HUECU’s Personal Finance Summit Recap
With the hardships of the last few years and soaring inflation, many are feeling the pressure of day-to-day life, and one of the biggest stressors is finances. To help combat rising financial stress, Harvard University Employees Credit Union (HUECU) hosted its Thrive Personal Finance Summit on June 14-15, focusing on both mental and financial wellbeing. As HUECU’s free financial education program, Thrive offers a wide range of financial wellness resources, including this annual summit. Participants are quoted as saying of the event, “I feel like more of an educated consumer. I will look at my financial plan as it is and be willing to re-assess it, and change it as needed.”
Recordings of all four sessions presented at the Summit are now available on HUECU’s YouTube channel. Day one, session A, was a Q & A Panel with Money Experts, with panelists Patrick Donnelly, Senior Wealth Advisor and a Principal at The Colony Group, and Debjani Ray, Branch Manager at HUECU’s Massachusetts General Hospital Branch (MGH). Session B, Introducing Thrive: Your Financial Education Resources, was hosted by HUECU staff and walked participants through personal finance workshops, blogs, worksheets, online learning portal, and more available to them at huecu.org/thrive.
During day two session A, Household Finances, Simplified, participants gained step-by-step tips on how to manage their household finances from Luke Pelger, Partner Experience Manager from GreenPath Financial Wellness. One participant from Pelger’s session commented that the presentation offered “Very practical suggestions in a carefully prepared presentation. I will find a spreadsheet to use to track my finances.” Session B was led by Dr. Lucy Ogbu-Nwobodo from MGH and McLean Hospital Psychiatry. Dr. Ogbu-Nwobodo led the session on Your Money and Your Mind, helping participants to better understand and manage the relationship between their finances and mental wellbeing. One participant exclaimed, “I learned how financial problems can affect my mental health. I understand that I am able to control stresses and emotional problems via finances. I will work to become less stressed out with money issues by coming up with goals.”
Dr. Ogbu-Nwobodo also shared mental health resources such as National Alliance on Mental Illness at nami.org. HUECU encourages all to prioritize their mental wellbeing during these challenging times, especially when it comes to finances. Visit huecu.org/summit for money management tips from the Summit and resources to help alleviate financial stress.