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TG default aversion consultant Joe Braxton helps students stay on the right track to managing money

The path to smart money management starts early — in young adulthood, if not before. Yet many students come to college with only a rudimentary understanding of budgeting, spending, and credit. Once at college, they find themselves bombarded with credit card offers. The combination of low financial literacy and spending temptation can hamstring students financially. About 39 percent of student loan borrowers graduate with unmanageable levels of debt, according to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG).

To help, more colleges and universities are turning to money management programs like TG's Positive+Balance™, a comprehensive workshop series that teaches students the basics of financial literacy as well as the skills to succeed in college and career. TG's default aversion counselor Joe Braxton has been a mainstay of the TG program and a veteran of many college workshops on financial literacy. He sees his job as one benefiting students, parents, and schools.

"Our country has long been a credit-based society," said Joe. "Through workshops like Positive+Balance, students learn to gain control of their finances, plan their spending, and eventually save. This kind of training can help students ensure their long-term financial health and also pay off debt, including student loans."

Opening up the dialogue
Positive+Balance offers a "safe" environment for students to open up about their financial behavior. College students new to managing money can be overwhelmed by the responsibility. If they don't know how to save, or if they've misspent their financial aid, they may feel embarrassed about asking for help, especially from parents.

For this reason, Joe sees the Positive+Balance workshop series as an "intervention" of sorts, helping students become aware of poor money habits and offering the opportunity to change them. In workshops like Money Management 101, for example, Joe focuses on the nuts and bolts of budgeting, obtaining credit, and planning for future purchases.

"The workshop aims to empower students so that they can handle daily and yearly money challenges," said Joe. "Managing more with less is a good example of why this training is relevant. Higher gas prices mean higher prices in general. It's important these students understand their options and can adjust to the new circumstances."

Personal rewards
Born and raised in Amarillo, Texas, Joe worked for six years in student financial aid offices prior to joining TG as a default aversion consultant. He enjoys his work partly because the college environment is always changing and partly because he has a genuine desire to help students.

"I went to college and I like giving back," said Joe. "I do not remember from my college experience anything like the workshops we offer students. I struggled to make my way, and I enjoy knowing that I can make a difference in a student's college career."

Joe focuses especially on first-generation students, who may come to school without a strong foundation in money management. "The hardest question I've had to answer came from a young man, no older than 20 or 21, who wanted to create a budget," said Joe. "He wanted to spend just the bare minimum so that any left over could be sent home to help his mother."

Experiences like this continue to motivate Joe as well as the thank-yous and other rewards he receives in the course of training.

"Rewards come in different packages," said Joe. "Not long ago, I trained a medical student who started his education later in life. He attended a Money Management 101 class, looking for ways to balance medical school and his ongoing life. Recently, I received a thank-you card from him. In it, he said that he still had to work hard to make it, but that the Positive+Balance session had helped him through many a rough spot. He also said I was guaranteed an invitation to his graduation."

To learn more
To learn more about Positive+Balance, you can speak with your TG account executive at (800) 252-9743. Or you can direct questions to Joe Braxton, TG's default aversion consultant. Joe Braxton may be reached at (800) 252-9743, ext. 4696, or by sending an message to joe.braxton@tgslc.org.

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