Christopher

Christopher first came to Northwest Access Fund for financial coaching back in 2018 when he was looking to understand options for dealing with his student loan debt. Since that time, he has worked with three different financial coaches on various topics, from saving to budgeting.

A financial coach helped him open an ABLE account in 2018, and in 2021, he reached back out to our financial coaches when he needed further help navigating his account. At the time, he was also expecting a stimulus check that he had not received. Northwest Access Fund financial coaches connected him with the proper resources to claim his stimulus check, and when he received it, they helped him figure out how to regain access to his ABLE account. He deposited a good portion of the funds in there, and says he now has more money saved in his ABLE account than he has ever had before.

When he thinks about how financial coaching has been useful to him, Christopher says, “it has helped me in terms of like finding out what kind of resources are available, such as ABLE accounts, and in learning how to manage my money.” For Christopher, learning to manage his money has been a meaningful journey. He shares that he has been considering questions such as, “what money do I need for my business and for myself, for my own advancement and growth as a person who has a disability? And how do I feel empowered and feel good about myself?” He summarizes: “It brings it back around to feeling the worth that I have.”