Focus on Foundations

FHI developed the “Cornerstone – Foundation in Financial Health” program (originally called “Bootstraps Asset Building Education”) almost 15 years ago. Since then, we have delivered the program across the country, helping tens of thousands of people with this new, more effective approach to financial education.

Person-Centered Financial Education at Our Core

Through the development and delivery of Cornerstone, we came to understand the need for what we have termed “Person-Centered Financial Education,” which is a more effective way of providing financial education to people who are experiencing economic stress, as well as a strategy that goes beyond basic financial literacy. Years of results and feedback on Cornerstone have informed the development of FHI’s mission, and a catalog of over 50 programs and courses, while keeping the concept of Person-Centered Financial Education at their heart.

Beginning late last year, we launched a total re-vamp of the asynchronous online version of the course that started it all for us. So for this newsletter, we thought we’d shine a spotlight on Cornerstone – Foundation in Financial Health.

What people have said about Cornerstone:

“This was different than what I expected—more introspective, positive and uplifting.”

“It opened my eyes to a new way of thinking. Now that I have more techniques about how and what I spend money on, I’m able to hold myself more accountable.”

“I felt I could take small steps to achieve a big goal.”

“Instead of thinking about finances as just money, it made it more personal and helped me understand why our thoughts, behaviors and values affect our finances.”

“What I really took away from the Cornerstone sessions was how I could apply it to my life at that moment – not a week or a day from now but right away.”

“Before taking the class, budgets never worked for me; my savings account rarely had any money in it, and if it did, it didn’t stay there very long; and it all really stressed me out and I typically gave up. After taking the class, I realized: it’s not that I can’t effectively manage my personal finances, it’s that I didn’t have very good tools for success. Cornerstone gives you useful tools, shows you how to use them effectively, and provides support during and after the class. It’s made a huge difference in my life, and my stress-level surrounding money has gone down significantly.”

“This is one of the most informative and stress reducing classes I have ever taken.”

All the Cornerstone Variations

NEW Asynchronous Online Course

We recognized many years ago that some people prefer to take classes on their own time or have other commitments that make it difficult to attend a scheduled live training.  We had developed an asynchronous course for our Bootstraps program, but as we have continued to learn and grow, we decided it was time for an update—a total overhaul, really. And today, I am proud and excited to announce that beginning in mid-July, a brand new, asynchronous version of Cornerstone will be completed and available.

Live Course

This is our original program that continues to challenge the idea of what financial education can be. Cornerstone is typically delivered as four 2-hour sessions, spread out one time per week over 4 weeks.

Virtual Live Course

We have always believed in the power of live, in-person classes – especially for the Cornerstone program. However, like everyone else, we had to adapt during the pandemic and we have developed a virtual live course. In fact, in July, we will be offering the Cornerstone virtual live version for participants across the state of Colorado through our grant with the Colorado Rural Workforce Consortium. (If you’d like to know more about this opportunity for clients or staff to participate in this training, please contact us.)

Facilitating Cornerstone with the Online Course

In early fall, we will be following up with an option that will allow organizations to facilitate the Cornerstone program utilizing the updated asynchronous online course with your own live (or virtual live) discussion groups. 

For more information about Cornerstone or any of FHI’s programs and courses, please contact us!