The Financially Free Ducks are celebrating Financial Literacy Month with a four-part series on investing. This week, Alex Hooks, a Peer Financial Coach at the Financial Wellness Center, breaks down what stocks, mutual funds, and bonds are. He gives listeners guidance on figuring out what kind of investment is right for them and shares a bit of his own experience ..read more

April is National Financial Literacy Month, and we're celebrating here at the Financially Free Ducks with a four-part series on investing. Join us as Eliza Black, a Peer Financial Coach at the Financial Wellness Center, explains the difference between retirement accounts and regular brokerage accounts. In this episode, Eliza covers the meaning of tax-deferred, how to feel confident in investing, and more on how to get started.  ..read more

April is National Financial Literacy Month, and we're celebrating here at the Financially Free Ducks with a four-part series on investing. Join us as Solomon Bandy, a Peer Financial Coach at the Financial Wellness Center, to learn about investing. In this episode, Solomon covers the basics of investing and transitioning from just saving to launching your investment journey. Plus, he shares practical tips on budgeting for investing ..read more

Tiffany Washington has over 30 years of experience at SELCO Community Credit Union, where she is currently the Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations. Tiffany has worked her way up at SELCO and has watched the credit union grow in locations and impact. In this episode, she breaks down how credit unions work, and how students can be utilizing them. She shares her experience as a woman in the industry, and what shifts she has seen in credit unions in the past few decades.   ..read more

Brad Unger, a branch manager at OnPoint Community Credit Union, has seen every aspect of banking during his 23 years in the industry. If you’re interested in learning more about mortgages and working in the finance industry, this podcast is for you! Brad talks about his journey to his current position at OnPoint as well as his home ownership story. This episode wraps up with Brad urging students to not feel alone in their path to financial freedom. “If you feel overwhelmed, there are people there who can help you,” Brad says, citing the Financial Wellness Center and local credit unions as plac ..read more

Hannah Taylor, a Project Cost Accountant at KPFF Consulting Engineers, graduated from the University of Oregon in 2021. She became a part of the Financial Wellness Center during its inaugural year as a Peer Financial Coach. She stayed involved with the center after graduating, and financial wellness is still important to Hannah in all aspects of her life. She tells us how she started taking advantage of her benefits package and discusses how she built the healthy finance habits she has today. This episode closes out with Hannah sharing that financial success is more than just the money yo ..read more

John Chalmers, Abbott Keller Professor of Finance and Head of the Department of Finance at the University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business, shares why he believes finance is fundamentally about decision-making. John then shares advice for those thinking about entering a career in finance, while providing a few tips on navigating career options. John also discusses the power of compound interest and why it should be working for you and not against you. The episode wraps up with a discussion of financial success and what exactly that means to John.  ..read more

Phil Schumann shares his journey in co-founding the Financial Wellness initiative at Indiana University as well as the Higher Education Financial Wellness Alliance (HEFWA). If you are curious about the work HEFWA is doing, this podcast is for you. The conversation moves towards Phil’s targeted passions within financial wellness such as basic needs security, the importance of benefits, and the common misconceptions of credit ..read more

Logan Gierke and Felix Gladwell, two Peer Financial Coaches a part of the 2023 graduating class share an inside view as to what it is like to be a part of the Financial Wellness Center. Logan and Felix share their why behind their passion for financial wellness, what they have learned as a Peer Financial Coach, and what their next steps are as they enter a career ..read more

Mark Patterson brings experience from an over 35-year career in Wealth Management and shares with us the value of having a “money mindset.” Mark explores the power of compounding and breaks down the Rule of 72. He leaves those listening encouraged to take a simplified approach to investing and shares why he believes education is just beginning for your financial journey post-graduation. Mark wraps up the episode sharing a few quotes he has gained inspiration from along his financial and life journey ..read more