Free Financial Literacy Seminars

Due to the recent financial crisis, there has been a great need and awareness in the community to learn about sound money management techniques. In an effort to reach out to students and members of the community, the College of Business at Iowa State University is offering a free, five-week seminar featuring experts in the field of finance.

The seminars take place on five consecutive Monday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Carver Hall, room 101. They begin on Monday, September 14, and are free and open to the entire Ames and ISU community.

The first 90 minutes of each session will feature an expert on the subject matter, with the last 30 minutes reserved for questions from the audience.

Please register for these free seminars by sending an email to shobha@iastate.edu and indicate which dates you will be able to attend. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today.

All sessions are from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Carver Hall, room 101.

More details about our expert speakers and the topics they will address:

Tom Coates will discuss the history of personal debt, pitfalls to avoid, basic budgeting techniques, and where we as a consumer society go after this economic crisis. Coates serves as President and co-founder of Consumer Credit of Des Moines, Iowa. The office was established in 1987, and continues to be Iowa's largest credit counseling service for over 10 years. He is a well-recognized spokesman to the media on credit and gambling issues. Tom has given numerous talks and interviews to national media which include; The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, Focus on the Family, Business Week and the BBC.

Scott Bauer and Sara Lehman will discuss the government bailout, Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), stress testing for banks, FDIC coverage, banking regulations, and whether this is a good time to refinance, among other topics.  Bauer is the President of First National Bank Ames. Scott has served the community in a variety of leadership roles, such as President of the Ames Chamber of Commerce, Treasurer of the Ames Education Foundation and Chair of the Audit Committee for the Center for Creative Justice. Lehman serves as Mortgage Loan Officer of First National Bank, Ames. Sara has been involved in community activities such as United Way of Story County, Young Professionals of Ames, and a mentor for the Ames Community Schools.

Deb Barry will address college financial aid, scholarships, the FAFSA, student loans, budgeting for college, and borrowing wisely. Barry has served as Financial Literacy Specialist for ICAN since July 2009. The mission of the Iowa College Access Network® (ICAN) is to help individuals attain their educational and career goals. ICAN operates two College Planning Centers, one in Cedar Rapids and the other in Des Moines. The Centers provide free information and support to a diverse population of students and their families as they plan, apply, pay for and succeed in college.

Adam Polacek will give an overview of the economic and capital markets, discuss the stability and investment approach of TIAA-CREF, risk management, and investment performance. Polacek serves as Director, Client Portfolio Management, TIAA-CREF Asset Management. He provides insight and analysis of the TIAA-CREF investment options to institutional clients. More recently, Adam served as a Director within the Institutional Advisory Services group where he provided fiduciary consulting services to TIAA-CREF’s largest pension clients.

Jake Zehr and Alicia Waltenberger will give an overview of the market, discuss opportunities in a down market, market and interest rate risk, investment allocations, Traditional and Roth IRAs, components of a fundamental estate plan, how to structure a retirement plan, beneficiaries, estate tax planning, and gifting. Zehr serves as an Individual Consultant at TIAA-CREF. In this role, he provides personalized service that is solely dedicated to helping university employees achieve safe, secure and timely retirements. He  has more than 17 years of professional experience including six years in the financial services industry. Waltenberger is a Wealth Planning Specialist for TIAA-CREF where she provides wealth transfer, estate and tax planning services for the company’s most complex client needs. Her estate and tax planning expertise allow her to provide advice and sophisticated planning strategies to high net worth families on every aspect of their financial lives.