Financial wellness is important for people with disabilities!
When people with disabilities think about financial wellness, they sometimes concentrate solely on federal benefits, such as SSI and Medicaid. However, there are other things they can also consider when building a strong financial future, such as saving for an emergency or making a budget. The Illinois Treasurer’s Office offers tools that can help people with and without disabilities as they build financial practices and skills. Read on to learn things that might help you during this Financial Literacy Month.
The FinWell Hub
Illinois residents can take advantage of the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office’s new free on-demand resource, the Illinois Financial Wellness Hub (FinWell Hub). FinWell Hub is accessible from a computer or mobile device and provides on-demand resources to fit people’s needs and schedules.
FinWell Hub provides budgeting tools and courses on a wide range of topics to help create a plan that supports financial needs and goals: videos, webinars, articles and infographics, and other tools on subjects such as:
- ABLE accounts
- Goal setting and budgeting
- Saving for an emergency
- Saving and preparing for education
- Retirement planning
- Managing debt
- Buying a home
- Estate planning
- Social Security
- Investing
- And more!
Certified personal finance coaches are also available through FinWell Hub – for free! A certified finance coach can help assess financial situations, talk with people about their goals, and suggest resources. In addition to the on-demand materials on FinWell Hub, the Treasurer’s Office offers lunchtime livestreams. Check the Live Webinar tab for upcoming events and details.
It’s easy to get started.
- Go to IllinoisTreasurer.Enrich.org.
- Create a free Account.
- Complete the Financial Wellness Checkup to receive personalized recommendations.
- Start learning and building financial skills with new content every month.
Other Financial Tools for People with Disabilities
National Disability Institute
National Disability Institute (NDI) provides a breadth of resources, such as articles, financial assessments, financial education curricula, toolkits, and webinars, to educate and empower people with disabilities to build strong financial wellness. For more on what NDI provides, visit www.nationaldisabilityinstitute.org.
The Illinois Disability Benefits Estimator
The Illinois Disability Benefits Estimator helps people with disabilities better understand how their benefits may be affected by changes in income.
Learning to manage money is a process. These resources can help you keep your commitment to building your knowledge and confidence as you travel your personal finance journey.
Download the IL ABLE investment guide to compare investment options, potential risks and returns, fees, and how each choice may affect your disability savings goals. You can download and print the PDF here: What Type of Investor Are You?
Learn More About IL ABLE
Learn what an IL ABLE disability savings Account is, who is eligible, how to open an Account, and how it can help you save for qualified disability-related expenses while protecting important benefits.
- Visit the IL ABLE website
- Review the Plan Disclosure Booklet
- Explore IL ABLE Investment Options
- Open an IL ABLE Account online
For assistance, call 888-609-8683 Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm CT, or email il.clientservice@savewithable.com. Support is available in multiple languages and for callers who are deaf or hard of hearing.