The University of Arizona opened the Financial Coaching Cats program and the new Financial Planning Lab for the 2025-2026 academic year.
The UA created a new, dedicated program for students to gain financial success for their futures. These services aim to educate students on their personal finances and how to navigate the world of money.
These resources are “so important right now, given the challenges that people face with money everyday and making wise choices with their money,” Andrew Waldum, chair of personal and family financial planning at the University of Arizona, said.
The Financial Planning Lab, gifted by the Charles Schwab Foundation, is a 32-seat classroom filled with technology that is specifically designed to assist students interested in financial planning.
“Charles Schwab did a study recently where they expect, conservatively, that there’s going to be at least 70,000 plus new people being hired in financial planning over the next five years,” Waldum said.
Along with the technological innovations the lab provides, the university also established Financial Coaching Cats, a free peer-to-peer financial advising service conducted by personal finance and financial planning students.
“The coach isn’t giving answers to the client, but the coach is working alongside the student client along the same journey,” Noel Wilkinson, program coordinator, said.
This service is beneficial to any graduate, undergraduate or professional students seeking financial advice, and the Coaching Cats are “neutral and non-judgmental, as they’re there to help you as a student and work through it,” Wilkinson said.
The appointments with the Coaching Cats are typically online and can be booked through their website. They also host drop in hours on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Graduate Student Center.
“I like that it gives a resource to those who believe they are stuck financially or those managing money on their own for the first time,” Megan June, a financial coaching cat, said.
These university services are free and available to any student who may need assistance in financial planning or who demonstrates interest in learning more about their own financial decisions.
