Tools for the Trade

Financial tips to help make managing your money easier.

You know the importance of having the right tools—and the right skills—when it comes to doing your job. It’s the same when it comes to managing your money. Trades workers have the potential to earn good wages and benefits but may experience periods of unemployment due to lack of work, seasonal downturns, or injury.

That’s why United Trades Federal Credit Union works with Port Jobs to offer Financial Tools for the Trades. These two-hour classes give apprentices the tools to plan for unemployment, manage their money, build credit, deal with debt, and save for the future. Lessons include:

1. Be Prepared

Learn the financial realities of working in the trades, calculate first-year, take-home earnings, and learn tips for saving money and being prepared for periods of unemployment.

2. The Power of Spending Plans

Learn how to create a spending plan, one of the best tools for managing money. You also learn to track expenses, plug “spending leaks” and identify ways you can increase your income or cut your expenses.

3. Making Credit Work for You

Learn what credit is, how to read a credit report, strategies for building or improving your credit, and the full cost of using credit. Apprentices can request a free copy of their credit report.

4. Take Control of Your Debt

Learn how to develop a personal debt repayment plan, and how to seek outside assistance if you need more help dealing with your debt.

This class is based on the book Financial Tools for the Trades: A Survival Guide for Apprentices.  To find out more about this free class offered by United Trades FCU or for a copy of the book, contact us.