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In Case of Emergency: Financial Counselors’ New FEMA Collaboration

It's always better to prepare for the big one before it hits. A new collaboration between the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education and the Federal Emergency Management Agency could help get the public in a risk-management mindset.

An association representing financial counselors is joining forces with federal emergency management officials to help the public better prepare financially for the risks of natural disasters before they hit.

The Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE) will partner with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to develop a training curriculum for financial professionals to help them counsel consumers in how to be financially prepared for a disaster. They initiative will produce resources that counselors can use to encourage their clients to save, carry the right insurance, and keep critical documents safe.

The initiative comes after a hurricane season that had devastating effects on Florida and North Carolina and as western states recover from major wildfires.

In a news release, AFCPE Executive Director Rebecca Wiggins noted that association’s members—who work in a variety of settings, including higher education, nonprofits, and the military—are well positioned to offer consumers this kind of advice.

“They recognize that a strong financial foundation is critical to financial preparedness and that natural disasters don’t wait for you to be prepared before striking,” she said. “Through this important partnership, we hope to connect our highly trained financial professionals across the country to service those vulnerable to a natural disaster who may otherwise not receive assistance.”

For those looking to get ahead of the next storm, information on financial preparedness, including a toolkit and advice on how to receive federal benefits electronically when possible, can be found on the Department of Homeland Security’s Ready.gov website.

(diane555/DigitalVision Vectors/Getty Images Plus)

Ernie Smith

By Ernie Smith

Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. MORE

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