Foundations – Money Mindset & Confidence

March 16 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Welcome to the first installment of Everyday Money Skills: A Community Series, led by Michele Montas. This series is designed to reduce financial stress, build confidence, and provide realistic tools that reflect how people actually live and work in Downeast Maine. Financial health is a critical, often-overlooked part of overall well-being. This program approaches money without judgment or assumptions, recognizing that people’s financial difficulties are shaped by more than personal decisions. Participants are welcome to attend the entire series or just the programs that appeal to them! For more information, reach out to Lizzie at lizzie@whrl.org or by phone at 413-717-7827.

Interested in attending more programs in this series? Here is the full list of upcoming programs, all of which take place on Mondays from 6-7:30 pm:

March 30: Budgeting & Emergency Planning for Real Life
April 20: Debt – Avoiding Traps & Making a Plan
April 27: Credit & Savings – Making Money Work for You
May 4: Local, State & Federal Financial Resources
May 11: Taxes, Retirement & Investing – The Basics

This program’s focus will be on understanding the foundations – money mindset and confidence.

Why This Matters
Money is one of the biggest sources of stress and one of the least talked about. Shame and avoidance can prevent people from accessing help or making progress.

Topics Covered

Why money feels taboo to talk about (and why that’s not your fault)
Common beliefs: “I’m bad with money,” “I’ll never get ahead”
How income, caregiving, and systems shape financial outcomes
What money represents personally (security, freedom, stress, survival)

Activities

Reflection exercise: personal money stress triggers
Goal-setting: what participants want from this series

Takeaway

Participants will leave knowing they are not alone and that they are capable of building financial skills.

About the Facilitator
Michele Montas is a finance professional with a background in economics and a long-standing connection to Washington County. Her family has been in the community since her grandparents’ generation, and Michele has been coming to Washington County every year for all of her life.

Michele studied economics at Princeton University and now works for Ernst & Young in their financial services organization. She believes financial education should be accessible, non-judgmental, and grounded in the realities of people’s lives, especially in rural and seasonal economies like Downeast Maine. This program is offered as a way to share tools that can help people feel more confident and supported when it comes to money.