Ethics is about what you do when
no one is looking.
Ethics:
–plural noun
1. (used with a singular or plural verb) a system of moral principles: the ethics of a
culture.
2. the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions
or a particular group, culture, etc.: medical ethics; Christian ethics.
3. moral principles, as of an individual: His ethics forbade betrayal of a confidence.
Knowledge is Power. Empower your Clients. Arbor Education
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Code of Ethics
 Guidelines of behavior
 Honor
 Fairness
 Honesty
 Standards

COUNSELOR
The 9-Part Code of Finance Counselor’s Ethics:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Consider all information received from your clients as confidential and maintain
each clients’ privacy.
Operate professionally and ethically with all clients, creditors, co-workers and
community members at all times.
Uphold Client/counselor professional and personal boundaries.
Notify your client about fees, the service structure, and what they can expect from
you and your agency.
Show every client courtesy and consideration at all times.
Explain all relevant information---including credit-related laws, details about fees,
and changes in their program. Every client is entitled to sufficient information to
allow them to participate meaningfully in the progress of any plan or program.
Limit your legal advice or therapy. If you feel these things would benefit your client,
refer them to a local bar association or other agency that can best serve them in
their situation, but do not “treat” or advise them yourself.
Observe your client’s cultural and religious beliefs and maintain an on-going respect
for both as part of your counseling procedures.
Respect all clients and avoid being judgmental of their cultural, financial, or
personal situations.
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All interpersonal interactions contain some element of ethics (even if you do not
recognize it). Civilization exists in part because of the unwritten rules governing how we
interact with each other. Society requires agreement to certain grounding standards.
These guidelines to behavior enable us to recognize and exhibit honor and fairness in
our relations to others. Many of these unwritten rules have remained the same for
centuries, for example: “keep your promises” or “don’t do anything illegal” or “don’t
break a confidence”.
What’s the point of ethics? TRUST. Knowing who you can trust and letting others know
they can trust you.
Consistency of positive behavior – knowing what to expect and what others can expect
of you in return.
Due to a “medical code of ethics” you would never expect your doctor to purposely
harm you during a visit. Without ethics there would be no guarantees – why would you
trust someone to fulfill an obligation or a promise?
Ethics also infers a commitment to yourself and to others. You have agreed to behave
according to set standards and expect others to do the same. You strive to ‘do the right
thing’ and balance the interest of the individual (including yourself) with the interests of
the many.
Ethics are useful for that little something “extra” which successful people exude – pride
and confidence. Having ethics creates pride in the quality of performance and
confidence for future quality and doing the right thing.
Knowledge is Power. Empower your Clients. Arbor Education
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Your parent’s values
 Your values
 Recognizing your values
 Updating your values
 Committing to your values

Some ethics will always be the same, like your parents’ and/or grandparents’ ethics.
For the ‘greatest generation’ ethics wasn’t the word. Their words were: “honor”,
“fairness”, “trustworthiness”, and “honesty”-- and these were a part of the expectations
for the common man. “Tell the truth”, “A man’s word is his bond”, “Do as you would
have others do unto you” were all common statements in the societal vernacular. A
“gentleman” or a “lady” lived their ethics every day. As each generation reaches
maturity, adjustments to ethics are made according to societal changes, personal
experiences, and new commitments.
Until each of us recognizes and commits to our own ethics we most likely are living
according to the ethics modeled by our parents or mentors. By making ethics our own,
by clarifying our values, we enable ourselves to have confidence and surety in
confronting difficult situations in our daily life.
As we continue through life, our ethics will require updating to include values that we
may not have considered in the past; possibly in areas like multicultural recognition,
respect, and appreciation.
By committing to your ethics, you make ethics and values a part of your life and an
influence in all your daily interactions.
Knowledge is Power. Empower your Clients. Arbor Education
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



Your values
General business ethics
Your organizations values
Whistle blowers
General business ethics are what compel organizations to join quality and ethics-driven
business groups (BBB) and offer consumers policies, services, and guarantees to create a
more trustworthy and consistent business environment. Business ethics boils down to
giving your client attention and respect and dealing fairly with them.
You’ve heard the saying, “The customer is always right”. How, then, do business ethics
work when the customer is obviously wrong? They work the same way! Even if the
customer is wrong, remember, “The customer is always the customer.” By supplying
your client with the attention and the respect of your business ethics, issues can be
resolved in a manner which encourages the client to continue as your client. If you have
not done so already, familiarize yourself with your organization’s code of ethics. If your
organization does not have a written code of ethics encourage the process of creating
one.
If organizations follow codes of ethics why are there whistle blowers? Whistle blowers
are called to action when their personal, business, or organization code of ethics come
into conflict with actions they observe in their business environment. A code of ethics is
always evolving and, as a result, unless closely monitored can lapse or degrade instead
of grow and become stronger. Utilize your code of ethics as a touchstone daily to
strengthen your commitment to your code’s values and principles.
Knowledge is Power. Empower your Clients. Arbor Education
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Client relations
 Community relations
 Employee/employer relations

Professional ethics expands on the foundations of business ethics. Professional ethics
not only encompass the sale of products or services but it especially applies to the
specialized business relations in which professionals engage.
Clients are entitled, by your practice of business ethics, to be treated with attention,
respect, and confidentiality. When a finance professional observes his or her own
professional ethics, client entitlement goes even further. A Finance Counseling
Professional’s professional ethics ensure that the client is entitled to full disclosure
(honesty and realistic expectations), confidentiality, and the independence of informed
consent. Further, your professional ethics ensure that the client’s records and
conversations will be kept confidential and their privacy respected. Your ethics should
also help you to remain non-judgmental of your client’s circumstances, and to be
culturally aware and tolerant of others’ belief systems.
Professional ethics also involve community relations. As a finance counseling
professional, your image within the community, representing your organization, must
be of the highest standard of professional conduct at all times.
Likewise, as an employee of an organization, ethics demand certain responsibilities of
you as the Finance Counseling Professional. As an employee, you should be in
agreement with your organization’s ethics, mission, policies, and methods, and you
should stay alert for of any breach of those ethics. It is in all stakeholders’ interest for
an employee to report ethical issues to their immediate supervisor and to expect the
situation to be rectified. Monitoring ethical standards should be an on-going
responsibility for the finance counseling professional.
Knowledge is Power. Empower your Clients. Arbor Education
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Clients
 Creditors
 Community
 Peers

Deliverable expectations, including respect, confidentiality, honesty, fairness, superior
communication skills, mastery of credit knowledge, informed consent, and fiscal
responsibility, are realistic client expectations of you when you are governed by a
professional and organizational code of ethics.
Creditors should be dealt with in only the most professional manner, conveying the
utmost in professional ethics, civility, and communication. Interactions with community
members require respect, trust, and honesty as outlined for any client. Simply stated,
any community member could be your future client.
Of course your code of ethics should also be your guide for daily interactions with your
peers. Giving respect, honesty, and consideration to your peers is the best way to
receive these behaviors in response and to build and become part of an organizational
team. A strong commitment to ethics is not only necessary, it is expected from a
Finance Counseling Professional in every facet of your professional life, and it only takes
one small deviation from your ethics to ruin your relationships with clients, creditors,
co-workers, and your employer. Part of maintaining your ethical commitment is helping
the client to realize that there are boundaries to your relationship; maintain your
professional distance. Do not take personal calls, nor discuss your personal life with your
clients.
Every contact, whether it is a client, creditor, community member, or co-worker, is an
opportunity to convey your code of ethics every single day, in every interaction. In your
position as a Finance Counseling Professional, every effort should be made to exhibit
your code of ethics with all your contacts, all the time.
Knowledge is Power. Empower your Clients. Arbor Education
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