Introduction

Let’s recap where we are up to in the client lifecycle.

We have:

• introduced how clients get assigned to financial mentors, remembering that the process can be different for each budgeting office
• discussed what can happen in the initial meeting
• developed a draft budget worksheet and debt schedule
• reviewed and verified income on the budget worksheet
• continued using a strength-based approach to financial mentoring.

The focus of this module is to investigate ways of reducing expenses and managing debt.

Often the first budget will show a deficit which has to be turned around so that the client can live within their means and deal with any unpaid bills. This module will show us how we can adjust a budget using various options to help our clients by reducing their expenses.

Many clients come to the budgeting service because of debt so we will review the types of debts that our clients may have and then look at ways that we can reduce debt.

There is a lot of information in this module and you may wish to use this as a reference tool in the future.