Background Information

Consumer Credit & Budget Counseling, Inc.

d/b/a National Foundation for Debt Management

Warrior Support Services Division

Consumer Credit & Budget Counseling, Inc. d/b/a National Foundation for Debt Management (NFDM) is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Clearwater, Florida. Since 1999, NFDM has provided financial education to well in excess of one million people in need. NFDM’s programs are geared primarily for low to moderate income families, including those who find themselves in catastrophic circumstances and those who know very little about basic personal money management strategies. Nationally accredited through the prestigious Council on Accreditation, NFDM has the capacity and demonstrated ability to effectively operate and deliver consumer education programs tailored to all ages and income levels. NFDM offers programs and services that address the most critical consumer education issues facing consumers: fraud, identity theft, housing issues, credit and budget counseling and financial planning. NFDM has a two-pronged approach to its service delivery: (1) preventive programs to help consumers avoid involvement in financially destructive transactions in the first place; and (2) rehabilitative programs for those consumers that either have made a potentially harmful financial decision or have fallen victim to deception, misrepresentation or fraud. NFDM is nationally licensed to provide debt management plans and services and is approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a Housing Counseling Agency.

Warrior Support Services, NFDM’s National Military Outreach Division provides the highest quality educational and financial counseling available to military servicemembers, veterans and their families. To date, Warrior Support Services has facilitated 258 outreach events reaching 34,292 military personnel, military family members and veterans in 22 states.

Warrior Support Services offers free financial counseling to Active Duty, National Guard, Reservists, Veterans and their families through the use of one-on-one, confidential counseling and financial education workshops and seminars nationally on topics such as credit and debt management, the creation and use of active budgets and identity theft protection. Warrior Support Services targets highly populated military areas where there are Veterans Administration facilities, military bases and public events for service personnel and their families. As part of the program implementation plan, a workshop facilitator visits these geographically targeted military locations and events and tailors presentations accordingly. Members of the military are invited and encouraged to participate and speak at the events (e.g., Yellow Ribbon (Army), Returning Warrior Workshops (Navy)).

Because military and/or veteran facilitators are trained to conduct the seminars and workshops, servicemembers have a higher degree of confidence in the information being conveyed and are encouraged to take control of their personal financial future. Warrior Support Services provides the tools and services that address the most critical financial education issues facing the military population: monthly budget development, credit education, debt reduction, financial stability and long-term financial goal setting and achievement.

While Warrior Support Services can provide education in traditional workshop venues, the organization also leverages sophisticated technology to enable it to reach the broadest possible audiences in an increasingly large number of locations. Through its partnership with the National Council on Aging, NFDM developed a unique technology platform that enabled the delivery of over 87,000 reverse mortgage counseling sessions to seniors. The platform offers unique communication, tracking and reporting capabilities and has been approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Warrior Support Services is able to take advantage of and replicate this platform to deliver counseling and education in a highly flexible and customizable format to other demographics.