Business Week 2022 prepares students for financial wellness, money management

Financial wellness and money management were the focal points of this year’s Business Week, with entrepreneurship following close behind.

To kick the week off, the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business welcomed back Lorne Jenkins (’17), founder of Mini Money, a platform that helps teach young people the importance of financial literacy. Jenkins spoke to more than 100 business students during his two-day span on campus, focusing on budgeting, entrepreneurship and the secret of side hustles.

Lorne shared a bit of encouragement for pursuing an entrepreneurial path, “If something were easy, it would have been done before. It’s the days you don’t feel like doing it and you do it anyway that you see the most growth.”

In collaboration with Campbell University’s Office of Financial Aid and the Bursar’s Office, Nicki Spang from Sallie Mae and Bill Ayers from College Ave joined the discussion. Through their talks, students were able to ask questions about loan repayments and get advice on budgeting and credit reporting.

Sophomore Derek Prillaman, said, “Even as a college student, taking a step back to look at the bigger picture, set financial goals, begin saving, budgeting, and planning for our futures is so crucial. What we do now can have a tremendous effect on the rest of our lives.”

“Financial wellness is about balance”, encouraged our keynote speaker Ben Hopf (’11), the Founder & CEO of Atticus — a fintech platform that helps families, and their advisors navigate probate, estate settlement & inheritance following the loss of a loved one. Ben helped us close out our week with a dinner focused on staying active, seeking opportunities, and not just making money, but making a life for oneself.

“The keynote dinner had the greatest impact on me,” said Prillaman. “Hearing some of Ben Hopf’s insights into what he struggled with and has overcome on his entrepreneurial journey, background into how the funding and different phases of a startup work, and overall inspiration to research and understand what and who you are investing in, was so impactful to me.”

Business Week 2022 wrapped up with an average attendance of 30-plus students at each of the 11 events, featuring four guest speakers.