Patients with cancer and their families are often in need of financial planning as they confront the many expenses that arise during cancer treatment. The families require competent, unbiased financial advice to deal with these issues, but may not have the resources to retain such counsel. The Financial Planning Association (FPA) of Massachusetts, in partnership with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, provides volunteer financial coaches to assist families as they face the fiscal challenges resulting from this disease.
Rick Fingerman, CFP, CDFA, is the coordinator and liaison of the FPA Massachusetts Financial Coaching Program. He matches coaches with patients and their families. This pairing occurs within three to five days of a request. Coaches meet with the families and provide recommendations for their individual situations, such as advice on credit card debt, evaluating important insurance policies and creating budgets to effectively cope with the financial strain resulting from the situation. Frequently, these relationships continue beyond the initial crisis management phase and can last up to a year.
To date, more than 250 families have participated in this program.
