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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.

blog posts

  • Financial Literacy Around the World

    Financial education influences financial literacy and financial well-being around the world. This article highlights some statistics on financial literacy around the world, financial inclusion as well as financial resilience.

  • Setting Goals for Your Well-being

    Explore how Maslow's hierarchy of needs and the dimensions of well-being can help you set, prioritize, and manage your SMART goals.

  • Tax Filing 101: Forms & Facts You Need to Know

    As we get closer to the tax filing deadline for the United States, it is important to knwo the intricacies and important forms for filing taxes.

  • Breaking a Rental Lease in Illinois

    Kwabena Sarfo Adjei, SMMC Support Specialist and LLM student at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's College of Law, describes how he was able to get out of his rental lease after finding the rental property did not meet his expectations.

  • Collection of Several Hundred Dollar Bill Bundles in US Currency

    How do people with vision impairments manage money?

    Vision impairments can complicate how people manage their money. Learn about ways that people with reduced vision or blindness can be empowered to navigate finances on their own.

  • Overcoming Spending Temptations

    Get some idea starters on how to overcome spending temptations, just in time for the shopping season! 

  • Two silhouetted people standing in front of a sunrise.

    Seasonal Themes: Get More Done with a Mindset Shift

    Has Your New Year's Resolution Failed? Try a Seasonal Theme!

  • Identifying Expenses: Fixed, Flexible, or Occasional?

    If you're looking for a better understanding of how to categorize expenses in your budget or spending plan, explore the differences between fixed, flexible, and occassional costs.

  • Hand pulling tissue out of box

    Shrinkflation

    As we get ready for our first Get Savvy webinar of fall 2022, Inflation: When Prices Rise, we wanted to share a little bit about shrinkflation - what it is and how to cope with it as a consumer.

  • Screenshot of google map for financial institutions created by SMMC with white text: Financial Institutions Map

    Banking Locations Near Each University

    Looking for a financial institution on campus? Explore our Google Map for locations on or close to each campus in the University of Illinois System.

  • Pair of glasses with "Focus Your spending with Lists" laid over the image

    Focus Your Spending with Lists

    Lists are helpful for all kinds of things, but how can they help you focus your spending?

  • Image of hand between domino-style blocks - some standing up, others already laying down

    Practicing Self-Advocacy in Your Financial, Professional and Social Life

    Self-advocacy is an important skill to practice, particularly right now. Whether it's getting the resources you need to succeed in school or setting boundaries with your loved ones so you can focus on your own well-being, it's important to communicate with others about your needs, wants, and struggles throughout your life.

  • Person doing yoga on a beach

    The 5 C's: A Guide to Self-Care on a Budget

    We put together a few tips in an effort to add to your ideas and/or motivate you to start practicing self-care/self-love on a budget! 

  • Refinancing an International Education Loan in the United States

    Suhas Vetri Annamalai, SMMC Support Specialist and student at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Gies College of Business, discusses multiple factors to consider when deciding if refinancing your international student loan in the U.S. is the right choice for you.

  • Top 5 Financial Reminders for International Students

    Tuition & fees will be due before you know it, so here are the top 5 financial reminders for International Students.

  • Behavioral Economics: Five Ways to Shift Your Habits

    When considering decision-making in terms of your finances, it’s important to understand behavioral economics so we can develop healthier spending habits and save money along the way.

  • Crow

    Friday the 13th! Financial Planning to Avoid Unlucky Losses

    Friday the 13th is often considered an unlucky day, but let's talk about how to improve your luck with personal finance!

  • UISAVES Week 1: Goal-setting

    A strong foundation to any financial plan are goals. Set a goal with #UISAVES to connect with resources to help. universityillinoissaves.org

  • Quote from Oprah Winfrey: “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

    Gratitude & Personal Finances

    There are so many things to be grateful for in this life. As we go into the holiday season, in this article we will discuss about how gratitude impacts our finances. 

  • Podcast: Budgeting

    In episode 20 of Making Cents of Money, Budgeting, Nikki, Andrea, and Jake cover a few of the most popular budgeting (or spending plan, if you prefer) methods to help you think about building a financial plan.

  • Budgeting for a Week white text on photo of printed graphs and charts with a calculator

    Budgeting for a Week: A Realistic Approach

    Budgeting empowers you to work toward reasonable financial goals, keeping you from overspending and accruing debt. Explore steps you can take this week to start building a budgeting habit.

  • UISAVES Week 2: Small Amounts Add Up

    An important part of building a savings habit is understanding how small amounts add up. 

  • Podcast: Setting & Prioritizing Financial Goals

    In episode 75 of Making Cents of Money, Setting & Prioritizing Financial Goals, Nikki and Andrea discussed several strategies for setting, prioritizing, and re-prioritizing financial goals... just in time for the new year! 

  • Podcast: Financial Security and Stress

    In episode 31 of Making Cents of Money, Financial Security and Stress, Andrea, Nikki, and Jake talk about statistics related to both financial security and stress and tips to deal with them.

  • Building Wealth After Graduation

    Podcast: Building Wealth After Graduation

    In episode 80 of Making Cents of Money, Building Wealth After Graduation, Donovan Sanchez returns to talk about how to navigate juggling multiple goals during the transition to life after college.

  • Lines of Injustice: What is Redlining?

    Podcast: Lines of Injustice: What is Redlining?

    In episode 83 of Making Cents of Money, Lines of Injustice: What is Redlining?, DFPR Secretary Mario Treto, Jr. discusses the topic of redlining and how it leads to disparities for generations. 

  • Empty grocery store shelves

    Food Insecurity Takes on New Meaning in 2020

    As Hunger Action Month comes to a close, we're reflect on how food insecurity has looked different in 2020 than in previous years. 

  • Podcast: Money Personalities & Financial Well-being

    In episode 23 of Making Cents of Money, Money Personalities & Financial Well-being, Andrea, Jake, and Nikki discuss several financial personality inventories and the CFPB's financial well-being scale as tools to better understand financial values, habits, and internal feelings around money.

  • Podcast: Choosing a Financial Professional

    In episode 25 of Making Cents of Money, Choosing a Financial Professional, Andrea, Jake, and Nikki talk to Kathy Sweedler from University of Illinois Extension about type of financial professionals, credentials, and how to choose one that best meets your needs.

  • UISAVES Week 3: Building Financial Habits

    The reality of personal finance is that it is personal and requires behavior change. Learn ways to make behavior changes easier to accomplish your goals.

  • Financial Aid Notifications: Cost of Attendance is Estimated

    Financial aid notifications, or award letters, contain valuable information that help you understand the costs of college. However, it's important to remember that Cost of Attendance is an estimate.

  • Budget Hacks Presentation Title Slide with brain icon

    Budget Hacks - Get Savvy Webinar Recording

    Money can be messy - it's not just about numbers, calculators and excel sheets. If you're looking for new ways to manage your money mess, we have the budget hacks for you! Learn how to take what we know about human behavior and choices to build better financial habits.

  • Wealth Building as a Balancing Act text over image of hand holding a balanced scale

    Podcast: Wealth Building as a Balancing Act

    In episode 55 of Making Cents of Money, Donovan Sanchez from University of Illinois' Financial Planning program talks about wealth building as a balancing act.

  • How to Support Small Businesses During COVID-19

    Here are ways you can help support small businesses during COVID-19.

  • The Financial Impact of Digital Illiteracy

    Podcast: The Financial Impact of Digital Illiteracy

    In episode 68 of Making Cents of Money, The Financial Impact of Digital Illiteracy, Andrea and Nikki explore the financial implications of digital Illiteracy in our digital age.

  • Creating Your Own Financial Education Plan

    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!

  • Podcast: Establishing a Vision for Your Life

    In episode 33 of Making Cents of Money, Establishing a Vision for Your Life, Andrea, Nikki, and Jake talk to Donovan Sanchez, CFP and instructor of financial planning at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign about making meaningful money choices that allow you to live life now and make progress towards the future.

  • Funding a College Education

    Funding your education can be a daunting task, but there are many tools to help students and their families cover the cost of a college education.

  • Podcast: Banked or Unbanked - Choosing Financial Services for You

    Episode 2 of Making Cents of Money, Banked or Unbanked - Choosing Financial Services for You, is all about defining unbanked/underbanked, the differences between banks & credit unions, and how to choose the right financial institution for you. Learn from Illinois' Director of Banking, Chasse Rehwinkel, and Director of Financial Institutions, Francisco Menchaca.

  • Talking to Family About Money During Holidays

    As the holidays are coming in, you are probably thinking of the trips, events, food, and gifts that come with it. However, this holiday, you may consider having a conversation with your family about how the pressures of this season can affect your resources (financial or otherwise).

  • Decreasing Borrowing While in School

    Student loans can be a valuable tool for increasing access to higher education, but it does come with a cost. Learn how to limit those costs while in school so you decrease future costs of compounding interest.

  • April 30th Student Loan Deadline

    Podcast: April 30th Student Loan Deadline

    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. 

  • Podcast: Buying a Home!

    In episode 36 of Making Cents of Money, Buying a Home!, Andrea, Jake, and Nikki explain terminology, tools, and the basics steps of buying a home.

  • Podcast: Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

    In episode 32 of Making Cents of Money, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Andrea, Nikki, and Jake explain Gross Domestic Product as part of an ongoing mini series on economic indicators. 

  • Podcast: Cost of Living

    In episode 94 of Making Cents of Money, Andrea and Kimber discuss the cost of living and why it matters when comparing costs and how far your dollars will go if you relocate.

  • Podcast: Financial Planner vs AI

    In episode 65 of Making Cents of Money, Financial Planner vs AI, we discuss the pros and cons of using Artificial Intelligence language model, ChatGPT, to answer financial planning questions with the help of Donovan Sanchez, CFP®.

  • Financial Education Resources for Illinois Residents

    Podcast: Free Financial Education Resources for Illinois Residents

    In episode 82 of Making Cents of Money, Free Financial Education Resources for Illinois Residents, Maggie Owen from the Illinois State Treasurer's Office joins us to discuss all the financial education programs Illinois has for residents. 

  • Podcast: Cryptocurrencies

    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.

  • Saving Money on Holiday Travel text over photo of a toy plane and gift on pink table

    Podcast: Saving Money on Holiday Travel

    In episode 97 of Making Cents of Money, Andrea and Kimber discuss a variety of ways to save on travel during the holidays (and beyond)! 

  • Podcast: Mortgages

    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.