It's a puzzler that pops into many people's minds close to payday.

Where did all that money go?

More than half of all adult Canadians carry some kind of credit-card debt from one month to the next, so that's one possible spending trail.

CCSA Executive Director Fran Smith says the Personal Financial Check-up is aimed at people who are making reasonable money, but find it hard to save.

But even people who are relatively careful with their hard-earned wages often find themselves wanting guidance, especially when thinking ahead to a big vacation, the kids' post- secondary education or their own comfortable retirement.

The important question: How can I maximize my disposable cash to achieve my goals?

That's where the Credit Counselling Society Services of Alberta comes in. The CCSA is introducing a new program called the Personal Financial Check-up, to help people who want to have their money go further, in return for a modest fee.

This is not investment advice. Plenty of organizations already provide that. Nor is it the CCSA's usual role of helping people who are severely in debt to organize their finances and pay off creditors through a reduced interest repayment program.

The new Personal Financial Check-up instead helps people with a steady income to maximize their disposable income.

"We've seen a need in the community for people who are making reasonably good money but aren't saving, or are running out of money," says Fran Smith, executive director of the CCSA.

For a fee of $100, the program brings together the client and a financial counsellor to look dispassionately at income, assets, debts, financial obligations and goals. Clients will come away with a plan for reaching their financial goals.

For some it might mean making more efficient use of their spending, or methodically building a nest egg. The fee includes a pre-interview by phone.

"They'll be asked to submit some information ahead of time so the counsellor can work with that before they come in," explains Diane Rennie, the CCSA's community liaison manager. "Otherwise the appointment is going to be spent gathering part of that data." Further sessions, if required, cost $75.

There's way more involved than a lecture about plastic cards. Still, many individuals who think they understand the dangers of easy credit are nevertheless surprised at what they find when someone objectively analyses their freespending habits.

"It's much easier to spend your money when it doesn't go through your hands," Fran Smith says. In an earlier era, when cash had to be scraped together over a period of time, the consumer was usually pretty sure he or she needed the purchase by the time it was made, Smith says.

"We've lost the ability to take a second look at things."

However, she adds, "the idea of saving is slowly coming back into fashion."

For more information about the Personal Financial Check-up service, in Calgary call 234-6190 and in Edmonton call 917-8260.

For information on other CCSA programs and services, in Calgary call 206-3035; in Edmonton call 408-7708; and elsewhere in Alberta call toll free 1-888-294-0076. You can also visit www.creditcounselling.com