FINANCIAL LITERACY

The keys to financial independence include a clearer understanding of your resources and how to make them work for you. Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services and the Linn Benton Housing Authority established the Financial Fitness Program to help participants gain knowledge and confidence about money-related matters such as budgeting, saving, and credit.

The invaluable discipline of setting aside savings regularly is a skill that can be learned, and sometimes incentive helps. The Valley Individual Development Account Program (VIDA) helps low-income families purchase a home or start up a small business through a program that matches their savings.