Sensible Strategies is Midwestern University’s Financial Wellness program, designed to equip students with the tools, knowledge, and resources to successfully navigate their financial journey while in school and beyond. It blends one-on-one support with digital resources to meet students where they are.
Benefits to Students
- Personalized Counseling: One-on-one financial wellness sessions tailored to each student’s needs.
- Financial Wellness Content: Resources on budgeting, credit, loan repayment, taxes, and more.
- Practical Tools: Access to interactive budgeting templates, repayment calculators, and planning guides.
- Long-Term Success: Helps students prepare for responsible borrowing, repayment, and financial independence.
- Financial Wellness Website: Powered by iGrad, this site serves as your all-in-one destination for financial wellness resources and guidance.
Program Structure
- Availability: Offered to all MWU students and alumni across campuses.
- Ease of Access: Students can schedule sessions online, access 24/7 content through the Sensible Strategies Financial Wellness website, and engage with Canvas course modules (Orientation, Midpoint, and Graduation).
- Cost: No additional cost to students — the program is included as part of Student Financial Services support.
- Qualifications: Open to every student; no eligibility requirements.
New Feature for 2025 – Budget Buddy Chatbot
This year, we introduced Budget Buddy, an AI-powered chatbot built directly into the Sensible Strategies Canvas course. Students can access it 24/7 for quick answers on financial aid, budgeting, loan repayment, and other wellness topics. It’s designed to bridge the gap when one-on-one sessions aren’t immediately available, giving students support whenever they need it.
Financial Literacy Resources
Explore this great list of external resources to help become more financially literate.
360 Degrees is a national volunteer effort of the nation's Certified Public Accountants to help Americans understand their personal finances and develop money management skills. It focuses on financial education as a lifelong endeavor-from children learning about the value of money to adults reaching a secure retirement.
Bankrate provides free rate information to consumers on more than 300 financial products, including mortgages, credit cards, new and used automobile loans, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, checking and ATM fees, home equity loans and online banking fees. In addition to rate data, Bankrate publishes original and objective personal finance stories to help consumers make informed financial decisions.
CNN Money Essentials offers a step by step guide to gaining control over your financial life.
Funding Our Future is an alliance of organizations dedicated to making a secure retirement possible for all Americans. Funding Our Future was founded by the Bipartisan Policy Center with the support of many partner organizations.
Get Rich Slowly was recently named the most inspired financial blog by Money magazine and is devoted to personal finance. The author shares stories about debt elimination, saving money, and practical investing. Readers will also find links to personal finance tools, articles, book reviews, and software.
The U.S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission is dedicated to teaching all Americans the basics about financial education. Whether you are planning to buy a home, balancing your checkbook, or investing in your 401k, the resources on MyMoney can help you do it better. Throughout the site, you will find important information from 20 federal agencies government wide.
To help consumers and students of all ages learn the essentials of personal finance, Visa has partnered with leading consumer advocates, educators, and financial institutions to develop the Practical Money Skills program.
Reviews is a website that displays results from thousands of hours of research and analysis on products and services across dozens of different verticals. The Finance Reviews section will allow you to read reviews, expert Q & A, and comparisons on credit cards, credit reports, identity theft protection services and more.
Get quick tips on budgeting, reducing debt, and setting financial goals with Smart About Money. This website is sponsored by the National Endowment for Financial Education® (NEFE®), an independent, nonprofit foundation committed to educating Americans on a broad range of financial topics and empowering them to make positive and sound decisions to reach their financial goals.