San Francisco Public Library provides free professional financial planning advice and services

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco Public Library will present Financial Planning Day on October 18, 2025 with full-day workshops and one-on-one counseling service to help members of the public manage and build their financial confidence.

The annual Financial Planning Day event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on October 18 at the San Francisco Main Library. The in-person event, workshops and one-on-one counseling sessions are all free for the public. Select workshops will also be live streamed on Zoom.

If members of the public are interested in participating in the one-on-one consultation and Zoom sessions, they are strongly encouraged to register online in advance to reserve their seats and learn more information about the Financial Planning Day event at sfpl.org/financial-planning.

On Financial Planning Day, the San Francisco Public Library will feature five financial workshops and the opportunity to meet one-on-one with a Certified Financial Planner in person from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for objective, no-strings-attached advice. Select workshops will be live streamed for the public to join the sessions online via Zoom.

“So many people have financial questions but don’t know where to turn for trustworthy, unbiased advice, or cannot afford to pay for it,” said Personal Finance Librarian Jonathan Steimnitz. “Our annual Financial Planning Day reflects the Library’s mission to ensure that all San Franciscans have the tools and information to thrive—no matter their background or income.”

The Public Library said the annual Financial Planning Day is a great opportunity for private consultations with experts on a wide variety of personal finance issues, including budgeting, retirement planning, investment strategies, income taxes and insurances, and more other topics.

Five workshops and private consultations will be held in the Koret Auditorium and the Latino/Hispanic Community Room on the lower level of the Main Library.

The topics of the workshops with presentations include investing, financial inclusion, new tax laws, property tax basics and behavioral finance. Speakers and panelists are experts on finance including San Francisco Assessor Joaquín Torres, Financial Capability Manager Andrea Yee of the San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment, Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and professional tax speaker Larry Pon, Certified Financial Planners (CFP®) Jenny Coffey Smith, Cynthia Flannigan, Deirdre Hegarty, and Heather C. Liston.

In addition to the annual Financial Planning Day event, the city's Public Library offers year-round financial literacy programs and one-on-one coaching through the Business, Science and Technology Center on the 4th Floor of the Main Library. Programs cover essentials like resume writing, job searches, applying for City and State jobs, tax preparation, budgeting and more.

Each week, San Francisco residents can also meet with a financial counselor for budgeting basics or connect virtually with a Certified Financial Planner through Advisers Give Back program to create a personalized plan. More details can be found at sfpl.org/bst.