Student Financial Wellness

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$uccessful Start - Student Financial Literacy and Wellness

Aside from managing your academic life, part of the challenge of being a student is learning how to manage your expenses and how to borrow and use credit wisely. We believe building basic money management skills now provides a solid foundation for a lifetime of financial success.

The goal of the $uccessful Start program is to ensure that Boston College's students are financially literate for their lifetime by offering a series of workshops and seminars, led by Boston College employees and expert guest speakers, related to all aspects of personal financial management. Also, our online financial literacy program, BC OFLiP.

Questions? Comments? Contact $uccessful Start at successfulstart@bc.edu.

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Spring 2024
 

DateWorkshop/Event TimeLocation
February 22Financial Planning 101Presented by guest speaker and CFP/CFA Mark Porter. Come learn about financial planning. The presentation will provide you with a basic idea of how to develop a financial plan of your own.4:00 p.m.Virtual Event on ZOOM (RSVP here)
March 13Loan Repayment with Leah Young 7:00 p.m.Virtual Event on ZOOM
March 21Investing for Success with Edmond Ryan
Presented by guest speaker and CFA Edmond Ryan. Come learn about investment and how to be financially successful and healthy. Pizza will be provided for those who attend!4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.In-person event at Gasson Hall 302 (RSVP here)
April 4Putting Cash to WorkPresented by guest speaker and CFP/CFA Mark Porter. 4:00 p.m.Virtual Event on ZOOM
April 7Budget Friendly Cooking (Partnership with Grad Student Life)Learn how to cook easy and budget-friendly foods to feed a crowd! RSVP for recipes to purchase ingredients in advance!6:00 p.m.Virtual Event on ZOOM

Fall 2023
 

DateWorkshop/Event TimeLocation
October 4 Financial Planning 101
Presented by guest speaker and CFP/CFA Mark Porter. Come learn about financial planning. The presentation will provide you with a basic idea of how to develop a financial plan of your own.4:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
Virtual Event on ZOOM (RSVP here)
October 4 Budgeting Workshop with UGBC: Make Your Money Last!
Learn how to create a budgeting plan that you can stick to this semester!6:00 p.m.–6:45 p.m.
Gasson Hall 206 (RSVP here)
October 25Evaluating a Job Offer with Tara Raposa (Career Center)Presented by guest speaker and Exploration Career Coach, Tara Raposa. Come learn about how to evaluate a job offer. This workshop aims to teach you skills in making sure you are getting the best offer possible from your employer. Pizza will be provided at the event.4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.Location TBD (RSVP here)
November 9Investing Strategies for Volatile Times with Edmond Ryan
Presented by guest speaker and CFA Edmond Ryan. Come learn about investment and how to be financially successful and healthy. Pizza will be provided for those who attend!4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.Stokes South 295 (RSVP here)
November 30Holiday Meals on a Budget Learn how to cook easy and budget-friendly foods to feed a crowd! Perfect for holiday gatherings or meal prep! RSVP for recipes to purchase ingredients in advance!5:00 p.m.Virtual Event on ZOOM (RSVP here)

Learn about Money Management

Want to learn about money management in a one-on-one setting? Connect with a Money Mentor! Successful Start offers Money Mentors who can help you establish a budget, learn about credit, and set realistic savings goals. Mentors receive training in personal finance and then meet with students to provide individualized coaching. Interested? Send an email to money.mentors@bc.edu or fill out a Mentee Questionnaire below to be matched with a mentor.

Teach Money Management

Students

If you would like to help others with money management, fill out the student application below to become a Peer Money Mentor.

 


Staff

If you would like to help others with money management, fill out the staff application below to become a Peer Money Mentor.

 


A budget can be an incredibly important resource in building stable financial habits. It can help you determine your financial resources by helping you pay attention to your monthly income and to decide ahead of time how you will spend it.

Creating a budget can help you reduce or eliminate unnecessary expenditures as you keep track of all of your expenses. This will allow you to determine the lifestyle that is most appropriate for you. Budgets are helpful for everyone, regardless of age or income. They allow you to achieve your financial goals and know exactly where you stand in terms of your finances.

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It is hard to gauge how much money we are really spending per year and how much we are failing to save without a budget. With the availability of debit cards, we use less and less material cash, making it hard to notice when we are spending excessive amounts of money. With online banking, we can see how much money is going out and how much money we are putting into specific accounts.

Saving can make a huge difference in the way you see your money, your work, and your life. Starting to save today will make a big difference in the quality of life you have in the future.

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When you use credit, you are borrowing money. A lender gives you cash now to make a purchase, and you agree to repay that amount over time, with interest rates and sometimes fees also applied to the borrowed amount.

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BC OFLiP (Boston College Online Financial Literacy Program)

BC OFLiP (Boston College Online Financial Literacy Program) is a self-paced online money management learning platform designed by Kindros for college students and anyone interested in money.

Learn at your own pace. Explore modules on earning, budgeting, saving, credit scores, borrowing, insurance, housing, education, and retirement. $uccessful Start is excited to offer this great free resource to Boston College!

All you need to create a Kindros account is your Boston College email address.

For questions and more information please email successfulstart@bc.edu.

$uccessful Start Team

Marsia Hill Kreaime
Marsia Hill Kreaime
Director of $uccessful Start,
Associate Director, Graduate and Law Financial Aid

617-552-3300
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Marsia Hill Kreaime

Marsia Hill Kreaime

Director of $uccessful Start,

Associate Director, Graduate and Law Financial Aid

| 617-552-3300

Sheri Cheng
Sheri Cheng
$uccessful Start
Graduate Assistant
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Sheri Cheng

Sheri Cheng

$uccessful Start

Graduate Assistant

Joshua Chang
Joshua Chang
$uccessful Start
Peer Money Mentor, Graduate Assistant
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Joshua Chang

Joshua Chang

$uccessful Start

Peer Money Mentor, Graduate Assistant