UTC hosts financial workshops on improving financial literacy
The Unit Trust Corporation hosted a series of financial workshops across Trinidad and Tobago over the course of this year, designed to sensitise people to the nuts and bolts of financial literacy and arming them with the tools for making better financial decisions.
The free, one-day workshops were conducted by a cadre of UTC team members in Sangre Grande and Carnage, as well as in Bon Accord and Bethel, Tobago, where participants welcomed the opportunity to see how saving and investing can make a difference to their lives.
UTC’s Investment Centre Manager, Janice Jackman, stressed the importance of having specific long- and short-term goals, which should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound (S.M.A.R.T.), necessary ingredients to making any goal a reality. “Goals without a plan are just a dream. To achieve financial freedom, you must have a plan and work towards it,” she told a workshop in Carenage.
UTC’s Financial Advisor, Desiree Hackett-Murray, warned that financial planning was critical to meeting life’s changes, explaining, “Proper budgeting and planning go a long way in preparing yourself financially for any curveball life may throw at you.”
Committed to serving its communities, the workshops formed part of the UTC’s mandate to foster a culture of saving and investment through education. This educational initiative is possible through the UTC Foundation, under the pillar of Financial Well-Being. The Foundation’s other two pillars are Education and Environmental Consciousness.
The dynamic, engaging workshops focused mainly on discussions of goal-setting, budgeting, income, and expenses, and included interactive activities such as Snakes and Ladders (with a twist), as well as creating their own vision boards, which give a visual representation of their goals.
Bishop Anstey’s Sixth Form student, Jewel Williams, who attended the workshop in Carenage, spoke of its value, noting that the vision board activity was useful in helping her plan for her future. “I feel like now I have my entire life planned; I feel like I can accomplish anything,” she said, echoing the sentiments of the other participants.
UTC team member Thaze Phillip chats with a participant at the Sangre Grande Civil Centre, during UTC’s Financial Well-Being Workshop.
Participants share in a group activity during UTC’s Financial Well-Being Workshop at the Homework Centre and Police Youth Club in Carenage.
