Budget-conscious Georgetown students will have another resource for preparing their taxes and battling other financial woes this semester other than relying on the wisdom of their parents.
Common $ense, the financial literacy program co-sponsored by the George Houston Memorial Fund, the Office of Student Financial Services and the Georgetown University Alumni & Student Federal Credit Union will be holding another semester of seminars intended to equip students with the tools necessary to navigate their own finances.
The series of interactive and engaging workshops are led by Georgetown professors, alumni and professionals who specialize in the world of finance. These workshops, the first of which is Wednesday, deal with relevant financial issues such as taxes, investing and credit and debt management.
“When a student progresses to college, [he] typically [achieves] a new level of maturity and independence. With that maturity and independence comes a level of responsibility. We’re here to help students make informed, intelligent decisions about their finances,” GUASFCU CEO Katie Cohen (COL ’12) said.
Common $ense connects students with external resources and contacts to help them with any financial issues they may encounter. The program was started in 2006 as a series of five events during the spring semester. This year, it has expanded to become a more extensive and comprehensive series by offering workshop every month since the start of the fall semester.
“Last year’s sessions marked a tremendous success as the result of a fresh marketing campaign and new website,” Cohen said.
By attending as many workshops as possible, students can accumulate skills of increasing financial complexity.
However, students are encouraged to attend any workshop they can, regardless of potential inconsistency.
“Even attending one workshop, however, is extremely instructive and informative in terms of building knowledge about personal financial management, and students can pick and choose which topics/workshops are most relevant on a personal basis,” Cohen said.
