November 10, 2026
8 min read
How free HOPE Inside coaching can help you reach your financial goals
No-cost financial coaching offered at HOPE Inside centers in Wells Fargo branches has helped over 30,000 Americans improve their credit scores, pay off debt, or build savings. Here’s how you can get confidential one-on-one assistance from an Operation HOPE coach in your community.
When money causes stress, shock, or confusion, it can be difficult to make changes, save money, or accomplish financial goals. That’s when a financial coach can help.
Simple conversations have helped tens of thousands of people learn to create healthy financial habits through HOPE Inside, a partnership between Wells Fargo and Operation HOPE that has brought free financial coaching to communities nationwide.
This financial coaching is available one-on-one or in workshops, in person or virtually, with some coaches offering services in multiple languages. It is open to anyone, regardless of where they bank, and trained Operation HOPE coaches do not sell banking products.
How we’re expanding access to affordable banking
The HOPE Inside partnership with Operation HOPE is one way Wells Fargo aims to expand financial education and access to banking through the Banking Inclusion Initiative.
Beyond programs like HOPE Inside, this 10-year commitment has influenced everything from branch refurbishments to product offerings. It has also helped branch bankers have better conversations with customers and prospective customers about their goals and how to achieve them.
“A lot of our [customers] don’t know where to turn for help,” van de Walle said. “We need more solutions, and we need more on-ramps [to resources that will meet them where they’re at].”
In fact, HOPE Inside’s reach has grown significantly since Wells Fargo and Operation HOPE launched the partnership in 2022, starting with centers in just three markets: Atlanta, Houston and Oakland. Today, the program is now on track to reach 50 markets serving more than 250 participating branches nationwide by the end of 2026. Coaches span the country, from Minneapolis down to Birmingham, and across the east and west coasts. HOPE Inside coaches are even in rural Alaska and the Navajo Nation.
For many, coaching fills gaps in the financial education they received – or didn’t receive at home or in school. While there’s no shortage of advice about money or budgeting online, ads and social media content creators may offer helpful tips at best and risky strategies or outright misinformation at worst, HOPE Inside coaches can help clients distinguish fact from fiction.
“We know that you’re inundated with noise. [With this type of coaching], we’re helping you cut through the noise to help you focus on what’s important for you [and your financial journey],” said Nadia van de Walle, head of Wells Fargo’s Banking Inclusion & Partnerships.
These trained financial professionals offer judgment-free accountability and personalized support that goes beyond what an app or chatbot can provide. Often, coaches come from the communities they serve, so they can better understand their clients and what they’re going through.
“The downside to learning online or [through] social media is that sometimes a 30-second or one-minute clip doesn’t give the whole story,” said Mike Horton, a HOPE Inside financial well-being coach in Baltimore. “That’s where I can fill in the blanks.”
Interested in financial coaching? Here’s what you need to know about getting started with a HOPE Inside coach.
How HOPE Inside coaching at Wells Fargo can help you
A coach will ask about your goals, review your financial situation, and help you build a realistic plan. Over a series of conversations, they’ll help you understand how to make progress step by step, no matter where you’re starting.
The financial needs of HOPE Inside clients vary, from college students with $20 in their bank accounts to heads of households managing complex investments. Their financial goals vary, too, from creating a budget or saving for a major purchase to simply feeling more in control of their money.
In Chula Vista, California, near the U.S.-Mexico border, Monica Carlos, a financial well-being and small business coach, works with many people who didn’t grow up learning how U.S. banks work. In a blend of English and Spanish, she helps clients understand how improving their credit scores can help them qualify for a credit card, business loan, or housing, for example.
“I’ve been working with them to really understand how the system works here in this country and what they need to do to live beyond paycheck to paycheck,” she said. “The beauty of working with this specific community is seeing them understand the importance of [a financial education], creating that desire to stay in the program, and seeing progress.”
By working with HOPE Inside coaches, many clients have taken significant steps toward their financial goals:
- 60% increased their credit scores by an average of 34 points.
- 40% decreased their debt by $1,875 on average.
- 77% increased their savings by $600 on average.
For others, tax season can bring important financial decisions they may want help navigating. While HOPE Inside coaches are not tax professionals, they can answer filing questions and help clients find strategies for making the most of their tax refund.
Whatever you’d like to cover with a coach, the goal will be to help you develop consistent habits and money management routines that will continue to serve you year after year.
“It doesn’t matter how much money you’re making if you don’t know how to manage it,” Carlos said, “because at the end of the day it’s about how much money you have in your account, your savings, your investments, and your assets.”
What you can cover with a HOPE Inside financial coach
Establishing or improving credit
Building and improving your credit history has several benefits. Generally, the higher your credit score, the greater your chances of qualifying for a loan, such as an auto loan or mortgage. You’re also likely to pay less to borrow that money.
Many clients — 600 and counting — have connected with coaches at HOPE Inside centers and established credit for the first time. On average, they’ve achieved a credit score of 646, according to Operation HOPE data.
Debt management
Debt is common, with more than three in four U.S. households carrying some form of debt, according to the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances (PDF). That includes a growing amount of high-interest, unsecured credit card debt, with the median household carrying a balance of $3,100.
Coaches can help you build a budget, prioritize payments, and explore options for managing high-interest debt.
Budgeting and saving help
While bank accounts aren’t required under the HOPE Inside program, a checking or savings account may be among the tools a coach suggests while helping you establish or grow your savings. These accounts can help you track your spending, which is key to maintaining a budget and monitoring your progress toward a major purchase or another goal.
Starting or growing a business
In addition to helping you manage your personal finances, some HOPE Inside coaches can help you grow a business or turn a business idea into reality. So far, clients have created 180 licensed businesses with the help of a coach. This small business coaching can cover how to write a business plan, manage accounting and recordkeeping, and access credit or financing.
Find a HOPE Inside coach near you
You can create healthy financial habits with help from an Operation HOPE coach at one of dozens of HOPE Inside centers in select Wells Fargo branches nationwide.
