Katherine Mielitz

Ethics training is a requirement within the financial services industry. This training informs and reinforces appropriate practice standards to financial services personnel, as well as helping to increase social responsibility. The notion of social responsibility encourages industry professionals to find ways to give back to their communities for a reason other than that of profit. One common way financial service professionals give back is by providing financial education services to their communities. Other opportunities to give back may include assisting with fundraising for a local charitable cause or providing free credit report evaluation for community members. The purpose of this study is two-fold. One section of the study is dedicated to investigating ethics training at the financial institution—is it required, is it provided in-house or outsourced, how the training is conducted, effectiveness and avenues to improve the ethics training. The other portion of the research project is committed to determining what kind of outreach/community development projects are currently in practice by banks within the State of Georgia. Development of outreach audiences, how those audiences are targeted, as well as involvement of bank staff in the projects are a few of the key ideas being focused on within the study.

Provide financial counseling services to service members and spouses who have requested assistance through Military OneSource.

I provide one-on-one financial coaching focusing on creating a budget, changing spending habits, creating savings, and utilizing money as a tool. I work to build a relationship with my clients so that they know they can turn to me for coaching and encouragement when needed. I provide bi-weekly financial literacy classes to inmate residents at the Augusta Transitional Center. These inmates are finishing up their sentences and have been approved for a work release program. I help identify ways to utilize the money effectively, discuss Needs vs Wants, SMART goal planning and work with John Maxwell's Goal versus Growth Consciousness. Additionally, I encourage appropriate use of credit, and how it can be an effective financial tool when used appropriately. Additionally, I teach a similar class at the Augusta Day Reporting Center once per month. I am in the process of creating and finalizing the IMPACT (Integrated Money Planning and Cash Training) program to teach young adults how to utilize the cash they have effectively BEFORE they attempt to use credit.