Richard Dunwoody has 30 years experiences providing consulting services to the financial services industry through AFO Venture Group. On today's show Richard offers his opinion on how credit counselling agencies in Canada operate and what this means to consumers.

At our firm we work a lot with local, not-for-profit credit counselling agencies that meet face-to-face with clients using a "whole person" approach. I am a supporter of these kinds of organizations because they meet with people face-to-face, help people deal with the underlying causes of their financial difficulties and teach useful money management skills like creating a budget and finding ways to save money. In fact, I've had two local credit counsellors on this show: Heather Cudmore from Carizon in Kitchener and Sue Davey from Brant Family Counselling.

Richard's disapproval does not lie with these local not-for-profit agencies, but rather, the systems in place in Canada for credit counsellors regarding aspects like qualification and accreditation. He also expresses concerns that consumers are not asking the right questions when it comes to entering into a program like a debt management plan to deal with their debts.