Increase your personal finances through our series of financial literacy classes provided in partnership with Utah State University Extension-Empowering Financial Wellness. All of these classes are free to attend and may require registration. Below you’ll also find new personal finance books and online financial resources available for free with your library card.
USU’s Empowering Financial Wellness has a mission to empower women, limited income households, and community educators across Utah to make informed financial decisions to serve their own life goals and improve financial wellness through (1) developing innovative resources, (2) offering timely educational opportunities, and (3) increasing awareness of personal finance best-practices.
These events are free to attend.
The Experts
Meet Kelan Combe and Vinceza Vicari-Bently are USU’s financial experts who will be teaching the below classes.
Vincenza Vicari-Bentley is an Accredited Financial Counselor and Program Coordinator for the Empowering Financial Wellness program with Utah State University-Extension, based in Salt Lake County. Vincenza is a proud military spouse, and she also earned her MBA with a focus on Marketing and Finance. Since 2015, she has been working with individuals and families providing financial counseling as well as teaching a variety of personal finance topics. She is passionate about helping others and empowering them to understand and improve their finances.
Kelan Combe is a Program Coordinator for the Empowering Financial Wellness Program, based in Salt Lake County. He has earned his BA in Family Sciences and Spanish from Brigham Young University and has been working in the financial industry helping people better manage their finances for 3 years. He is an experienced trainer and teacher in both English and Spanish and has a passion for helping others learn. He is also an avid enjoyer of Nintendo games, guitar, and the Great British Baking Show together with his wife and kids.
Upcoming Classes
June 11, 6PM: Understanding and Building Your Credit
Join experts from USU Extension to learn how to avoid common pitfalls, maximize the benefits of credit, and use it as a tool for financial growth.
This is an in-person event, if less than 10 people sign up it will change to a virtual event.
July 14, 6PM: You Were “Mint” to be a Homeowner
Ready to turn your homeownership dreams into reality? Join us for an engaging and informative workshop designed to guide you through every step of the home-buying process.
Live Q&A with personalized answers to all your home-buying questions.
Enjoy some delicious Aggie Blue Mint ice cream during the event!
This is an in-person event.
July 16, 6PM: Managing My Mortgage
You’re a homeowner and you have a mortgage but you’re wondering about how to best manage it. Once you have a mortgage, there’s a lot to consider and our expert homebuyer educator will help you learn more about your options for paying off your mortgage, managing your equity, and getting assistance if you need it.
Join us to learn more about:
Factors to consider before refinancing
Strategies for paying off your mortgage early
How to avoid mortgage forbearance and the difference between a home equity loan and a HELOC.
This is an in-person event.
July 28, 6PM: Eras “MINT” para ser propietario de una casa // You were “MINT” to be a Homeowner
¿Está preparado para hacer realidad su sueño de ser dueño de una casa? Acompáñenos en un taller atractivo e informativo diseñado para guiarle en cada paso del proceso de la compra de una vivienda.
Preguntas y respuestas en vivo con respuestas personalizadas a todas sus preguntas sobre la compra de una casa.
¡Disfrute de un delicioso helado Aggie Blue Mint durante el evento!
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Ready to turn your homeownership dreams into reality? Join us for an engaging and informative workshop designed to guide you through every step of the home-buying process.
Live Q&A with personalized answers to all your home-buying questions.
Enjoy some delicious Aggie Blue Mint ice cream during the event!
July 30, 6PM: Gestionando mi Hipoteca // Managing My Mortgage
Usted es dueño de una casa y tiene una hipoteca, pero se pregunta cuál es la mejor manera de gestionarla. Una vez que tenga una hipoteca, hay mucho que considerar y nuestro experto educador de compradores de vivienda le ayudará a aprender más acerca de sus opciones para pagar su hipoteca, la gestión de su equidad, y obtener ayuda si la necesita. Únase a nosotros para obtener más información sobre:
– Factores a considerar antes de refinanciar
– Estrategias para liquidar su hipoteca anticipadamente
– Cómo evitar la indulgencia hipotecaria y la diferencia entre un préstamo con garantÃa hipotecaria y una lÃnea de crédito hipotecario
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You’re a homeowner and you have a mortgage but you’re wondering about how to best manage it. Once you have a mortgage, there’s a lot to consider and our expert homebuyer educator will help you learn more about your options for paying off your mortgage, managing your equity, and getting assistance if you need it. Join us to learn more about:
– Factors to consider before refinancing
– Strategies for paying off your mortgage early
– How to avoid mortgage forbearance and the difference between a home equity loan and a HELOC
August 11, 6PM: USU Extension Investing Series
Anyone can be an investor! Join experts from USU Extension for the first part of this 2-part series, we’ll break down the fundamentals of investing and share straightforward approaches to help you take control of your financial future.
This is an in-person event, if less than 10 people sign up it will change to a virtual event.
August 13, 6PM: USU Extension Investing Series pt 2 (virtual)
In the second part of this 2-part series, we’ll go beyond the basics and experts from USU Extension will guide you through how to select the right investments for your goals—whether that’s using a workplace retirement plan, an IRA, or a brokerage account.
This is a virtual event.
Recommended Books
In Beyond Getting By, the women behind The Financial Diet teach you how to create (and pay for) a life you truly enjoy-and that you can be proud of. They show you how to push beyond what society tells you will make you happy to determine what you actually want, with specific advice and interactive exercises.
Unlike most personal finance books that focus on skills and behaviors, FINANCE FOR THE PEOPLE asks you to examine your beliefs and experiences around money–blending extremely practical exercises with mindfulness, and including more than 50 illustrations and diagrams to make the concepts accessible (and even fun).
When Vivian Tu started working on Wall Street fresh from undergrad, all she knew was that she was making more money than she had ever seen in her life. But it wasn’t until she found a mentor of her own on the trading floor that she began to understand what wealthy people knew intuitively–the secrets to beating the proverbial financial game that has, for too long, been male, pale, and stale.
by Connolly, M. T.
In The Measure of Our Age, elder justice expert and MacArthur “genius” grant recipient, M.T. Connolly investigates the systems we count on to protect us as we age. Weaving first-person accounts, her own experience, and shocking investigative reporting, she exposes a reality that has long been hidden and sometimes actively covered up. But her investigation also reveals reasons for hope within everyone’s grasp.
Online Library Resources
Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports provides ratings and reviews, recommendations, and buying advice for thousands of products including appliances, and more.
Linkedin Learning
Linkedin Learning provides an extensive library of training videos that include many personal finance courses.
Financial Education Virtual Toolkit
The Financial Education Virtual Toolkit offers a collection of resources to help you navigate important financial topics. Organized by topic, this toolkit connects you to external resources with interactive tools, informative guides, educational videos, and more.
Value Line
Value Line offers access to publications covering stocks, mutual funds, options, and convertible securities, as well as special situation stocks.