Money Smart Week, which consisted of a series of information sessions designed to help students gain financial literacy and general knowledge, took place from April 21 to 24. Although Money Smart Week has been occurring nationally since 2002, this was the second time it occurred at DU, according to the event’s organizer Esther Gil, Associate Professor and Business and Economics Reference Librarian.
According to Money Smart Week’s website, the event was “created by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in 2002, [and] is a public awareness campaign designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances. This is achieved through the collaboration and coordinated effort of hundreds of organizations across the country.”
Gil worked with many groups on campus to bring Money Smart Week to fruition.
“It’s a collaborative effort, I have people on the Money Smart Week committee from Daniels, from the Bursar’s office, from career services, and several students,” said Gill.
The first session was titled “Eat Well on a Budget,” which was presented by Mandy Sigmund, the DU Wellness Program Manager. More information on this information session can be found in the Clarion’s lifestyle section this week. Later that day, another session was presented titled “Establishing Personal Wealth and Investing,” presented by Matt Thibodeau, a Northwestern Mutual representative.
The first information session on April 22 was titled “Opening a Small Business: Insights from the Owner of a Local Craft Brewery,” which was presented by Paul Webster, owner of The Brew on Broadway (The BoB). According to Webster, opening his own business was the hardest thing he’s ever done.
“You’ve got to fight. You’ve got to fight for what you do because there’s nobody else that will fight like you will,” said Webster.
Even considering the difficulty of opening his own business, Webster mentioned that the experience was worth it and he would certainly do it again.
“It’s a new education in marketing. [Opening a small business] utilizes everything you learned in college and then everything you learned in life,” said Webster.
Another information session on April 22, “A Foundation for Financial Freedom,” was presented by Jonathan Lopez, Financial advisor and author of “Foundational Financial Security.”
“Negotiate Your Salary Like a Pro,” was held on April 23 and presented by Rebecca Damas, an academic advisor in DU’s Career Center.
The first five information sessions took place in the third floor loft of the library, but the last session on Friday was held in the International House. The final session was titled “Understand the U.S. Banking System,” which was presented by Selena Spenard, branch manager of DU’s U.S. Bank branch.
According to Gil, the Money Smart Week committee identified topics that would be useful information sessions based on input from students who have come into the Anderson Academic Commons with questions that relate to finances.
“Money Smart Week is a way of introducing financial literacy to the University Community,” said Gill.
Ryan Marshall, a sport and performance psychology graduate student from Oregon, found the information sessions useful especially because he is about to finish up his program.
“I think it [the Negotiate Your Salary Like a Pro session] was super relevant because, at the position I’m applying for, you have to negotiate a salary, and, if you’re good at it you can really negotiate your way up,” said Marshall. “The other couple sessions that I’ve been to have been useful, life situation stuff that will be good when I finally graduate.”
Other students like Marshall who might find greater financial literacy useful can look forward to next year’s annual Money Smart Week or reach out to the organizers for a couple of personal tips.
