On April 5, Gerry McGahran (above) offered a retirement workshop for FA members. On April 12, all FA members were welcome to attend a financial planning workshop. Further financial assistance is available to all members through Cambridge Credit Counseling. (photo by Kevin Peterman)

The FA recently hosted a retirement workshop as well as a financial planning workshop, as we are ever mindful of helping members manage their finances as best as we can.

Thus we'd like to follow up on those workshops by reminding members of the financial advice they are eligible to receive as members of New York State United Teachers (NYSUT).

In addition to the the numerous benefits that FA members take advantage of in terms of financial planning, insurance programs, mortgage assistance, legal advice and shopping/travel/personal discounts, NYSUT Member Benefits also helps our members with student loan solutions, credit counseling and credit card debt consolidation. This comes through the nonprofit debt relief agency Cambridge Credit, which is accredited by and holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

* Please note: This Cambridge portals linked below cannot be accessed in Internet Explorer; these are cloud-based system that can be accessed using the most recent versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Edge.

• For our members with burdensome student loans, NYSUT may be able to help you reduce or even eliminate your student loan payments using the Cambridge Student Loan portal, which identifies all the repayment programs available given your specific circumstances, such as public service loan forgiveness, income-based repayment plans and student loan consolidation, cancelation or even forgiveness. Call toll free 888-254-9827 for a certified student loan counselor.
  
  
• For members in need of credit counseling, the Cambridge Credit Counseling program can help you better understand your debt management options. FA members are eligible for free, no-obligation debt and student loan consultations with a nationally certified debt counselor. Call toll free 888-254-0398 to speak with a certified counselor about any credit or debt-related issue.
  
  
• For members overwhelmed by credit card debt, the Cambridge Credit Card Debt Consolidation program may be able to help you consolidate your credit card bills into one simple monthly payment and get out of debt in a fraction of the time that it'd by making minimum monthly payments. Call toll free 888-254-0398 speak with a certified debt management counselor, as typical debt management clients can take advantage of:

• Reduced interest rates by an average of 64%
• Reduced monthly credit card payments by an average of nearly $150 per month
• Credit card debt eliminated in an average of 48 months
• An additional 10% discount on debt consolidation services.