“Helping students become financially savvy is a mission for me,” says Susan Vance, who is both a CPA and an attorney, in addition to being a professor of business administration and economics at Saint Mary’s College. “College is the best time for women to learn about good spending, saving, and investing practices. At this point in their lives, they have the time to learn and are just beginning to form habits that could last forever.”

Vance adds, “I want these young women to know how to make smart decisions. They should know how to navigate the employee benefit package that human resources gives them at their first job, and understand things like how to select the best 401(k) option. I want them to know that if they begin contributing to their retirement at age 21, they could have as much as $1 million more at age 65 than if they begin saving for retirement at age 31. It’s hard for students to understand until they see the numbers.”

Ultimately, Vance says there are two requirements for people to do well financially: You need the knowledge, and you need the will to do what it takes. “I can’t control the second part, but I can have some impact on the first. That’s an important part of my life’s work.”