Free Financial Advice at the SF Public Library

Here at KQED Arts, we think a lot about how artists manage their money. Working in notoriously underpaid fields in one of the most expensive regions of the country, artists have to get (even more) creative. They learn new trades, wear multiple hats and find ways to stay in the place where they grew up, the place they love, the place that shaped their career.

And while we tell the stories of artists, we know full well that their stories of financial struggles and successes are no different from everyone’s stories of making ends meet in the Bay Area. Which is why the San Francisco Public Library, in partnership with the Financial Planning Association of San Francisco and the San Francisco Treasurer’s Office, is hosting the tenth annual Financial Planning Day on Saturday, Oct. 26, 9am–3pm.

Not all workshops and panels will be for everyone (some events are geared towards saving for college, some are about buying a home), but if there’s one thing nearly every artist I know deals with, it’s student loans. Check out the 50-minute workshop “Student Loans: What to Do Once you Have Them,” led by Diana Freeburg and Shawn Tydlaska.

Or maybe you need help staying on top of your finances? The Mission Economic Development Agency hosts “Creating a Better Budget.”

And here’s one everyone considering a big artistic project could likely benefit from: “Building Credit Using Alternative Lending Opportunities,” courtesy of the Mission Asset Fund.

All workshops take place at the main branch of the SFPL, where certified financial planners will also be offering free one-on-one advice sessions. You can view the whole day’s schedule, free and open to the public, here.