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GREENSBORO — It’s hard enough to save in a good economy, but in a lingering recession it’s even harder.

Get some free advice today at the Greensboro Public Library’s Hemphill Branch and on Friday at the Bryan Family YMCA .

“Your Money Bus Tour” is stopping in Greensboro as part of a 25-city cross-country tour during which financial planners dispense advice on surviving during a troubled economy and getting your financial life in order.

A lot of stress in life comes from finances, said state Treasurer Janet Cowell . She and Greensboro Mayor Bill Knight announced Wednesday that the bus would be in town.

About 85 people attended the free sessions Tuesday during a two-hour stop in Raleigh, Cowell said.

She was hoping for as good a turnout in Greensboro.

“We hope that this is a fruitful experience,” she said, “that they see the benefits.”

Financial planners will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4-7 p.m. each day. You can sign up for a session at www.yourmoneybus.com or just show up, officials said.

More than 20 local certified financial planners will donate their time, said Dennis Stearns , who will be among those volunteering their time today. He heard about the bus tour and persuaded officials to add a stop in Greensboro.

Greed played a part in the subprime housing mess that fueled the economic meltdown, Stearns said. But consumers played a role, too, he said.

“We had too many consumers not asking the right questions or not digging deep enough,” Stearns said.

This is a chance for people to get better educated about finances, he said.

The city declared this week as “Financial Literacy Week” to coincide with the tour.

The tour is sponsored by a National Association of Personal Financial Advisors foundation, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, online retail brokerage TD Ameritrade and FiLife.com.

The first tour reached 70 cities from September 2008 to June 2009 . Requests for more visits prompted this second tour.

Each participant will receive a kit that includes a Kiplinger’s Personal Finance “Guide to Getting Ahead,” a magazine, a tip sheet on financial basics, and a CD with a computer program to organize family records. 

Contact Jennifer Fernandez at 373-7064 or jennifer.fernandez@news-record.com