<p><span class="p-body">Too often, we reduce financial literacy to calculators and compound interest charts—as if knowing the numbers is enough to change behavior. But if that were true, we would all have emergency funds, no debt, and confident plans for the future. Not all of us do because knowledge alone doesn’t drive decisions—behavior does. What I have learned—both in the classroom and out in the world—is that financial wellness is not about mastering math. It is about recognizing the emotional, social, and even biological forces that shape how we spend, save, and plan. It’s about understanding ourselves. That is what I teach in my Applied Behavioral Finance course at NYU SPS.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">NYU SPS understands this too. While we prepare students for industries like finance, management, and marketing, there is a through line across every program: how to make more informed decisions. And financial literacy—real financial literacy—is about making decisions that align with your goals, your identity, and your values. That is not taught through a worksheet; it is learned through reflection, behavior, and conversation.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">That is why I wrote <a href="https://a.co/d/2YqLWtA"><i>Creating Wealth Starts with Financial Health</i></a>—a book for adults who don’t need more financial jargon, but do need a fresh start. That book was honored with the 2024 EIFLE Award for Adult Financial Literacy, but what matters more to me is that it is helping real people. People who have made mistakes, those who have waited too long, and the ones who are finally ready to make decisions they can feel good about.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body"> Start with curiosity. Not judgment. Learn about loss aversion, mental accounting, and the hidden patterns behind your decisions. And when you are ready, let behavior—not buzzwords—guide your next financial step. That is the kind of literacy that changes lives. And it is only just beginning.</span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p>