STC, partners teach students financial skills
Brent Smith, business banking manager for Wells Fargo, teaches South Texas College students financial skills at STC SIFE event.
South Texas College’s Student in Free Enterprise (SIFE), in conjunction with partners Wells Fargo N.A., the Women’s Business Center and Southwest Community Investment Corporation, helped more than 40 STC students prepare for a bright financial future. “Financing Strategies for your Small Business and Managing your Personal Credit,” by Brent Smith, business banking manager for Wells Fargo, taught students about a variety of financial matters ranging from the importance of credit scores, to creating a budget, to managing a bank account, to types of credit, among many covered topics.
“You hear horror stories about college students lured into taking on credit cards and loans they simply can’t afford,” said Jose Aleman, STC SIFE Team president and Business Administration major. “Our goal was to give students an opportunity to get some basic information, ask questions in an open environment and be armed with the tools and knowledge they need to protect themselves from bad financial situations. We also hope that participants walked away with a clear idea about saving for the future; your retirement savings can never begin too early in life.”
STC’s SIFE team is building on a long track record of developing and implementing fun and innovative financial education programs for the college community. The group’s goal is to use the lessons from their coursework to help others in the community learn and grow as business professionals, as well as learn new skills and methods for saving, spending, credit use, credit repair, shopping effectiveness, making ends meet, and more. The college students develop and implement projects in the community as action learning projects to enhance and develop success in the Rio Grande Valley.
For more information about South Texas College’s SIFE team contact Brad Altmeyer, business administration instructor, at 872-2723.