Money. If there is one thing universal among (nearly) every person who has ever attended university, it is the worries about money and money management.
The Student Representative Council started Affordability Week last year as a way to teach students the important life skills of personal finances, managing money, and filing taxes. Speakers from different financial institutions come to the UNB campus to talk about money-related topics. This year, speakers from BrenTax, the Brunswick Credit Union, RBC, and the Woman in Business are going to venture out and share their knowledge with those wishing to learn about finance finesse.
About fifteen to twenty-five students typically attend an Affordability Week event. Perhaps the allure of free food helps affect their decision. The SRC has made it no secret that food is available! With names such as ‘Let’s Taco About Taxes’ and ‘Donut Miss Out on Wealthy Bites’ makes Affordability Week’s events feel a bit more scrumptious and appetizing. The speakers at these tasty events are not simply static. “Many students found the speakers … to be helpful because they had a chance to ask [them] questions,” says Rebecca White, the event’s organizer. Attendees find the events fun as well. Some older students find they are “learning things they already know” but new knowledge is still added. White herself says that she learned new things about taxes, the credit union, budgeting, and personal finance.
Affordability Week makes it worth your time to attend. It’s not too taxing to learn new things about personal finances, especially if is your first year attending university away from your parent’s or guardian’s roof. Students will often be unaware of what they are spending, or unaware of how to spend it and on what. The details of repaying a student loan will slip away and knowledge of filing taxes might fly under the radar. It is important to have access to professionals who can assist struggling students with their financial knowledge and pass down their own expertise. The SRC has planned a wonderful event that will hopefully continue for many years to come. If you attended, it wouldn’t cost you a single cent. It might, perhaps, help you save a few though.
