by Renée Trépanier, CFP
Education and Communications Manager
SISIP Financial Services
Renee.Trepanier@sisip.com
(613) 760-3405

When it comes to good money management, we can say: when we are young and we know what to do, retirement comes beautifully. That’s why the Canadian Forces (CF) have directed SISIP Financial Services to educate the young and not so young members of the Canadian Forces with regards to money management.

Because the CF and SISIP understand that, like other things, when it comes to money, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, it was decided that recruits and officer cadets would be the first to benefit from a tailored course on personal financial management.

Therefore, since July 2001, all Regular Force recruits and officer cadets have been receiving two and a half hours of formal instruction integrated into their military training program. The course includes the four following objectives:

• Determining and defining our financial objectives
• Managing our money with the help of a budget
• Understanding economic and human realities affecting our financial situation
• Using credit wisely

This course is given by an experienced SISIP financial planner who can answer expertly any question of a financial matter. Moreover, be it to help set up a budget, a systematic savings account or simply to answer a personal question, our educator is available to meet on a one-on-one basis all participants who wish to do so.

The course “Personal Financial Management” for recruits and officer cadets is mainly given at the St-Jean garrison and at the Royal Military College in Kingston, but this fall, it will also be given in Esquimalt and Borden. Since the beginning of the course, more than 3,844 recruits and officer cadets have benefited from SISIP’s expertise in order to increase their knowledge of money management.

SISIP is also very pleased to announce that, starting in September 2002, a new course entitled "Leadership and Personal Finances" will be part of the training program for supervisors, the PLQ. This course will help supervisors, while applying leadership principles, solve the financial problems of their subordinates by using SISIP Financial Counselling Services and the financial assistance of the Canadian Forces Personnel Assistance Fund (CFPAF).

The course “Leadership and Personal Finances” lasts an hour and a half and includes three clear learning objectives:

• Recognizing the signs and the consequences of financial problems
• Knowing the sources of solutions in the CF (SISIP Financial Counselling, CFPAF)
• Applying appropriate leadership principles

The course will be given by SISIP Financial Counselling experts in each of the following seven bases where the PLQ program is provided: Halifax, Gagetown, Valcartier, Petawawa, Borden, Wainwright and Esquimalt.

SISIP is very proud to be able to help future CF members acquire the necessary tools to make healthy financial decisions which will enhance their quality of life today... and tomorrow.