Get Your Money Right At City's 8th Annual 'Financial Planning Day'

Get Your Money Right At City's 8th Annual 'Financial Planning Day'Photos: Chris Remedios/SF Financial Planning Day
Fiona Lee
Published on October 27, 2017

Want to learn how to budget or get advice straight from a financial planner—for free? Now in its eighth year, San Francisco's Financial Planning Day will feature 40 financial planners and a series of talks held at the public library's main branch at 100 Larkin (and Market). 

Financial Planning Days take place across the country to help people get a better grip on their finances, especially in the wake of the 2008 recession.

The event started in 2010 and is hosted by the city and the Financial Planning Association of San Francisco. It was initially held at the UC Hastings School of Law,  then moved to the San Francisco Public Library in 2014. 

The event offers one-on-one sessions with certified financial planners so attendees can get advice for their specific financial situation. Topics range from budgeting and saving for retirement or college to estate planning and taxes. 

Attendees can also prepare a will and have it notarized at the event or attend  50-minute presentations on investing and tax planning.

A presentation from 2016 Financial Planning Day. 

It regularly draws 300 people, many of whom are repeat attendees, said Chris Remedios, a certified financial planner and one of the event's organizers. She has been involved with the event since it first began. 

"It’s quite a wide variety of people. There are people with very little who come, and then all the way up to people with way too much money in assets to be attending a free event," she laughed.  

This year, the event will offer multiple budgeting and credit counseling sessions throughout the day, said Remedios, with group workshops and one-on-one sessions available.

For those interested, there are also ongoing workshops on saving for college and estate planning.  While registration for one-on-one sessions has closed, walk-ins are still welcome.