Mr. Chris Hogan, financial coach and prot茅g茅鈥� of Dave Ramsey, presented his 鈥�7 Baby Steps鈥澛爐o achieving financial security before a near-capacity Mitchell Auditorium filled with students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community members. His presentation was titled聽Your Financial Decisions Today Will Determine Your Financial Future.
Hogan talked about a shift in the way of thinking in order to tackle debt and get on the track to financial wellness. 鈥淕uard your mind; be careful of negative thoughts and how you think. Surround yourself by people who believe in you.鈥� He said people can achieve their dreams by writing down their goals and mapping out聽how聽they will聽get there. 鈥淎 dream without a plan is a wish. You have to have a plan.鈥�
Hogan tailored his common sense approach to financial wellness to college students, who made up the majority of the audience. Many students were seniors, and Hogan predicts that at graduation they may feel like it is time to reward themselves for their achievement. However, he strongly cautioned them, and all attendees, against car loans, credit cards, and other debt, and instead encouraged them to get busy saving: building up emergency funds and participating in their employer鈥檚 401k or 403b. He discussed numerous other financial wellness strategies and tools.
Hogan ended with a touching story. It was a lesson about the importance of giving to others when you have聽positioned yourself to be financially sound. 鈥淕ood things happen when you give,鈥� he said. 鈥淒on鈥檛 wait for 鈥榮ome day鈥� to give. Have that heart about you.鈥�
He took questions from the audience, and stayed nearly a half hour afterward as students lined up to ask for financial advice, autographs, selfies, and handshakes.
An all-American football player and national champion in college, Hogan is best-selling author of聽Retire Inspired: It鈥檚 Not an Age. It鈥檚 a Financial Number. For over a decade, Hogan has served at Ramsey Solutions, spreading a message of hope and financial peace across the country as a financial coach and Ramsey Personality. Hogan helps people plan for their future and reach their retirement goals through his聽Retire Inspired Podcast聽and Retire Inspired events.
Published October 29, 2018
