Catching Up to FI

I Have a PhD in Business but Never Had a Personal Finance Class | Dr. Karen DeLong | 206

16 snips
Apr 5, 2026
Dr. Karen DeLong, a University of Tennessee professor who built a campus personal finance day, explains why three advanced degrees included no money class. She describes bringing retirement and investing basics into classrooms. Students ask real questions like 401(k) rollovers and merging finances. Funding from Farm Credit Mid-America helped scale the initiative.
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ADVICE

Gather Student Questions Beforehand

  • Do collect students' questions ahead of a session to tailor content and follow up afterward.
  • Karen made the question prompt a bonus exam question; Bill and Jackie used the list to plan deeper podcast follow-ups with students.
ANECDOTE

PhD Without Personal Finance

  • Karen DeLong earned a math, agricultural economics master's, and a PhD yet never took a personal finance class.
  • When she faced 401k vs hybrid pension choices at 28 she called her Aunt Eve and learned practical retirement basics in one conversation.
ADVICE

Use Department Support And Grants

  • Seek institutional allies and existing funding to scale student financial education.
  • Karen leveraged a supportive department and the Farm Credit Mid-America Enrichment Program's $25,000 annual grant to fund speakers and events.
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