Financial Literacy Workshops Offered

20–30-minute presentation on the services provided by the Smart Money Program and generalities of the Financial Literacy office. Can include a walk-through of the Financial Literacy toolkit, a review of peer counselor profiles, and time for a question-and-answer portion.

Demonstrate a short-term plan to bridge college to work life. Learn about student loan repayment options, relocation budgeting tips, estimating the cost of living, the impact of early investing and compound interest, how to get out of debt while building your future, and more.

The low down on money matters you will face in your 20’s and beyond. Short, mid, and long-term goal setting. Topics include paychecks, college and post-college budgeting, debt, saving, investing to accumulate wealth, and how to negotiate money conversations in relationships. Tips on what you can do to increase your future income potential before graduation. Recommended for juniors, seniors, nontraditional students, and graduate students.

Providing answers to student credit questions, including but not limited to credit card basics, how to build credit and why credit is important, understanding your credit report, how to access, and more.

An engaging and informative workshop on how to define success for oneself, creating small and attainable goals to work toward a greater accomplishment, and how this can help manage education, consumer, and other forms of debt before reaching financial freedom. Works for small and intermediate-sized groups that can facilitate discussions.

Students are introduced to an example of an entry-level job offer and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of company-provided support, including but not limited to their earning potential, investment options, retirement support, time off, and more. They are encouraged to think deeply about how their personal value and worth are not tied to any amount of money made and how to best advocate for themselves with a new employer. This helps foster a culture of salary transparency and getting comfortable with discussing money among peers.

First-generation students come from all types of backgrounds – their only universality being that they are maybe the first in their nuclear family to reap the benefits of a college experience. This means they are likely to interact with, manage and describe their personal financial situation in unique ways. We cover the specific challenges that first-generation students statistically, face more often than legacy students. Students are encouraged to consider and think over the ways in which their first-generation experience shapes the financial decisions they make while here and where they might be able to find guidance in situations that are new or unknown in their family systems.

An in-depth presentation about preparing to move into off-campus housing, maintaining this housing, and making sure you are protecting yourself against financial liability. This presentation covers the more severe consequences of mismanaging off-campus housing like evictions, credit scores, and houselessness, and more emotional aspects such as sharing housing with friends, splitting the bill, and more. Presentation goers are provided resources and time to self-reflect on the measures they may have already taken or assistance planning for their next steps.

Students who may need extra assistance understanding their financial aid and other financial resources at Syracuse University. A brief overview of what goes into a financial aid award letter, understanding federal loans, private loans, and parent options as well as other outside money sources such as grants, scholarships, and state aid. Students are given the option to ask questions about financial aid-related programs, how taking advantage of other campus resources might affect their aid, and more.

(Final Presentation Only) A thirty-minute presentation about the importance of financial literacy education and programming in helping to dismantle financial barriers to higher education and after graduation. Students who have participated in the series are encouraged to meet with a Smart Money Peer counselor, be guided through our online resources and community tools, and allowed 10-15 minutes for follow-up questions.