MoneyPlan – background
This initiative brought to fruition the recommendation of the original MoneyPlan pilot that took place between May 2007 and March 2009, where "reduced stress and improved peace of mind" was the result for 89% of participants.
The pilot
During the pilot 30 adviser members volunteered their time on a regular basis to their local Citizens Advice to provide money guidance to clients on low and middle incomes. Many continue to provide this valuable pro bono support to their local Citizens Advice bureau. During the pilot, more than 1,100 people received help with around 2,400 financial issues. Few of these clients could have afforded to pay for professional financial advice and feedback suggested that seeing the adviser had been essential to them understanding their issues and options.
The report
The independent evaluation report recommended that access to free generic financial advice should be considered an integral part of a comprehensive money advice service encompassing debt advice and financial capability, and that Citizens Advice and the PFS should continue to support and develop MoneyPlan. Citizens Advice is a trusted brand and its clients expect financial advice to be part of a seamless advice path from within the Citizens Advice rather than being passed to another agency.
