By Phoenix Editor Mary O’Connor, ’21:
On Thursday, April 15, Kellenberg hosted a “Financial Literacy Day” for the seniors in the class of 2021 to ready them for their future budgetary endeavors.
The day started with gifting the seniors in the building with a class t-shirt, funded by an anonymous donor, with the words “Kellenberg Firebirds Soar” emblazoned across the top. Now in a sea of blue shirts, the seniors watched the biographical drama titled: “The Founder” to kickstart the business theme of the day. The movie followed the story of Ray Kroc and the start of what would become the well-known multi-billion dollar corporation, McDonald’s. The jargon throughout the movie established a familiarity with the terms that would later be spoken during the second half of the day.
After enjoying a McDonald’s Happy Meal lunch, students settled into the auditorium. There, alumni and friends of Kellenberg presented their advice on entering the financial world. Speakers included Robert Murray, the CEO and Vice Chairman at Graham Capital Management and father of Kellenberg alumni, June Keller, accountant and mother of a Kellenberg alum, Patrick Darcy, financial advisor and Kellenberg graduate, and Brian Zakrocki, Managing Director at First Republic Investment Management and Kellenberg graduate.
Andrea McPherson listened to each talk from home, and remarked on the presentations afterward: “They were informative and gave insight on the importance of managing our money,” she said. She also expressed how the talk’s attention to college spending habits was especially helpful.
Some key tips from the talks include to “keep a record” of spendings and earnings, “put your money to work” by putting it into the bank and receiving interest over time, “be prepared for unanticipated expenses” during college years, research many credit card options, and be weary of letting emotion influence investment decisions.
