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Thirty-six students and 12 young alumni listened to financial experts explain investment issues and networked on March 24 at Pfenning Alumni Center.
Photos from the afternoon are presented in a slideshow available through a link on the alumni web site. Video and audio podcasts of the event are available on the Podcasts webpage.
Organized by Simmone Chaddan ’04 and the Alumni Association’s Young Alumni Committee, the event featured the insights of Thomas Orecchio ’90, a nationally recognized financial expert and owner of private wealth management firm Greenbaum and Orecchio Inc.; fellow G&O senior wealth manager Greg Plechner; and Meg Bennett ’78 and Brenda Gray Reny, directors and private bankers at the Boston office of Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management.
“It was a big success by all accounts,” says Sherri Jones, director of alumni affairs. “We had almost 50 students and young alumni present and all were very engaged and asked a lot of questions. After the panelists were finished speaking, the students lingered and actually stood in line to speak with each of them. It was a top-notch program and was well received by all. As our guests were leaving the event, not only did their surveys give us high marks, but their positive comments confirmed the success of the program.”
The event, the first in a new series called Orientation to Life, was well done, according to James Abels ’00.
“The speakers knew what they were talking about, the discussion was topical for seniors and recent alums, and the tablecloths were linen,” he says. “That’s Lafayette.
“I think the program did a good job explaining some of the basics involved in receiving paychecks and managing what little money recent college graduates have. Indeed, I think there was a bit of thirst in the room from those alums who participated for more sophisticated information — i.e., something a little less graduating-senior focused.
“The point is that there’s a real hunger for a lot of this basic financial information amongst twenty-somethings, who frequently associate money management with re-jiggering credit card debt. It’s nice that the College can be one of the forces in our lives to help sort it all out — it’s good for students/alums, and it’s good for Lafayette as it works to cement itself in our lives long after school lets out.”
Math major Thomas Harju ’07 (Richardson, Texas) enjoyed the afternoon.
“It was a very senior-oriented event that showed some things to keep in mind as graduation nears and gave some good advice for how to be prepared for the money situation outside of school,” he says. “It was nice to meet some of the younger alumni in the area and to get to hear about some of their experiences. There was a lot of information thrown at you, but the presentation was nicely laid out in the packet that they gave to each member of the audience.”
“Overall, it was pretty eye-opening in the financial sense because they were discussing aspects of personal finance and protection that you don’t think about until you have to make a split-second decision,” he adds. “Topics like a 401k or insurance are things I wouldn’t even think about until my company brings them up — then I would start asking questions. In that respect, it was very helpful and enlightening.”