BALTIMORE — Many people dream of becoming rich, but making wise financial decisions is the first step to securing a financial future.

On Saturday at Poly Western High School, the CASH Campaign for Maryland returned with its annual financial fitness fair to offer more than just free advice.

The effort a person must make to seize control of their finances can be confusing and overwhelming. That is why Money Power Day offered a one stop shop for financial education.

“You are going to walk away with more power because you are going to get more information, and you are going to be on a path to financial resilience,” Comptroller of Maryland Brooke Lierman said at the event.

Every year, CASH Campaign of Maryland hosts what they call the largest financial fitness fair in the region.

Fifty businesses and agencies lined up to offer personal money management advice at no cost. Throughout the six-hour fair, there were free workshops to discuss home ownership, credit scores and saving plans.

“This is a ‘no shady zone’ at Money Power Day,” CASH Campaign of Maryland COO Sara Johnson said. “We want to make sure that people have access to good quality information and plus we want to make it fun at the same time.”

As a “Money Grab Booth” garners attention, the goal is to eliminate the daunting feel tied to dealing with personal finances.

“We have to take away the stigma of money,” Francesca Jean Baptiste, the director of tax partnerships, said. “We have to make sure that folks understand that as long as you have education and information that’s power and talking about money is not bad.”

For 16 years, the event has set out to tackle topics like debt, student loans and even ways to start a small business. 

While children paint piggy banks and fill out workbooks to learn the value of a coin, the fair intends to teach all generations the empowerment behind making smart money moves.

“It’s time for us Baltimore to take control of our financial futures and close the wealth gap by making not just good but great decisions with our money and teaching those principles to our children and our loved ones,” Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott said.