SMMC News & Events Blog

This blog highlights news, events, and informative articles on personal finance from University of Illinois System's Student Money Management Center. Feel free to navigate to different categories with the list of topics on the right or search for a specific topic next to the view all link below.

Watch this recorded webinar to review a lease with confidence by understanding common rental terms, spotting red flags, and knowing your rights and responsibilities as a tenant before you sign. 

Watch this recorded webinar to understand what inflation is, why prices rise, and how to adjust your budget and spending habits to protect your purchasing power during periods of economic change. 

Watch this recorded webinar to start your wealth-building journey by learning fundamental investing concepts, exploring different investment options, understanding risk and return, and creating a simple investment strategy.

Watch this recorded webinar to advance your investment knowledge with strategies for protecting your investments, diversification techniques, performance evaluation tools, and risk management to optimize long-term results.

Watch this recorded webinar to learn how insurance protects your financial security by exploring different coverage types including health, auto, renters, and life insurance to get the best value for your protection dollars.

Watch this recorded webinar to discover practical meal planning techniques and smart shopping strategies that may help you reduce your grocery expenses and costs of food away from home while maximizing nutrition for any household size.

Watch this recorded webinar to make informed housing decisions by learning to calculate true ownership costs beyond mortgage payments, evaluate market conditions, and assess your personal financial situation.

Hungry for savings? Uncover tricks for affordable dining. Say goodbye to overspending and hello to tasty savings. 

Investing - it's not for the faint of heart, because investing in the stock market involves risk. Knowing and understanding terminology, fees, types of professionals, as well as investment methods can be a whirlwind of terms and confusing concepts. Learn the basics and have a better understanding on how investing works!

Can money buy happiness? Watch our webinar recording from May 1 to explore the relationship between money and happiness. 

Learn about new financial technologies as well as considerations and protections that may be helpful in choosing fintech for navigating your financial journey.

At the end of a busy day, when you’re hungry and tired, do you go home knowing you’re all set to prepare a tasty, healthy dinner?  Are you happy with how much money you spend on food? Would you like to learn some tricks for eating well for less money?  If any of these questions resonate with you, then How to Save on Food is the educational opportunity for you!

Explore how your spending can change the world by watching this webinar recording from March 29, 2023.

Learn about money memes, digital assets, and more by watching this webinar recording from January 25, 2023.

Have you heard of Venmo? Squarecash? These are just a few of the apps that allow you to send money to anyone, anywhere, anytime.  From a convenience standpoint, these advances are amazing—but what are the costs of convenience?

Discover investing risks & rewards by watching this webinar recording from February 8, 2023.

Explore methods of communicating and managing money in relationships by watching this webinar recording from February 8, 2022.

Take your investing knowledge to the next level! Watch Investing 102 to learn advanced concepts and key tips for successful investing.

In episode 107 of Making Cents of Money, Kimber and Andrea talk about National Financial Capability Month which runs the entirety of April every year.

Learn about how to spend less to travel more by watching this webinar recording from December 7, 2022.

The best way to manage your finances on New Year’s Eve is to plan ahead and set a defined budget you are comfortable with. Read more tips to save while celebrating.

Learn more advanced concepts to take steps to investing from this webinar recording from January 26, 2022.

In episode 100 of Making Cents of Money, all the co-hosts (past and present) reunite to celebrate the release of the 100th podcast episode.

Episode 3 of Making Cents of Money, Technology and Your Money, explores how financial technologies are evolving and what that means for keeping our money safe.

Ready to start investing? Learn investing basics and explore new trends in securities. 

Plan your legacy with confidence. Watch Building, Protecting, & Leaving Your Nest Egg to learn essential concepts of asset management across the life span. Build, protect, and leave your nest egg for future generations.

In episode 37 of Making Cents of Money, Renting!, Andrea, Jake, and Nikki discuss the basic steps and what to watch for when renting a place to live.

In episode 35 of Making Cents of Money, Employment, Andrea, Jake, and Nikki continue the podcast series on economic indicators by discussing metrics related to employment.

Ready to save more and spend smarter? Discover practical tips and tricks to make your money go further and achieve your financial goals by watching Budget Hacks on YouTube.

Understand the connection between money, stress, and bad habits. Learn strategies to manage stress, break free from detrimental financial behaviors, and cultivate a healthier relationship with money.

In episode 44 of Making Cents of Money, Nikki and Andrea talk about shopping for appliances, and they've focused on times when it may be a surprise shopping need!

In episode 22 of Making Cents of Money, Buying a Car!, Nikki, Andrea, and Jake explain the true costs of car ownership as well as the terms and tools to know about before you buy your next vehicle.

A college degree is a significant investment, often funded through a cornucopia of funding types. This article describes how to increase the overall return on investment in a college degree, including short- and long-term strategies. Since the majority of students borrow to pay for school, we pay particular attention to student loan management methods that can save students and alumni money.

Want to start investing? Watch Investing 101: Wealth Building Basics to learn basic investing terms and concepts to confidently begin your investment journey.

In episode 79 of Making Cents of Money, What Happens When a Bank Fails?, Chicago City Comptroller and former Illinois Director of Banking, Chasse Rehwinkel joins us to discuss recent incidents of bank failure and how these differed from others in history.

In episode 21 of Making Cents of Money, Time to Travel!, Nikki, Andrea, and Jake discuss travel aspirations, goals, and tips for planning a trip to help you make your next dream vacation a reality.

In episode 34 of Making Cents of Money, Gross National Happiness, Jake and Nikki discuss an alternative metric to Gross Domestic Product that some countries use to help monitor the health of their economies called Gross National Happiness.

Learn how to navigate your student loan journey. Understand crucial terms, tips, and tools for managing your education debt.

In episode 30 of Making Cents of Money, Inflation, Jake, Nikki, and Andrea discuss what inflation is as one of many metrics to gauge how an economy is doing and how it impacts our spending power as consumers.

In episode 54 of Making Cents of Money, Nikki & Andrea talk about some recent changes in setting new years resolutions and how to make finances part of your goals for 2023.

Episode 17 of Making Cents of Money, Real Estate, explains the world of real estate professions and what to consider when hiring professionals to help you buy or manage a home or other real estate property!

Use this guide to identify what modules in the University of Illinois Financial Literacy Badges Program align with your financial education needs and make a learning plan for yourself!

Planning for the unexpected can ensure that you are able to weather a financial hardship should you lose your job, have a car repair, or any other unplanned expense. By having savings set aside for emergencies, you decrease the need to rely on credit cards or loans to cover emergency situations. Your college years can be an ideal time to create and build your emergency savings.

In episode 77 of Making Cents of Money, Tax Talk, Andrea and Nikki talk tax... forms, terms, and more as the April 15 federal tax deadline approaches.

In episode 24 of Making Cents of Money, Cryptocurrencies, Andrea, Jake, and Nikki talk to Professor Lamont Black from DePaul University about cryptocurrencies, discussing everything from the blockchain technology behind them to their utility in the world of fintech.

In episode 38 of Making Cents of Money, Renting!, Andrea, Jake, and Nikki interview IDFPR's Anti-Predatory Lending Database Director, Kari Beyer, about the ins and outs of mortgages.

In episode 71 of Making Cents of Money, World Investor Week, Andrea interviews Alan Sorcher and Anne McKinley from the US Securities & Exchange Commission in honor of World Investor Week on ways investors can learn about securities throughout the year.

In episode 45 of Making Cents of Money, Andrea and Nikki discuss many aspects of selling a home so you can make more informed choices when it comes time to sell your own home.

In episode 81 of Making Cents of Money, April 30th Student Loan Deadline, we discuss a critical deadline for FFEL, Perkins, or Health Education Assistance Loans (HEAL) borrowers on income-driven repayment (IDR) plans. 

In episode 76 of Making Cents of Money, What is Crypto Anyway?, Jake Hamilton, a previous podcast co-host, comes back to provide an overview of how crypto works and what the future looks like for this financial technology.