Financial Literacy Educator Casey Halliley: Money Moves College Students Should Make Before Graduation

Financial Literacy Educator Casey Halliley: Money Moves College Students Should Make Before Graduation

April 8, 2026

At Baruch College, Adjunct Professor Casey Halliley is tackling one of the biggest challenges facing today's young adults: financial literacy.

In the current time when managing money can feel overwhelming-and the stakes are high-research shows that young adults often enter adulthood without the confidence or knowledge needed to navigate debt, investing, and long-term planning. Gen Z scored lowest of any generation on the TIAA Institute-GFLEC Personal Finance Index, answering just 38 percent of questions correctly, and WalletHub ranked the cohort as the least financially confident, with one in four reporting limited confidence in their financial skills.

Halliley teaches Principles of Financial Planning and Individual Investing at Baruch's Zicklin School of Business, where she equips students with practical tools to make informed financial decisions. Her impact in the classroom earned her the College's Excellence in Teaching Award in 2023.

Before coming to Baruch, Halliley spent more than a decade trading and selling currencies and structured credit products to hedge funds at Citigroup and Barclays. She later oversaw risk management and compliance for Cove Capital Management, and in 2024, completed a three-year contract redeveloping the Personal Financial Readiness curriculum for the US Air Force and US Space Force. Her work has brought her to global and national stages, including TEDx, the United Nations, SXSW, the Department of Defense's Financial Readiness Symposium, and she has participated in numerous industry panels.

In the following Q&A, Halliley shares practical advice for college students, offering clear strategies to build confidence, avoid common financial pitfalls, and lay the groundwork for long-term financial stability.

Why is Financial Literacy Month important for college students to pay attention to?

Money is one of the most important topics in life, but it is also one of the least talked about. Financial Literacy Month creates space for conversations about money to happen on campus, at work, and with our friends and families. In my experience, when students start learning about investing, debt, taxes, and credit, they are hooked!

What financial habits should college students start building right now?

I suggest three key steps.

1. Build and maintain an emergency fund.
   Experts suggest three to six months of necessary living expenses-think rent, not reservations. Emergencies are also far more expensive when they are put on a credit card.
2. Pay down and avoid high-interest debt.
   Credit card debt growing at 20 to 30 percent interest is one of the fastest ways to destroy wealth before it ever has a chance to grow.
3. Start investing as soon as possible.
   Once you have done these first two steps, run, don't walk, and start investing. When students see how powerful compounding can be, they are eager to start as soon as possible. Starting early, even with small amounts, matters far more than starting big later.

What are the most common money mistakes students make while in college?

The biggest mistakes usually come down to not paying attention early enough. Some of the most common include:

• Ignoring student loans. Students sign the paperwork but do not really understand the interest rates, repayment timeline, or how much they will owe after graduation.
• Accumulating high-interest credit card debt. It will quickly consume the money you earn, leaving little room for saving or investing.
• Not paying attention to credit scores. This affects everything from apartment applications to insurance premiums to car loans.
• Lifestyle inflation. As soon as students earn a little money, spending grows just as fast.
• Waiting until they are ready to start investing. You will never feel "ready."
• Leaving money sitting in checking accounts instead of earning interest. High yield savings accounts are more accessible than ever.
• Not taking advantage of employer benefits when they get their first job. Understand the difference between Roth and Regular 401(k), get signed up as early as possible, make sure you pick the right funds and make sure you are capturing any match offered.

None of these mistakes are permanent, but the earlier students understand them, the easier they are to fix.

What financial websites or apps would you recommend for students?

Several resources provide clear, practical information:

• Bankrate.com for understanding interest rates on savings accounts, mortgages, and loans.
• Bogleheads.org for learning simple, long-term investing strategies.
• NerdWallet offers helpful comparisons for credit cards, savings accounts, and financial products.
• Morningstar for researching investments and understanding funds.
• Investopedia for learning financial terms and concepts.
• The Federal Reserve's FRED database for students who want to understand economic data and trends.

For investing through an app, platforms such as Fidelity, Vanguard, or Schwab are strong options for money managers, along with robo-advisors like Robinhood, Betterment, and Acorns.

What do you like about teaching the course, Principles of Financial Planning and Individual Investing?

What I enjoy most is when the pieces start to come together for students.

Many of the concepts-taxes, investment accounts, credit, debt, risk-are often taught separately. But when students connect those ideas, that's when real learning happens.

I love seeing students realize how taxes connect to investment decisions. Or how choosing between a traditional 401(k) and a Roth 401(k) can shape their financial future. They also begin to understand that compounding works in two directions: debt can grow against you, while investments can work for you.

Those moments-when students see how the system fits together-allows them to think more strategically about their financial decisions. It is especially rewarding when students take what they have learned and share it with their parents.

If you could give college students one piece of financial advice for their future, what would it be?

Your twenties are the most important decade of your life because you are building your financial foundation. This is the time to learn how money works, start investing, build your credit, and establish yourself on the earnings ladder.

The financial habits you form now do not just shape your twenties - they determine your long-term financial trajectory.

New CUNY Financial Video Series

Watch: To celebrate Financial Literacy Month, The City University of New York launched its four-part video series, "Money 101," where Halliley and two Baruch students share tips on how young adults can develop smart money habits and confidence in managing their personal finances.