Important financial decisions can be overwhelming, especially to new college graduates. Our goal is to provide information and resources to help you make informed choices.
Financial Literacy Program
Financial Literacy Program Mission
What is the Financial Literacy Program?
The Boehly Center Financial Literacy Program is a student-run, non-credit, certificate-granting program offered by the Boehly Center for Excellence in Finance at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business. It seeks to provide students with a working knowledge of basic personal finance concepts in critical areas such as personal budgeting, student loans and personal credit, the economics of higher education, insurance and taxes, and saving and investment for retirement. The program is open to all current W&M undergraduate students.
Why is financial literacy important?
Your finances will affect every aspect of your life. Effective money management can ensure a more stable marriage, your ability to afford new experiences, and greater personal freedom. A lack of financial awareness will lead to poor outcomes:
- Over 40% of Americans cannot afford a $400 emergency expense
- 43% of student loan borrowers are not making payments
- 38% of U.S. households have credit card debt
Our program will help you plan for your desired lifestyle and avoid costly mistakes. In the long run, financial literacy will provide a sense of freedom and a boost to happiness. We provide seminars, one-on-one tutoring, and financial workshops for students groups.
How does the certificate program work?
The FLP certificate program will be offered twice each academic year, once in the fall term and once in the spring term. The program will consist of an in-person seminar on a Saturday, along with a series of assigned instructional exercises to be completed by students afterward. Students who satisfactorily complete the entire program will be granted a Certificate of Completion from the Boehly Center. Students may participate in the program even if they do not seek certification, and students may take the program more than once, space permitting.
How do I register for the program?
When the next FLP session is scheduled, students will be able to register. Please note that if you register we expect you to attend the session or notify us in advance if you find you cannot attend for any reason. Students who know they cannot attend should not sign up for the program.
Subject Matter Modules and Proficiency Exercises
- Personal budgeting
- Student loans and personal credit
- The economics higher education (grad school)
- Insurance and taxes
- Saving and investing for retirement
The Team
Professor Carl Tack
Visiting Lecturer of Finance at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business and formerly Co-Director of the Boehly Center. He currently teaches an undergraduate course in financial institutions and graduate courses in corporate finance. Mr. Tack began his professional career as a corporate lawyer with Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago, representing private equity and venture capital firms. He spent the next 25 years as an investment banker for several large firms in both Chicago and London. Mr. Tack retired from investment banking in 2009 and has since worked as a managing partner of a Dubai-based management consulting business, director of a Richmond based publicly traded manufacturing company, and lecturer in Finance. Prior to teaching at William & Mary, he lectured at the London Business School in London and Dubai, the London School of Economics and Imperial College London. Mr. Tack received his B.A. in Economics from William & Mary and his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. He currently serves as an advisory board member at the Reves Center for International Studies at W&M.
Raman Khanna, Class of 2021
A Subject Matter Expert for Investing. Raman is a Finance major and computer science minor from Dunn Loring, VA. He has interned in public sector advisory at Grant Thornton as well as in private equity at Long Point Capital. He will be interning at Dominion Energy this upcoming summer as a CFO Finance Intern. On-campus he is involved in the Undergraduate Honor Council and Finance Academy.
Anna Theirl, Class of 2021
A Subject Matter Expert for Student Loans with the FLP. Anna is from Dallas, TX, and is majoring in Finance. She has previous experience with teaching financial literacy to middle school students.
