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Health, wellness expo at Woodlands brings out inner peace seekers

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Gerald Cross: ‘Free’ police coverage in certain Pennsylvania communities comes at high cost

Would it be a good idea to &#8230;&#8230; conduct a campaign that helps area residents to better manage their money?Put a sustained spotlight on personal finance, encouraging people to learn about the power of savings and compound interest as well as the potentially life-spoiling consequences of credit card debt. Toss in warnings about payday loans. Scams, too.This region&#8217;s metro spots &#8211; and Wilkes-Barre, in particular &#8211; didn&#8217;t rate so well in a recent ranking of 2,570 U.S. cities that claims to have roughly measured residents&#8217; budgeting skills. Titled <a href="https://wallethub.com/edu/best-cities-at-money-management/19256/" target="_blank">&#8220;2016&#8217;s Best &amp; Worst Cities at Money Management</a>,&#8221; the report by online financial resource WalletHub examined data such as credit scores, average number of late payments and foreclosure rates.Sharpening people&#8217;s financial savvy in Northeastern Pennsylvania could pay big dividends, both for individuals struggling to keep up with their bills and for the community at large. After all, how many social troubles &#8211; domestic violence, theft, depression &#8211; are exacerbated by money woes?Could a months-long, coordinated campaign put information in the hands of people who, for whatever reason, didn&#8217;t get taught the basics of budgeting, banking and investing in school or at home?Conduct brief classes at Greater Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s banks and credit unions, but also in libraries, school cafeterias and other public spaces. Why not a seminar at the casino? Involve state lawmakers, too, many of whom already coordinate sessions for constituents on scam prevention and other critical topics.Provide participants with take-home materials, including websites of trusted financial resources and contact information for area organizations such as the Pittston-based <a href="http://www.cccsnepa.org/" target="_blank">Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Northeastern Pennsylvania</a>. Likewise, point school-age children and their families to programs offered through <a href="https://www.juniorachievement.org/web/ja-nepa" target="_blank">Junior Achievement of Northeastern Pennsylvania</a>.Like a patient investor, our community could be rewarded for this effort years from now.Do you think orchestrating a long-term campaign in Greater Wilkes-Barre about money management is a million-dollar idea?Or do you find the notion unnecessary? Redundant with other projects, perhaps?Has our idea bank gone bankrupt?Give us your feedback by sending a letter to the editor or posting comments to this editorial at timesleader.com.Likewise, tell us your ideas for improving the community and making area residents&#8217; lives better. Maybe we&#8217;ll spotlight your suggestion in a future editorial and ask readers, &#8220;Would it be a good idea to &#8230;&#8221;

Our Opinion: Raise area residents’ understanding of debt and other dollars-and-cents matters