for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program in order to gain experience working with the public and preparing to be financial advisors.
Three of the seniors, Daniel Kerr, Brad Perkins, and Alex Long, explained that they participate in the clinic to get client interaction experiencewhile giving back to the community.
Individuals may sign up for the center by contacting Poduska via phone: 801-863-6905, e-mail: bpoduska@uvu.edu, or visiting his office in CS425f.
