About Peer Financial Coaching
Smart About Money's Peer Financial Coaches understand that it can be confusing and complicated to take charge of your personal finances on your own. Peer Financial Coaches assist UMass Amherst students in achieving their goals, developing a financial literacy toolkit, and promoting financial wellness. Please do note that you do not need to have a goal in mind to meet with a Peer Financial Coach. We frequently speak with students who are unsure about what they should know about personal finances and we welcome them to our services.
Schedule a Coaching Session
To schedule a 30-minute appointment:
- Click here (you'll be redirected to Navigate, where appointments may be scheduled)
- When asked about the appointment type, select "Student Financial Services"
- In the next pop-up box, select "see a Smart About Money Peer Educator" and then select "Peer Financial Education"
- Select next and it will ask about location (SAM offers virtual and in-person sessions)
- Finally, click "next" and you will be brought to the scheduling page to select an appointment that fits your schedule
What to Expect
- You will be meeting with a trained Peer Financial Coach
- Your coach will first start the conversation around your financial goals and get a better understanding of where you stand financially
- You will then have the opportunity to work with your peer financial coach to ask questions, build knowledge, and develop a plan to achieve your goals
- Finally, you will develop a list of tangible next steps that you can each take in moving forward
It may be helpful to come prepared with any account or login information relevant to your goals. For example, if seeking education around federal loans specifically, and you do not yet know your federal loan servicer, bring your FSA ID and password.
Specific Areas of Support
- Financial goal setting
- Banking
- Budgeting
- Building healthy credit
- Student loan and debt management education
- Intro to investing terms
Please Note
Smart About Money provides educational services only. The program emphasizes educational outreach around money management and thus does not provide investment, legal, tax, or financial planning and retirement services. Information provided and links to third-party resources are exclusively for educational purposes and do not substitute for professional advice. Neither Smart About Money nor the University of Massachusetts Amherst endorse or approve any products or services associated with these links or resources provided through Smart About Money's outreach services and are not responsible for the accuracy, legality, or content of any external link or resource provided.

Schedule a SAM Coaching Session Today
Have questions about how to do this? Send us a note and we'll get back to you right away.