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Santa Clara University
Center for Student Involvement
Financial Wellness

Eight Dimensions of Wellness

Intellectual

Emotional

Physical

Social

Environmental

Occupational

Spiritual

>Financial

Find mentors for financial wellbeing

Be sure to check out these departments as you seek to deepen your financial wellbeing

 

Financial Aid Office
Financial Literacy Resources
Food Insecurity Program
Occupational Wellness
Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Office for Multicultural Learning
Rainbow Resource Center
University Credit Union
Wellness Center
Resources to support your financial wellbeing

Financial Wellness 

is defined as responsible monetary practices that result in effectively managing your economic life. Financial well-being is defined as having financial security and financial freedom of choice, in the present and in the future.

Attributes that distinguish financial wellness

  • Financial stability and planning
  • Keeping organized records of your finances 
  • Household management of your budget
  • Identifying financial problems before they start 
  • Taking advantage of student discounts 

Resources 

The Office of Student Life offers a Food Insecurity program for those students that are facing issues with sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food. The Bronco Pantry opened in March 2019 to support students. 

The Financial Aid Office has a Financial Literacy webpage with many valuable resources to help guide you on your financial wellness journey. 

The University Credit Union is in the Benson Memorial Center anyone in the Santa Clara University community can use their services. We are working with them on planned webinars to assist all SCU students, and they are available for virtual appointments. In addition, they have many videos on their website to expand your financial wellness, as this one specifically for all SCU students to use to help them be debt-free: How to be Debt Free. 

 

Reflect on your financial self-care

Reflection questions

The reflection questions provided are based on the five steps of the Ignatian Examen: Give Thanks, Review, Reflect, Resolve, and Look Ahead.

1. Give Thanks

  • What did I spend money on recently that I really enjoyed? 
  • Am I conscious of my own privilege? 
  • How have I used my finances to help others? 
  • Where have my finances been a source of blessing? 

2. Review

  • What have I spent money on recently? Were these purchases necessary? 
  • How am I doing financially? 
  • Do the finances I have match my needs? 
  • Am I generous with my finances where I can be?

3. Reflect

  • How do I feel about my financial situation? 
  • Do I use my finances to support activities that give meaning to my life or the lives of others? 
  • Do I own my possessions, or do they own me? 

4. Resolve

  • How can I value my relationships over my possessions? 
  • How can I use my money to improve my life and the lives of others? 
  • Have I been too protective of my finances? Could I be more generous? 

5. Look Ahead

  • How can I better examine my priorities and goals? 
  • How can I not be distracted by a desire for more? 
  • How can I commit to valuing relationships over possessions? 

Financial Wellness Inventory

  • Do I have a budget? 
  • Have I set financial goals for this year? For the next 5? For my career? Have I matched this to my current activities/involvement? 
  • Have I spoken to my family about their financial situation? 
  • Do I know my current debt and what my debt will be when I graduate? 
  • Have I determined whether a job would be helpful to my current financial situation?
  • Have I determined how much I can afford to donate to charitable causes?
Connect with others about finances

Regular opportunities to foster financial wellness

Many campus units will host programs to educate students about topics such as Budgeting 101 or Managing Your College Debit. As these are scheduled they will be on the Get Connected Calendar. Be sure to add the events from the Get Connected Calendar to your calendars by selecting the plus sign in the lower right of the event. 

For students that have financial aid, or those that want to see if they qualify, it is important to not miss the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) deadlines each year. 

CashCourse is a resource to help you make informed decisions about your finances. The Financial Aid office has this resource and many others available to students on their Financial Literacy webpage. 

Social accounts to follow

  • SCU MBA alum Hilary Hendershott is a financial advisor & wealth coach for women. She hosts the "Profit Boss Radio: The Retirement Years" podcast. This podcast is your bi-weekly wealth building and retirement mastermind. Want the secrets to wealth and retirement to be yours? This is the place. She provides a free download, "The 7 Steps to Building Wealth" on her website. @hilary.hendershott 
Habits and practices to foster financial health

Habits of Health

  • Utilize a financial app to track spending 
  • Follow a monthly budget 
  • Set financial goals 
  • Create an emergency fund

Take action on your financial wellness 

  • Create a budget
  • Research apps and online tools to help you see where your money goes each month 
  • Spend less than you earn 
  • Use coupons and shop sales as often as possible 
  • If you accrue debt make a plan to tackle it 
  • Take out a limited number of credit cards 
  • Start investing now 
  • Begin contributing to your retirement if your employer offers a 401(k) or 403(b) plan
  • Visit the Federal Student Aid website to learn more about student loans, and managing paying them back 
Suggestions

We would love to continue improving our Wellness Model pages. Please share with us your feedback, or comments as well as any articles, podcast, etc. that help you be well. Please make sure you are logged into your SCU gmail account to view this google form. If you have any other comments you can also email getconnected@scu.edu #BeWellBroncos