JULIE BERTRAND
Independent Reporter
The average Canadian family has $100,879 of debt, says the Vanier Institute of Family.
“It’s an alarming amount and it’s not going down. There have been increases in the past years,” says Shelley Streit, a financial planner that gives advice to families on how to manage their debts.
Streit offered a free mini “boot-camp” on Feb. 17 at the Stettler Public Library for people interested in learning more about cash flow and debt management.
More than 30 people showed up to listen to Streit talk about her Cash Creator program.
“You can see from the number of people who showed up, that debt is a problem in our own backyard,” says Streit.
“It’s in our families, it’s with our friends, and everybody wants to play pretend but let’s get real, people.”
She blames the culture of silence that surrounds debt for making it grow bigger.
“When people start thinking about it and talking about it, then they can do something about it,” explains Streit.
She also blames the lack of resources available to average citizens to help them control their finances.
“You go to the bank, the bank is not going to help you get out of debt,” says Streit.
Streit will offer a full day session this month in Stettler. More information at the www.cashcreatorbootcamp.com website.