Mind Over Money

Get to Know Our Financial Wellness Program

Learn about how we build financial knowledge & skills and see our impact in improving the financial well-being of students, postdocs, and alumni at Stanford.

What is Mind Over Money?

Mind Over Money is Stanford's financial wellness program for current students, postdocs, and alumni. We help individuals and communities flourish through:

Accessible, relevant, and research-informed financial education
Meaningful engagement to improve financial well-being
Promoting a culture of healthy financial behaviors and conversations

We aim to equip people with the knowledge & skills they need for their security and freedom of choice, engaging fully in their current lives as they courageously look forward to their lives after Stanford.

How We Support Your Financial Wellness

Mind Over Money equips students on their financial wellness journey in a variety of ways:

Financial Wellness Coaching is an educational service for students, postdocs, and alumni who wish to meet one-on-one to develop skills and behaviors that contribute to their personal financial wellness. Our coaches are Stanford-affiliated volunteers. Learn more about Financial Wellness Coaching.

We offer year-round events to support your financial well-being and educate through hands-on workshops, informational sessions about our program, and other engagements that can be personalized for any Stanford community. Check out our upcoming events.

WELLNESS 183 is a 1-unit Stanford course that provides students with the knowledge, skills, and habits needed to achieve their financial goals. Check out WELLNESS 183 in Navigate Classes.

Understanding Financial Wellness

Financial wellness is an important dimension of well-being, intertwined with all the other dimensions of wellness - emotional, environmental, intellectual, physical, occupational, spiritual, and social.

Financial well-being is a highly personal, dynamic state that represents having freedom of choice and security, in the present and future. It serves as the primary goal of financial education and informs Mind Over Money’s pedagogical approach.

Promoting financial well-being also involves improving financial capability, enhancing one’s capacity to act in their own best interests based on how they apply their developing knowledge and skills in alignment with their values, goals, and aspirations.

Financial Capability Areas

Mind Over Money developed Financial Capability Areas that we use to help students understand and apply key financial concepts and best practices in their life. These are meant to be more accessible, digestible, and wellness-oriented, to help reduce financial jargon and use more relatable language, regardless of one’s level of experience or knowledge. Our educational resources are organized around the following Financial Capability Areas:

Spend Mindfully (know your cash flow, manage a spending plan)
Earn Enough (define lifestyle needs, understand basics of income and taxes)
Build Credit (explore credit-building tools, use credit responsibly)
Borrow with Intention (plan for loans, pay off debt)
Protect Your Financial Life (build an emergency fund, assess insurance needs)
Grow Your Money (set financial goals, save and invest for those goals)
Plan for Major Financial Decisions (anticipate life events, evaluate financial choices)
Develop Financial Wellness Supports (find financial professionals, identify other trusted resources)

Meet Mind Over Money

We are a team with health education, financial counseling, and industry experience dedicated to helping deepen students’ understanding of financial wellness.