Financial Fitness

Presenting organizations: INAC & AFOA BC

Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC)

Working together to make Canada a better place for Aboriginal and northern people and communities. www.aandc.gc.ca

Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of BC

AFOA-BC supports effective leadership in the areas of Aboriginal wealth creation, fiscal management, administration, and governance. www.afoabc.org

Description

Participants will learn about key areas of financial knowledge and management.

Financial literacy - Learn how being financially fit supports informed financial choices to meet basic needs and plan for the future

Managing money - Find out about potential income sources, expenses, and how to save money

Budgets and banking - Discover the difference between needs and wants, how to create a budget, how to organize and track spending, and how to use different bank accounts

Family matters - Review how to talk to your partner and family about money

Credit - Learn what’s good and bad about credit cards, how to get out of credit card debt, and how prepaid credit cards work

Tax returns - Discover how to file a tax return, tax credits and benefits

What Participants will learn by attending

Participants will learn how being financially fit supports informed financial choices to meet basic needs and plan for the future

  • Managing money - Find out about potential income sources, expenses, and how to save money
  • Budgets and banking - Discover the difference between needs and wants, how to create a budget, how to organize and track spending, and how to use different bank accounts
  • Family matters - Review how to talk to your partner and family about money
  • Credit - Learn what’s good and bad about credit cards, how to get out of credit card debt, and how prepaid credit cards work
  • Tax returns - Discover how to file a tax return, tax credits and benefits

Presenters

Richard George, Funding Services Officer, INAC

Richard.George@aandc.gc.ca

Mike Mearns, CAFM, General Manager, AFOA BC

mmearns@afoabc.org

Presenter Biographies

Richard, who joined Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) in July 2002, is a Funding Services Officer.  Richard is a member of the Ahousaht Tribe. He has graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Economics and British Columbia Institute of Technology with a Financial Management diploma.

Prior to joining INAC, Richard spent 19 years working in the financial industry and economic development with Native organizations that include, Western Indian Agricultural Corporation, Western Indian Agricultural Producers Association and First Nations Agricultural Lending Association (formerly Western Indian Lending Association) and as Manager, Aboriginal Banking with BMO Financial Group and TD Bank Group. He has acquired experience in advising various First Nation client groups on developing and maintaining a wide variety of financial services, products that maximize their banking relationships and improved access to capital markets.