State Treasurer, RI Bank, Give Counseling, Prizes to Women

In collaboration with Citizens, State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg’s Office of Economic Empowerment (OEE) opened its online registration today for the 2023 Worth & Wealth Seminars. These free virtual workshops will equip Massachusetts women with the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their futures, and make smart financial choices.

The Seminars will kick off on September 13, 2023, with an event featuring Treasurer Goldberg and leadership from Citizens. The series runs through February 2024. Each week, participants will attend virtual trainings presented by financial experts from Citizens and partner organizations, who will cover topics related to debt management, saving for retirement, investment basics, paying for education, and more. Each session will be conducted in English and Spanish.

Participants who attend at least three workshops will be able to schedule a free 1:1 financial coaching session. Incentives, including drawings for $50 Visa Gift Cards, will be offered throughout the program.

Anyone interested in registering can sign up through OEE’s online registration form or visit the Worth & Wealth webpage to learn more. Residents can also register online for Valor y Dinero – the Spanish virtual workshops – or visit the Valor y Dinero webpage to learn more.

Non-profit organizations, government agencies and officials, and other community-serving groups can sign up for the Worth & Wealth Partner Circle online. In return for promoting the seminars, partners will be able to share their resources with seminar attendees.

“The Worth & Wealth Seminars will provide women access to timely, quality financial education resources, that will help them navigate the uneven playing field that so many confront in their lives,” said State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg. “These workshops will empower participants with the skills to overcome barriers and to attain the jobs they desire and the pay they deserve.”

Funding for this initiative is made possible through the Citizens Helping Citizens grant. In early 2023, OEE received $40,000 in grant funding from Citizens to continue hosting the Worth & Wealth Seminars. As a part of this innovative program, participants will be able to visit a local Citizens branch to schedule a free financial check-up with a banker. Participants are not required to bank with Citizens to take advantage of this offer.

“Citizens is proud to continue our work with Treasurer Goldberg’s Office of Economic Empowerment to ensure that women across the Commonwealth have equitable access to opportunity. We know that having strong financial knowledge is essential to unlocking that opportunity and reducing the wealth gap,” said Lisa Murray, President, Citizens, Massachusetts. “I’m looking forward to connecting this year’s participants with our expert bankers virtually, and at Citizens branches across the state.”

The Worth & Wealth Seminars launched in 2022 and served over 300 women across three cohorts covering topics like financial planning, housing, and employment rights, starting a business, and salary negotiation. A post-seminar survey found that 83% of respondents increased their personal finance knowledge due to the lessons they learned through the program.

No Longer Just about Managing State's Money

Treasurer Goldberg created the Office of Economic Empowerment, led by a deputy treasurer, with the deliberate goal of implementing a range of economic empowerment initiatives that include closing the race and gender wage gap, addressing racial equity, increasing access to financial education, and creating pathways to economically stable futures for all residents across the state.
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $223.1 billion in assets as of June 30, 2023. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a full-service customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,400 ATMs and approximately 1,100 branches in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

Local Bank Alternatives

Some local banks have made their own efforts at improving general financial literacy, sometimes targeting specific groups.  For example, Franklin-based Dean Bank has a number of free financial literacy workshops offered throughout the course of the year. "Though none are currently scheduled, we do a “understanding your credit score” workshop, a Fraud Awareness workshop focused on elders as well as a basics of financial literacy workshop aimed at high schoolers," according to a spokesperson.