Asato provides free financial planning to several families each year. That includes helping them to save for college without sacrificing government financial assistance. Asato finds some of those families through his local Rotary Club. The work helps him become more compassionate, he said.

The empathy that surfaces from pro bono work helps when advising all types of people in financial distress, said Ara Oghoorian, an Encino, California advisor whose pro bono work has involved helping people manage credit card or student debt while trying to save.

One case involved an 80-year-old widow who could not afford her everyday bills. Oghoorian made dozens of calls to get a discount from the client's cellphone provider and slash other utility bills.

Building empathy was another payoff. “[It] is the biggest skill set I’ve acquired,” Oghoorian said. “And it makes me feel good.”

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