Phase One — Pre-Entry Foundation · Module 6 of 24 · 90 minutes
Banking, budgeting, debt, child support, restitution, fines, and financial obligations.
What you will be able to do
- Identify every financial obligation you’re carrying into release.
- Understand your options for a bank account and basic budgeting.
- Build a realistic first-90-days budget.
Why this matters
Financial obligations don’t pause because you were incarcerated — child support, restitution, and fines often keep accruing. Walking out without a clear picture of what you owe sets you up to fall behind before you’ve even started.
Reality check: This is one of the hardest conversations in this curriculum, and it’s often avoided. It shouldn’t be. Knowing the exact number you’re starting from — debts, obligations, and all — is what makes a real plan possible instead of a guess.
Activity
Financial Obligations Worksheet — list every debt or obligation (amount, who it’s owed to, payment terms), then build a bare-bones first-90-days budget against expected income.
Scenario
You start a new job, but garnishments, restitution payments, and old fines eat most of the check before you see it — and you had no idea how much would be taken.
What would you do first?
Reflection
- What’s the obligation you’re most worried about — and what’s one step toward addressing it?
- What would it take for you to trust a bank again, or for the first time?
My action plan (pick at least one)
- Request a full accounting of what you owe (child support, restitution, fines, fees).
- Open a low-fee bank account if you don’t have one.
- Build a first-90-days budget based on real numbers.
Resources
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (consumerfinance.gov) — Banking After Incarceration
- Bank On (joinbankon.org) — Low-Fee Account Finder
- State child support agency — modification request process
Completion checklist
- ☐ I know exactly what I owe and to whom.
- ☐ I have or am working toward a bank account.
- ☐ I have a written first-90-days budget.
Milestone: You have a written list of every financial obligation and a first-90-days budget.
Tip: use your browser’s Print button to print this page or save it as a PDF. Your answers are private — bring this sheet to class or share only what you choose.
Mark this module complete
Submit this short check-in so Renewed Ambition can track your progress toward your certificate.