Northeast San Antonio Metrocom | December 2025

Community

BY ETHAN THOMAS

Ebony P. White is the director of economic security and social safety net initiatives for The National Counsel on Aging.

COURTESY THE NATIONAL COUNSEL ON AGING

Q&A: The National Council on Aging gives tips on nancial literacy

The National Council on Aging, or NCOA, began in 1950 and pro- vides resources and advocacy for the U.S.’s aging population, with the goal of improving the health and nancial readiness of 40 million older Americans by 2030, according to its website. Ebony P. White is the NCOA director of economic security and social safety net initiatives, with 15 years of experience in the eld, according to NCOA’s website. In an email to Community Impact , White answered questions about best practices for senior community members and tips for nancial literacy as adults age. What resources are available, from your organization or others, for those who are unsure how to handle their nances, like paying taxes and budgeting? We oer tools like Budget CheckUp and BenetsCheckUp. org, which help older adults iden- tify ways to stretch their income and nd programs that can lower expenses for essentials like food, medicine, or utilities.

What scams are most prevalent among the senior community? Unfortunately, we see a lot of scams targeting older adults because scammers know they often value trust and connection. Some of the most common include imposter scams, where someone pretends to be a grandchild, government ocial or utility com- pany; tech support scams, claim- ing your computer is infected; and romance scams, where scammers build emotional relationships online to ask for money. We also see a rise in phishing and investment scams, often tied to retirement or supposed “safe returns.” What all these scams have in common is urgency and secrecy—they pressure you to act fast or keep things quiet. What could be done to keep themselves safe? A big part of staying safe is slowing down and verifying. If someone is pressuring you to act right away or pay in gift cards or cryptocurrency—that’s a red ag. Hang up, look up the ocial number yourself and call back.

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