On this episode of Rick and Friends, Rick Maddison sits down with Jennifer Robins, the executive director of Launch Okanagan, to discuss financial literacy, budgeting and raising your children to understand finance.

“There are a lot of real challenges people are facing right now and a lot of real situations that have come up suddenly, and they’re having a hard time dealing with it,” Robins says. 

While Jennifer teaches financial literacy, she acknowledges that “there are certain things you can’t budget away.” 

Jennifer is a bright light in a time of financial hardship for many of us. Food bank usage is up, and it's not at all uncommon to be struggling or making tough financial decisions right now.

“It's always really encouraging to me when you create a safe space for people to talk about those things,” Jennifer says about the emotional side of money. 

“So far, it's been my experience that people really open up about it, they want to be able to talk about it, and sometimes it's easier to have those conversations with a group of strangers than it is sitting around your own dinner table. It can be hard as a couple to talk about money.”

Today’s discussion focuses on what one can do to help get themselves back on track, despite the many external factors. 

Launch Okanagan helps people move forward in life by providing them with the financial knowledge, confidence and community support to take the next step towards greater independence and financial security.

Find more episodes of Rick and Friends on KelownaNow Streaming and Spotify.