The Office of Financial Aid and Financial Literacy is hosting a series of events to guide students through financial literacy month this April.

The Financial Literacy Office is a sub-department in the Financial Aid Office. The financial aid department assists students with loans, scholarships and FAFSA forms. The financial literacy department exists to increase student knowledge of their personal finances.

Kevin Orr is one of the financial literacy officers on the Armstrong campus and has worked in higher education for four years.

According to Orr, one of the main things for budgeting is identifying where your money comes from and where you want to spend your money.

Orr says short-term money goals are best for college students. Students on loans or scholarships have to ask themselves, “How can I make this 2,000 refund last a whole semester?”

When interviewing Orr, he laid out an easy to follow budgeting tip for students looking to regulate their income called the 50/30/20 model:

50 percent of students’ income goes towards needs.
30 percent of students’ income goes towards wants.
The final 20 percent of students’ income goes towards savings and debt.

Orr described Financial literacy as taking charge of your money.

“When a student comes on campus, they’re experiencing independence for the first time. Without a support system, a student can make financial mistakes. That’s why the financial literacy office exists,” said Orr.

The office of financial aid and financial literacy is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Victor Hall. Students’ experiences with their financial literacy counselor are more personalized and specific to students’ needs by emailing finlit@georgiasouthern.edu beforehand.

Too broke for time to schedule an appointment? The financial aid office has two online resources available to students for free to learn more about financial literacy.

Everfi covers a range of basic financial literacy concepts. Budget hacks for college, understanding your student loans and preparing for graduation are some of the titles available for students to dive into.

Cash Course is a more comprehensive financial literacy course. There are modules, calculators and games for students who want to have a more interactive online experience while learning financial literacy.

Financial literacy events are happening throughout this month. Some events include FAFSA Friday, Sallie Mae Presents “Get Ready for Life After College,” financial literacy 101 and Money Potholes: 10 Things to Avoid & Investing in Yourself.

A Raffle is also available for students to participate in this month. “April is Financial Literacy Month, and the Office of Financial Literacy & Default Prevention, within the Office of Financial Aid, is excited to launch the third annual Financial Literacy Month Raffle!” states the raffle entry sheet.

Follow the office of financial aid on Instagram for more updates on events.