ENFIELD, Conn.–Banking professionals from American Eagle Financial Credit Union provided financial advice to nearly 300 students from 11 area high schools at a Financial Reality Fair hosted by Connecticut’s Credit Unions at Asnuntuck Community College.
The Financial Reality Fair was a hands-on experience in which students, after identifying their career choice and starting salaries, were provided a budget sheet requiring them to live within their monthly salary while paying for basics such as housing, utilities, transportation, clothing, and food, as well as some not-so-basic like entertainment and travel. “Through this exercise, students learned how to balance their wants and needs so they could live on their own,” the credit union said. “Afterward, they balanced their budget and sat down with a financial counselor to explore the importance of planning for future needs and encouraged to save at least 10% of their income.”
Below, volunteers from American Eagle participated in the Financial Realty Fair including, from left, Ashley McDermott and Elizabeth Lott.