The Grizzly Guide to Wealth connects Ursinus alumni to students and allows them the platform to share their financial stories and lessons they have learned along the way.
The webinar and podcast series introduces topics in personal finance, such as investing, credit cards, student loans, and more. Each episode welcomes a different guest to provide insights on different points to help you on your financial journey and provide you with the tools to get started.
Host: George Psaradakis ’21
Podcast Series
Episode 1: Self Care & Cash Flow with Julian Smith ’21
On this episode, we sit down with Julian Smith (’21), who graduated with his degree in Psychology on a pre-med track. In our first episode, we discuss how Julian has been able to use a budget to form healthy spending habits and manage his cash flow. Julian also describes the different ways in which money was discussed growing up and how a shift in his mindset has helped him re-develop financial personality.
About the Guest: Julian graduated from Ursinus College with a degree in Psychology and is currently pursuing his BSN and a career in nursing.
In this webinar, we discuss how compound interest works as it relates to investing, how young adults can start investing for their future, how different age groups differ in their investing journeys, and how we can help break the stigma around investing.
About the Guest: Ed has been a financial professional for more than 20 years and founded Birch Run Financial in 2012, where he offers financial planning and advising services to his clients. In 2021, he was named to the Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list, for his approach in guiding clients through their financial journey.
What to Know Before You Begin Investing with Dave Drea, CFP ’19
In this second installment, we meet with David Drea (’19), who introduces us to the basics of investing. David gives us an introduction to the markets. He overviews a variety of different investment vehicles as well as some insights to industry jargon, such as a “bull” or a “bear” market.
About the Guest: David is a Certified Financial Planner with Morgan Stanley. As a financial planner, David offers financial planning and advising to his clients to ensure their financial success. At Ursinus, David graduated with departmental honors in Economics and Political Science and was captain of the Men’s Baseball team.
Empowering Your Education: Understanding New Student Loan Legislation with Ashling Suppan O’Connor
In this third installment, Ashling Suppan O’Connor breaks down the new legislation surrounding federal student loans.
About the Guest: Ashling graduated from Arcadia University in 2017 with her Master’s in Education in Applied Behavior Analysis. Ashling is the Associate Director of Aid at Ursinus College where she works with students and families to navigate the financial aid process. In this webinar, Ashling details the new SAVE policy and how it affects borrowers as well as the guidelines surrounding the new program..
Empowering Your Education: Navigating Student Loans with Ashling Suppan O’Connor
On the fourth installment of the Grizzly Guide to Wealth webinar, Ashling Suppan O’Connor provides the basics of student loans.
About the Guest: Ashling graduated from Arcadia University in 2017 with her Master’s in Education in Applied Behavior Analysis. Ashling is the Associate Director of Aid at Ursinus College where she works with students and families to navigate the financial aid process. In this webinar, Ashling details the fundamentals of private and federal loans, various repayment strategies, the difference between forbearance and deferment, and alternatives to student loans for undergrads and graduate students.
Check out the free financial webinars taking place this semester from ECMC - including Recovering from Holiday Spending, Emotional Spending, Financial Goal-Setting, and Scholarships 101: https://www.ecmc.org/schools/training
