Financial Wellness

Programming:
An Administrative
Perspective
Katie Sauer, Ph.D.
COHEAO Mid-year Conference, Financial Wellness Workshop
Denver, CO | August 2, 2016

I.

Hosting a Professional Development

Event for Staff

II.

Adopting a Pedagogical Philosophy for

Programming

III.

Effective Programming

Hosting a
Professional Development
Event for Staff

Purpose & Rationale

Bring together individuals from all of the
departments / business units on campus
that touch student financial wellness for:
o professional development
o idea exchange
o networking.
Ensures departments are coordinating with
one another and gives front line staff a
common base of knowledge.

Example: University of Colorados

2014 Symposium on Student Financial Wellness
o 50 attendees from bursars office,
financial aid, career services, student
affairs, etc
o 3 outside speakers
o results of a survey
o results of a Financial IQ Challenge
o student loans vs retirement savings
o facilitated discussion
o networking

Where to Find Speakers

o retirement plan service provider
o credit union partner
o faculty

Adopting a Pedagogical
Philosophy for Programming

Rationale
Prevents individual/personal philosophies
on personal finance to influence
programming.
Helps ensure programming is inclusive and
unbiased.

Pedagogical Framework
1. Financial wellbeing has four components:
o individuals objective financial standing
o their subjective perception of their
financial standing
o financial behaviors that they engage in
o their level of satisfaction with their
financial situation.
Resources and programming need to target all
four areas in order to be comprehensive.

2. Effective financial education doesnt take a

stance on any particular financial decision.
o lay out potential pros and cons of
decisions
o provide strategies for individuals to use
in decision making
3. There are no neutral interactions. All
human behaviors are strategies to meet one
or more of the BSPACE needs (belonging,
safety/security, purpose, autonomy,
connection, expression).

4. Understand and leverage the power of the

tribal effect.
o money behaviors are influenced by
groups and identities associated with
their socioeconomic status, ethnicity,
age/generation, values or spiritual
beliefs, surrounding environment,
family/friends, and peers/colleagues.
5. There are a variety of underlying drivers of
financial behaviors and attitudes. Helping
people become self-aware strengthens their
ability to take an informed approach.

6. Meet the learner where they are; take into

account the lizard brain. Use a nonthreatening tone and avoid language that
suggests defeat.

7. Content is action oriented and engenders

intrinsic motivation to act.
8. Word choice matters (e.g., parents vs
family. Pay attention to the diversity of the
audience as well as your own bias.

Know what Constitutes

Effective Programming

Rationale
Helps increase or maintain the quality of a
program.
Helps make the case for resource needs.

National Endowment for Financial Educations Five

Key Factors for Effective Financial Education:
o Well-trained Educator and/or tested elearning protocol
o Vetted/Evaluated Program Materials
o Timely Instruction
o Relevant Subject Matter
o Evidence of Impact (Evaluation)
Free Evaluation Toolkit
nefe.org

 2016
Katherine M. Sauer, Ph.D.
www.katherinesauer.net