What to expect during FEC counseling:
When you arrive for your first appointment with an FEC counselor, you can expect 1-1.5 hours of your counselor getting to know you. They want to learn about you and your finances to understand your goals. It is encouraged to bring any financial paperwork that you think may be helpful including pay stubs, bank account information, bills, assistance documentation, etc. If applicable, please come knowing your Social Security number to better understand your credit history and report. This is your time to establish what you want to accomplish and for your counselor to explain how to get there!
Our counselors are committed to making sure you understand that meeting with them is an automatic safe space. They will always make your comfort a priority by consistently being understanding and compassionate to all participants. They truly want to see your succeed in this program!
Meet Our Counselors:
De’Andra Dooley MPA, is the Lead Certified Financial Empowerment Counselor for the Louisville Financial Empowerment Center. De’Andra has a Masters in Public Administration focusing on the systematic investigation of executive organization, microeconomics, public finance, research methods, statistics, political policy analysis, and managerial accounting. De’Andra's educational background combined with over 15 years of experience spanning the areas of housing compliance, health equity, public relations, victim advocacy, legal studies, and organizational leadership, has established her second home in the public sector. When it comes to applying theory-to-practice foundations while nurturing flourishing relationships, she has made excellence a normative behavior. Building relationships, effective leadership, and encouraging financial self sufficiency are more than just a professional commitment, it is “why” she shows up everyday.
You can expect to learn about the following:
Banking: Counselors provide information and referrals to low cost, safe, affordable, mainstream financial accounts through Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) banks and credit unions. Institutions on the referral list are certified through a rigorous set of standards called Bank On National Account Standards. These accounts are low or no fee, have no overdraft fees, and provide functional, affordable, and reliable bank accounts no matter your previous banking history.
Credit: FEC counselors can pull credit reports for participants using Experian. Our counselors are trained to explain and advise participants on how to understand their credit profile/scores and what to do to resolve negative items their report. Participants can expect a better understanding of what factors impact a credit score, how to fix errors, how to dispute incorrect account information, and how to work with collections accounts to resolve them.
Debt: Participants who have debt concerns can expect to work with a counselor to budget debt repayment into their routine financial plan. Whether a debt account is current, past due, or referred to collections, financial counselors are prepared to talk through options and work with participants to find a manageable solution to current debt.
Savings: The FEC model recognizes that emergency savings is a necessary part of financial wellbeing. In addition, participants may be looking to save for other needs or wants including education, vacation, home ownership, etc. Counselors are equipped to work with participants to find ways to save through evidence-based strategies to increase financial planning to withstand financial stress.
