Raimondo's 'Smart Money Tour' Comes to South Kingstown

South County residents Tuesday will be given an opportunity to gain valuable tips, advice and resources to help them become more financially stable and responsible. 

From 10-11 a.m. on Aug. 27, General Treasurer Gina M. Raimondo will be visiting the South Kingstown Senior Center (25 St. Dominic Rd., Wakefield) as part of her recently extended Smart Money Tour to help provide financial security to Rhode Islanders. As part of this tour, Treasury staff visits locales such as farmers markets and senior centers to help people find their unclaimed property and raise awareness about the importance of personal financial management. Since announcing the Smart Money Tour, the Treasury has received requests for additional programming and has expanded the tour to meet the needs of constituents.

"My office runs a number of programs that are helpful to Rhode Islanders, but they are only useful if people know about them," said Raimondo. "The Smart Money Tour is successfully bringing my office into the community to educate people about ways to find and save money."

At each event, Treasury staff is available to help people locate their lost or abandoned property for free. Unclaimed property includes items such as forgotten bank accounts, stocks and dividends, and life insurance claims. 

During the last fiscal year, the Treasury returned more than $8 million to more than 8,000 Rhode Islanders. Since announcing the Smart Money Tour, the Unclaimed Property Division has processed 415 claims worth $295,259 with an average payout of $711 per claim. Currently, the Treasury is holding more than 750,000 unclaimed properties worth more than $250 million. A searchable online database (treasury.ri.gov) is updated with new properties every week.

Finding innovative ways to help Rhode Islanders better manage their finances is a top priority for the Treasurer. At each event, volunteers from the Rhode Island Financial Coaching Corps, an Empower RI program in partnership with the Capital Good Fund, are available to talk to Rhode Islanders about how to improve their credit, build a budget and manage debt. Attendees will have the opportunity to sign up to become a coach or receive free financial coaching at a later date.

To date, the Smart Money Tour has visited four senior centers and five farmers markets throughout Rhode Island and reached more than 120 people. Outdoor events are weather dependent. For event-specific information, contact Heather Hudson, Treasury's Outreach Director at 401-222-2394.

Following her visit to South Kingstown, Raimondo will make nine more stops during her tour, including ones in East Greenwich, Westerly and Wickford. Click here for a complete list of Smart Money Tour dates.