Desjardins Insurance is marking Financial Literacy Month with a series of budgeting workshops for employees and an interactive game to help improve financial literacy.

The workshops cover topics such as using a budget to manage cash flow, how to plan for future goals and how to save on grocery bills amid rising inflation and food prices.

“The personal finance workshops are designed to empower our employees to make informed financial choices, from managing the family budget to preparing for major life plans,” says Stéphanie Laliberté-Samson, director of culture and financial empowerment at Desjardins. “Many Canadian families are struggling to cope with inflation and higher interest rates, so the conferences aim to arm employees with the knowledge and tools to navigate these changing costs.”

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The insurance company also recently introduced Unforeseen, an app that teaches younger employees and clients about financial concepts such as the best ways to use a credit card, how credit scores work and personal income taxes.

“Employee feedback for the Unforeseen app has been very positive,” she says. “By gamifying financial education, the app allows users to simulate real life choices and see the consequences of those choices — good and bad. Our employees are excited to have a fun new tool to offer their families and our younger members to help them learn important financial skills as they start out in life.”

Desjardins’ is also marking the 10th anniversary of its ‘Personal Finance: I’m in Charge’ program, which offers various training modules delivered by accredited instructors. Since its launch in 2013, the program has drawn more than 540,200 participants.

“We all have a role to play to ensure Canadians have the financial literacy to make the best choices for themselves and their families,” notes Laliberté-Samson. “It’s important to offer personal financial support and resources for employees, not just to enable them to help members and clients, but also to help employees achieve their own financial goals. [And] these actions are needed all year, not just during the month of November.”

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