Frequently Asked Questions About NYC Free Financial Counseling

1. Click Book Appointment
2. Select the Program that fits your needs:
   • Financial Empowerment Center - Financial counseling for any New Yorker, 18 years or older, who lives or works in New York City
   • Ready to Rent - Guidance for renters looking for affordable housing in New York City
3. Select your Preferred Language
4. Click Next
5. Select:
   • Location (all services are by phone, select a location that is closest to where you live or work)
   • Date
   • Time
   • Financial Counselor (This is optional – you will be assigned to the first available counselor if you do not choose a specific person)
6. Click Next
7. Enter your phone number and email address
8. Click Submit

Check your email for the appointment details and confirmation (please note the email may take several minutes to arrive).

1. After logging into the Financial Empowerment Portal, fill out the My Information section by clicking Tell Us About Yourself.
2. Select your appointment and click Continue.
3. Review and sign the Client Services Agreement. This is a necessary step to complete before your appointment. If you have any questions about the Client Services Agreement, you may reach out to your financial counselor.

Note: Until you have signed a Client Services Agreement, you will not be asked to provide any information other than the contact information you have already shared when scheduling your appointment.

To Prepare for an Appointment: Complete Your Portal profile

• Click Tell Us More to enter more information about yourself
• Click Upload Documents to securely share documents with your financial counselor. Examples:
  • Recent credit report
  • Bank or creditor statements
  • Letters or notices from financial institutions or collection agencies
• Click View Agreements to review the Client Services Agreement you signed as well as any other agreements related to your financial counseling sessions you may have signed.

Note: Your first session will usually last one hour, though follow-up sessions with your financial counselor may be shorter.

If you have trouble with any steps in the NYC Financial Empowerment Portal, and would like additional assistance, reach out to your financial counselor before your appointment. You can also send an email to PortalSupport@dcwp.nyc.gov.

Bring any documentation that you have about your finances, especially documents related to your reason for making an appointment.

Some examples include:

• Bills or statements
• Copies of your credit report
• Collection notices
• Copies of your tax returns
• Paystubs
• Court papers
• Student loan bills or loan information, which can be found on studentaid.gov

Financial counselors can better support you when they have more information about your finances. Don’t worry if you are missing any of the documents listed above! You can share documents with your financial counselor through the Portal by using the My Documents tab or provide additional information or documents the next time you meet your financial counselor.

For new clients, before a remote financial counseling appointment you will need to:

1. Create a Financial Empowerment Portal account by clicking Log In/Create Account.
2. Confirm your account through a link sent to your email address.
3. Schedule your appointment through your new Portal account.
4. Fill out the My Information section in your new Portal account. As you tell us about yourself, you will be prompted to review and sign the Client Services Agreement. Please do that! This is a necessary step for your remote appointment.
5. Upload any documents you’d like to share with your financial counselor on My Documents (e.g. bank/credit card statements, credit report, debt/collections notices, etc.).
6. Ensure your financial counselor has your most up-to-date contact information and preferred phone number for the appointment.

For returning clients, before a remote financial counseling appointment:

1. Your financial counselor should be contacting you to confirm your preferred phone number.
2. You are welcome to follow-up directly with your financial counselor with your most up-to-date contact information and preferred phone number for the appointment.
3. Consider signing up for a Portal account so you can easily and safely upload documents for your financial counselor to review, update your Action Plan, and more! Follow the steps listed above for new clients and ensure the email you use as your username is the same email you provided your financial counselor.

No. You can book an appointment without a Financial Empowerment Portal account. However, if you create an account, you can book and manage your appointments, view your financial goals, and much more. Create an account today.

New clients will need to create a Financial Empowerment Portal account and complete the Client Services Agreement before a remote financial counseling appointment.

NYC Financial Empowerment Centers provide FREE one-on-one professional, financial counseling and coaching to support you in reaching your financial goals. Learn more at nyc.gov/talkmoney.

Your counselor will call you at the phone number you provided and ask you to confirm your date of birth and street address; this is similar to how you would confirm your identity at a doctor’s office. Your counselor may ask for your Social Security Number for the purpose of pulling your credit report, but you have the option not to share it. Your counselor will ask you information about your current financial situation and help identify your financial goals.

Note: Counselors will NEVER ask you to provide payment.

Questions may include:

• What is your monthly income and expenses?
• How much do you have in savings, assets, and investments?
• How much you owe in debt, what kind of debt are you holding, and their statuses (e.g. paid on time, in default, etc.)?
• Do you know your credit score? Would you like to improve your credit score? If you have a copy of your credit report, upload it on the My Documents tab on the Portal to share with your financial counselor along with any relevant letters, statements, or notices from creditors. If you don’t have a recent copy of your credit report, you can obtain one at www.annualcreditreport.com.

At the end of your first financial counseling session, you and your financial counselor will have developed an Action Plan with a list of specific Action Steps to help you reach your financial goals. Your financial counselor will end your appointment by offering a follow-up appointment and recommend a good timeframe for your next session.

We recommend you log back into your Portal account regularly to update your Action Plan, securely share additional documents with your financial counselor, manage follow-up sessions with your counselor, and see your financial progress.

Go to your confirmation email or text message and follow directions to reschedule or cancel your appointment.

Note: If you have a Financial Empowerment Portal account, click on log in button at the top of the page to view and manage your appointments.