In celebration of America Saves Week, the City of Boston held a series of free financial empowerment events for Boston residents from February 25 to March 2. The week’s activities included tax preparation, Boston Builds Credit credit-building workshops, and savings fairs, as well as welcome events for Boston Saves, the City’s children’s savings account program.
At a time when roughly half of Americans cannot cover three months of expenses in the event of an emergency, saving money has become an imperative to well-being. But it is also a vehicle for individual values and aspirations.
Since 2014, Roxbury resident John Sol has been planning and saving for his big goal: home ownership.
“I’ve been living in apartments all my life,” he said. “I want privacy. I want something I can leave to my kids.”
At the savings fair held at the Bolling Building in Dudley Square, Sol was able to learn more about a variety of resources available to him, including homebuying resources from the Boston Home Center.
Another resident at the savings fair, Diana, said she was saving for retirement: “I want to be able to travel and have money to live on – to pay my bills and whatever else is needed.”
Many of the America Saves Week events featured City initiatives that can help residents save money year-round. One of these programs, Boston Saves, supports families in planning for their children’s future college or career training.
Katherine, whose son Jose attends the Haynes Early Education Center, came to the school’s welcome event to learn how she could earn extra money to add to the $50 that comes in her son’s Boston Saves account.
For her, saving is an act of love. “I want him to graduate and have a career,” she said.
Read the press release to learn more about Boston’s celebration of America Saves Week.