For the third year in a row, we teamed up with our affiliate, Wipfli LLP, to participate in Money Smart Week® and promote financial literacy in our communities. Money Smart Week is a national public awareness campaign devoted to helping consumers better manage their personal finances through public seminars covering a wide variety of topics.
Focusing on financial education, cybersecurity and careers in finance, specialists from both firms hosted three engaging and educational sessions for students across Chicago. Take a look at our recap of the sessions below.
Becoming a CPA and CFP® Professional
Presented by:
Thomas Guzi, CPA, Senior Manager at Wipfli LLP
Marshall Lund, CFP®, Financial Advisor at Wipfli Hewins
What’s the value of a certified public accountant or the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation? Thom and Marshall spoke to college students and aspiring professionals about these two career paths, including the day-to-day of the jobs, their educational requirements and the benefits of getting into each industry.
With a service-focused mission to support the next generation of CPAs and financial advisors, Thom and Marshall also shared tips on what to look for in an internship or full-time position and how to both network and interview well.
Resources:
Explore Open Positions at Wipfli
Explore Open Positions at Wipfli Hewins
Protecting Your Online Identity
Presented by:
Matt Janoski, CISSP, CISA, Manager and IT Examiner at Wipfli
With the internet such a huge presence in our everyday lives, it’s become essential to educate preteens and teens about online safety and security issues. As part of Money Smart Week, Wipfli partnered with the Chicago Public School system to present a cybersecurity workshop to seventh and eighth graders. Matt covered what types of information exist online, what hackers are after, why students should care and how they can protect themselves. The presentation was engaging and interactive, with students asked to help identify scam emails using common warning signs, such as bad grammar and spelling mistakes.
Matt also provided valuable insight into his career as an IT examiner and how students could get into an important field they may not have realized even exists!
Resources:
Explore Open Cybersecurity Positions at Wipfli
Smart Teens, Smart Money
Presented by:
Gretchen Halpin, Chief Strategy Officer at Wipfli Hewins
Rafia Hasan, CFA®, CFP®, Co-Chief Investment Officer at Wipfli Hewins
Learning how to make informed financial decisions takes time and experience, which is why it’s important to educate kids early so they have the foundation necessary to act smart and feel confident with money. We also believe it’s our duty as professionals to make financial education accessible in our communities, so we visited the Walt Disney Magnet School in Chicago to teach over 100 students about saving, investing, budgeting and goal-setting.
In a fun activity, Gretchen and Rafia had students allocate their investments between three mock companies — with some surprise results that helped the kids better understand investing and the concept of diversification.
Resources:
More on OneBite: Check out our tips for helping your kids — whether they’re teenagers or younger children — build a strong financial foundation. Read Part One and Part Two of “Smart Kids, Smart Money.”
There’s also much more to see from our Money Smart Week presentations — including photos! Check out our Facebook page to see more.
