Center of Financial Literacy provides sessions for students

Have you ever found yourself staring blankly at your bank statement, wondering where all your hard-earned cash went? Or maybe you’re too intimidated to start investing and building your savings because finance seems like a foreign language. 

Thanks to the Center of Financial Literacy at the School of Business, you can set up a one-on-one meeting with a trained financial advisor who can ease anxiety and confusion around your finances.

The Center of Financial Literacy began in 2018 with a mission to spread biblical financial wisdom to the student body, faculty and staff. 

The center offers free personalized financial courses, financial workshop and one-on-one coaching. 

“As Americans, we have a big financial debt issue,” Stacie Rhodes, the executive director of the Center of Financial Literacy and associate dean of the School of Business, said. “We have to start educating people about their finances in college. Ultimately, if we can impact a generation, it is going to trickle down to generations to come.”

The center prides itself on offering biblically based financial advice. This can vary widely from the typical financial advice given by secular advisors. 

Biblical financial advice is rooted in the principles and values found in the Bible, emphasizing the importance of stewardship, contentment, faith and wisdom. 

It often focuses on the spiritual implications of money management, revealing that how an individual spends money is a reflection of the heart. 

Secular financial advice, on the other hand, tends to focus more on practical strategic rules for managing money, such as budgeting, saving and investing.

“Money reveals where our heart is turned toward,” Rhodes said. “At the core of understanding the change of financial perspective, you have to change your belief system because your behavior follows your belief system. … If we can grasp that and change our perspective on money, it will radically change our culture.”

If interested in improving money management skills, the Center for Financial Literacy at Liberty University offers free one-on-one coaching sessions for students, faculty and staff. 

These sessions are facilitated by trained financial coaches with over 75 hours of experience, who can provide guidance on various financial topics and help you achieve your financial goals. To get involved, simply visit the Center for Financial Literacy’s website. 

“I feel ill-equipped to be a financial adult,” junior Andrew Anderson said. “Doing a one-on-one advising session would definitely help me better understand the world of finance. I think if there were a personal advising course or if I met with a coach, I would definitely be able to position myself better financially.”

The Center for Financial Literacy, in partnership with Live Healthy Liberty, will also host a workshop to help students with financial literacy. 

The workshop, which will be held on April 5 from 4-6 p.m. is a real game of Life that allows participants to choose a salary based on their post-graduation career aspirations. They will then see how various life choices, such as getting married, having children or remaining single, can impact their financial situation.

This interactive experience will give students practical financial life advice in a fun, carefree environment.

“My big hairy audacious goal is that every single student that comes through Liberty will take a personal financial course or meet one-on-one with a financial coach,” Rhodes said. “Our goal is that when students leave Liberty that they are holistic in their training, and that includes how to manage their finances God’s way.”

To find more about the Center of Financial Literacy, visit its Instagram, @lucenterforfinancialliteracy, or go to their website to schedule a one-on-one financial advising meeting.

Billinglsey is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion