Meet some of the Boston residents who took advantage of free events during America Saves Week. Similar events are available year-round – click the links below to learn more!
Name: Tiffany
Event: Bank on Boston
Experience: Tiffany, 19, had never had a bank account and relied on check cashing services instead. But when she saw Bank on Boston was helping residents open free savings accounts, she took the plunge. Why? “I need to put my money in a savings account instead of just holding it,” she said.
Name: Tyrone
Event: Boston Tax Help Coalition
Experience: At his tax preparation appointment, Tyrone also received a Financial Check-Up – a one-on-one credit review with a trained financial guide. It was his first time checking his credit score, and he was glad to have a guide he could trust. “He was really professional, calm, engaged,” Tyrone said of his guide. “It wasn’t awkward at all.”
Name: Shay
Event: Boston Builds Credit
Experience: At a credit-building workshop, Shay learned how having an open credit card with a long history can help one’s credit. She’s interested in building her credit for a special reason: “My goal is to buy a house and take out a mortgage,” she said.
Name: Pauline
Event: Boston Tax Help Coalition
Experience: For the past eight years, Pauline has been getting her taxes done with the Boston Tax Help Coalition and every year, she uses her tax refund to pay her car insurance. For Pauline, free tax preparation is a no-brainer: “I’m not going to pay money to get my money back.”
Name: Tanisha
Event: Boston Saves
Experience: A parent of a 6-year-old at Haynes Early Education Center, Tanisha came to a Boston Saves event to register a children’s savings account for her son. She wants him to get in the habit of saving early and to reap the benefits later on. “I’d really love for him to have that savings in his future,” she said. “I want to be sure he has a nest egg.”