Screenshot of the iGrad Financial Literacy Portal

Since 2015, Financial Literacy has been a forefront initiative of the Office of Graduate Education (OGE). The OGE’s Fellowship Team, along with the Graduate Community Fellow (GCF) for Financial Literacy Alexander Kossak, continue to provide helpful resources and develop unique programming on a wide range of financial topics, including investing, taxes, robo-advisors, fellowships, and even cryptocurrency. A vital component of this initiative is the online financial literacy platform, iGrad. The OGE, in partnership with the MIT Federal Credit Union, is proud to offer this one-stop-shop for all things financial literacy-related. All MIT community members may access the site at no charge and receive helpful information and resources, from articles and scholarship opportunities, to courses, a job board, and many other money-saving tools.

In addition to iGrad, the OGE organizes several workshops (full schedule here) on a broad range of subjects each semester. On March 24, Hayley Newhall, Investment Consultant with Fidelity Investments, provided the first workshop in a three-part Introduction to Investing series. Hayley will discuss debt vs. savings, explore the different asset classes (i.e., stocks, bonds, real estate, cash, etc.), and offer some financial independence strategies. She will return on April 13 for a deeper dive into asset allocation, asset location, and understanding the market and economic business cycles. On April 22, Hayley will round up the series to discuss choosing investment vehicles and offer fund selection tips. Interested students can find more information on these and other events, as well as additional finance-related information and resources, on the OGE’s website. We here at the OGE look forward to another exciting financial programming-rich semester. Should you have any questions, please feel free to email Scott Tirrell (director of graduate fellowships, stirrell@mit.edu) or Charlie Turner (fellowships program assistant, turnerc@mit.edu).

— Charlie Turner, OGE