CFP-certified financial advisors are being sought to give free advice to low and moderate income people at Financial Planning Days events around the country in October.

“It’s a real way for advisors to give back to the community without making a huge time commitment," said Jon Dauphine, executive director for the Foundation for Financial Planning.

The Foundation is running the series of workshops in conjunction with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, the Financial Planning Association, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Dauphine emphasized the programs are free for attendees seeking advice and are not meant to generate leads for advisors. Advisors are prohibited from handing out business cards and advertising materials.  

When attendees ask for more help, advisors are instructed to the financial planner searches on the CFP and FPA web sites.

Each advisor volunteer will be spending about 15 minutes to 20 minutes per attendee and is asked to stay about four hours.

Dauphine said advisors should expect to be answer questions heavily related to credit cards, how to pay off debt and how to set up an easy-to-follow family budget.

Each advisor participating in a session is asked to review a 50-minute Financial Planning Days Bootcamp presentation online. Locations, local sponsors and sign up information can be found at www.financialplanningdays.org.

Dauphine said advisors planning to participate should ask their local sponsors about the neighborhoods where the sessions are being held.

If a volunteer is going to an event near a college, Dauphine said, the advisor would do well to bone up on student debt. In addition, he said advisors should ask if there is Wi-Fi at the location

Generally, advisors are asked to sign up at least two weeks before a session. But Dauphine suggested calling a local sponsor even closer to the event in case there is a need for more volunteers than are pledged.