Free financial advice for Canterbury red zone residents

The Commission for Financial Literacy and Retirement Income (formally the Retirement Commission) today launched a free financial advice service for Red Zone residents.

As part of the service it is possible to book a free consultation with a professional financial adviser via a CERA hub.

• CERA Earthquake Assistance Centre: Corner Breezes and Wainoni Roads, Avondale - 0800 7464 2372.
• Kaiapoi Earthquake Hub: 11 Cass Street, Darnley Square, Kaiapoi - 0800 639 000.

Also available are booklets from the sorted website here. The website of the Financial Literacy Commission is here.

The following is the Commission's media release:

Financial Advice for Canterbury residential red zone property owners

Background

The Commission for Financial Literacy and Retirement Income (the Commission) has been funded by the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust to develop tailored information and resources for Canterbury red zone residential property owners to help them with their financial decisions around the Government offer to buy their property.

Initially the Commission developed the Red Zone Financial Decision Guide booklet and online resources on Sorted - www.sorted.org.nz/redzone.

Following the success of these resources the Commission has been further funded by the Appeal Trust to set up a financial advice service which provides residential red zone property owners with access to qualified professional financial advisers for free one-on-one financial advice consultations.

At a glance

• Free one-on-one confidential consultations with qualified professional financial advisers for residential red zone property owners
• The purpose of the consultations is to help people understand their financial position and options
• Consultations are one to one-and-a-half hours long and will result in the resident taking away a simple action plan which includes a list of things to think about and work through to help them in their financial decision making
• Financial advisers are providing their services pro bono
• The free advice will be provided by a group of experienced, local professional financial advisers.  The advisers don't represent the Commission, they are from a number of well-known and reputable organisations and are all Authorised Financial Advisers (AFAs).
• The advisers involved have agreed to a set of protocols and parameters for the advice service.  They are not there to sell people products and they are not charging for their advice - so there is no cost to residents who seek advice. 
• The Commission is facilitating the financial advice service on behalf of the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust who have provided the funding to establish the service.  
• The free financial advice consultations will be held at the CERA earthquake hubs at Kaiapoi and Avondale with the first appointments available from late February
• Residential red zone property owners can access the services by making an appointment through the CERA Earthquake Assistance Centre at Avondale 0800 7464 2372 or Kaiapoi Earthquake Hub 0800 639 000.