$avvy Financial Literacy Program

The $avvy Program provides Saint Mary’s College students with financial education through a series of free workshops and seminars, led by Saint Mary’s College staff, faculty and guest speakers. The goal of the program is to improve students’ understanding and practices of personal financial management.  Throughout the year this website will be updated with information on the specific activities being offered through the $avvy Financial Literacy Program.

As a part of Saint Mary’s College’s dedication to financial literacy, $avvy also provides access to online resources through CashCourse. CashCourse is an online resource that provides a wealth of financial literacy information in the form of printable worksheets, interactive activities and expert financial advice.

Why Participate in $avvy?

The benefits to participating in the $avvy Financial Literacy Program, besides increasing knowledge of personal finance, include:

• The opportunity to win an extra $1,000 award from Saint Mary's College as part of your 2019–20 financial aid package¹

If you have any questions, please contact us at savvy@saintmarys.edu

Upcoming Events

Thursday, September 12, 2019
Topic: Money Tips for College Students
Time: 11:30
Location: College Student Center Conference Rooms A, B, and C (adjacent to the dining hall)
Topic Description: Come hear Luis Zapata from 1st Source Bank talk about how to manage your first bank account and other financial tips students should know. 
 

Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Topic: Credit Cards and Credit Scores
Time: Noon
Locaton: College Student Center Conference Rooms A, B and C (adjacent to the dining hall)
Topic Description: Luis Zapata is back to teach you how to manage credit cards, how credit card accounts can impact your credit score (both positively and negatively) and why your credit score is so important.

Wednesday November 6, 2019
Topic: How to find Outside Scholarships
Time: 3:00
Location: 145 Spes Unica
Topic Description: Come hear from a panel of Saint Mary's College students and learn how they were able to find and successfully win outside scholarships to help pay for their college education. 

Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Topic: Understanding Your Student Loans and Loan Repayment 
Time: Noon
Locaton: College Student Center Conference Rooms A, B, and C (adjacent to the dining hall)
Topic Description: What are the different types of student loans, when does interest start adding to the amount you have borrowed, when do you need to begin repaying your loans and what choices do you have to make when repaying your loans? 

Friday, February 7, 2020
Topic: Saving and Investing Basics
Time: Noon
Locaton: College Student Center Conference Rooms A, B and C (adjacent to the dining hall)
Topic Description: What's the difference between saving and investing? If you have extra cash to set aside, what types of accounts should you consider? Kelly Lagore, Financial Consultant from SVA Wealth Management, will answer all your questions related to saving and investing.

March 2020
Topic: Taxes
Time: TBD
Locaton: TBD
Topic Description: How do you know if you need to file federal income taxes? This session will explain how you can know if you need to file taxes and if so, it will explain how and when you should file. 

April 2020
Topic: Understanding Benefits of Your First Real Job
Time: TBD
Locaton: TBD
Topic Description: Getting your first real job is exciting! But how do you make sense of all the benefits your employer will tell you about? A few questions we'll cover include: What's the difference between a HMO, PPO and POS medical plan? Should you purchase disability insurance? How do you fully utilize a 401k or 403b plan? 

1 2020-21 $avvy Scholarship

To be eligible to win one of the five $1,000 financial aid awards for the 20-21 year, you must

• Be an undergraduate student who is scheduled to graduate in December 2020 or later, and

• Participate in at least 50% of the on-campus $avvy events and 50% of the online Cash Course activities throughout the 2019-20 year

• Students who meet this criteria will be eligible for the random drawing, which will select five winners