Some people have never had the opportunity to learn about how to make good financial decisions, which can make handling personal finances overwhelming.

That’s why the Dallas County Family Resource Center decided to team up with six local banks and provide residents with a free opportunity to attend classes and learn more about banking.

“We see a lot of people that are struggling, and they barely have enough to make ends meet, and when you’re struggling and you make a poor financial decision, it can be devastating for a family,” said Jan Justice, financial literacy coordinator and social work consultant for the Dallas County Family Resource Center. “We just hope we can help the families in Dallas County make better financial decisions and make their limited resources go further.”

The purpose of the classes is to allow people to better understand their finances.

“The fewer financial resources one has, the more they stand to lose from poor decisions, and the harder it is to get out of a bad situation,” Justice said. “A family’s financial literacy affects so much of their ability to provide for the basic needs of a family, and invest in their education and improve in their situation.”

Local banks teamed up with the center to help provide their services to the community.

First Cahaba, Regions, PNC, Trustmark, Wells Fargo, and Marion Bank and Trust bankers have all signed up to teach a different class and give back to their community.

“We’re partnering with our local banks, and the banks are providing the instructor,” Justice said. “The caliber of the training has been outstanding.”

The classes will run every other Thursday at 3 p.m. from Jan. 8 until April 2, offering a different topic at each.

“Each class is different. It’s kind of a self-contained class that talks about different financial management aspects,” Justice said. “If they’re not sure which one they want to attend, give us a call.”

The classes are titled “Pay Yourself First,” “Keep It Safe,” “To Your Credit,” “Charge It Right,” “Loan To Own,” “Your Own Home” and “Financial Recovery.” People can attend every class, or they can pick and chose which classes best fit their needs.

“Give us a call and tell us what the financial concerns are. We can tell them about the classes,” Justice said. “Ask for me, and I can go over the different things that we’ll be teaching.”

The classes are being held at the Family Resource Center, Alagasco building.

To reserve a seat or for more information, call the center at 874-7785. There will be no entry after each class beings, and there is no childcare provided.