Locking in & leveling up
What’s ahead
Your season of change checklist
Community spotlight: Building more than homes
Decoding the headlines: What is “vibes-based” budgeting?
Stacking knowledge
Your season of change checklist
When you’re a college student or recent-grad — and we know that many of our readers are — a little extra attention to your financial wellness can go a long way.
Whether you’re heading back to campus or starting your first full-time job, this season can feel like a big shift. New schedules, new responsibilities, and new opportunities often come all at once. Here are a few ways to make the transition smoother — so you can focus on thriving, not just surviving.
Reset your budget. A new semester or new job can mean new expenses — from textbooks to office-ready fits. Take a fresh look at your budget and set goals that reflect where your money will actually be going this season.
Prioritize savings early. Whether you’re working part-time or full-time, try to set aside a portion of each paycheck — even if it’s small. Building the habit now helps you in the long run and creates a cushion for unexpected costs.
Revisit your goals. Transitions are the perfect time to check in with your financial goals. Are you saving for a semester abroad? Paying down debt? Building an emergency fund? Clarifying your priorities will make day-to-day decisions easier.
Boost your benefits knowledge. If you’re starting a full-time role, take time to understand your benefits package. Things like retirement accounts, employer matches, or health insurance options can be worth thousands over time. Don’t be afraid to ask HR questions — those benefits are part of your paycheck.
Give yourself grace. Adjusting to life changes takes time. You won’t have it all figured out overnight, and that’s okay. What matters most is building routines and habits that support both your present and future self.
This season is about more than just staying afloat — it’s about setting the foundation for long-term success.
Community spotlight: Building more than homes
At Stackwell, we’re all about helping people build the kind of financial wellness that frees them up to focus on what really matters. That’s why we created the Visionary Ventures Investment Program with our partners at Social Change Fund United and the National Basketball Players Association — to give small business owners a leg up with funds to invest and the tools to do it with confidence. When your money is working for you, you can pour your energy back into your business, your family, and your community.
That’s exactly what Richard France, a member of the inaugural cohort of Visionary Ventures, is doing with his LA-based nonprofit Labour of Love.
After 20 years in corporate accounting and finance, Richard realized his purpose: construction and renovation. “I found my joy and passion in turning distressed living conditions into extraordinary spaces,” he says. “God had an assignment for Labour of Love to bless families with access to beautiful housing conditions to improve their quality of life, unlock their generational wealth, and offer hope and inspiration towards the pursuit of their dreams.”
Getting a new nonprofit off the ground hasn’t been easy — “the adage of 100 ‘nos’ before you receive that powerful ‘yes’ is so true,” Richard says — but Visionary Ventures has been a game-changer. Beyond the financial support, the program sets up entrepreneurs with an impactful strategy to build stability. As Richard explains, “We believe financial wellness involves having clear strategic goals, sound infrastructure, and executing those goals in a disciplined approach.”
With Visionary Ventures, that kind of discipline and clarity becomes a little easier. Richard has found a new community of peers, new networks of support, and access to the Stackwell app — which makes managing investments simple. “It truly empowers small organizations to focus on our investment strategies, which will ultimately help our communities thrive,” he says.
Richard’s story is what Visionary Ventures is all about: investing in leaders who create ripple effects of stability and hope. Because when visionaries build wealth with confidence, whole communities rise with them. Learn more about the work that Richard is doing at Labour of Love here. Together, our communities are stronger and more resilient. We are thrilled to continue supporting community leaders like Richard.
Decoding the headlines: What is “vibes-based” budgeting?
Last month, you may have seen headlines talking about the rise of “vibe-based budgeting.” What’s it all about? According to new research from Intuit Credit Karma, over half of Gen Z and millennials are adjusting their budgets not strictly on the numbers in front of them, but on how the economy feels — i.e. the vibes.
Now, these headlines may make it sound like young people are out here making irrational money moves, but let’s be real — this isn’t some brand-new, flaky Gen Z invention. Economists have been tracking the same thing for decades under a more serious name: consumer confidence.
The Consumer Confidence Index (CCI), reported monthly by the Conference Board, is literally a measure of how people feel about their finances, the job market, and the economy at large. If consumers are optimistic, they tend to spend more, fueling growth. If they’re pessimistic, they pull back, which can slow the economy. Sound familiar? That’s “vibe-based budgeting” — just with a fancier label.
While those headlines are extremely “clickable” — the data points at a bigger truth: vibes actually matter. Even when half of Americans surveyed reported positive cash flow and 72% said their financial situation had stayed the same or improved in the past six months, many still felt less secure. That disconnect drives behavior, and it’s exactly what the CCI is designed to capture.
So the next time you see a headline painting young people as “budgeting by vibes,” know this: paying attention to the economic mood isn’t foolish — it’s human. The key is making sure those feelings don’t override the facts of your own financial situation. At Stackwell, that’s where financial wellness comes in: having a clear plan, rooted in your numbers, that keeps you steady no matter what the headlines say.
Stacking knowledge
Back-to-school season isn’t just for kids. This month, we’re brushing up on a few building blocks of financial literacy. The more familiar you are with these terms, the easier it is to make confident choices with your money.
Compound interest. Compound interest is what happens when the money you invest or save earns interest, and then that interest starts earning interest, too. Over time, this snowball effect can make your savings or investments grow much faster than simple interest alone. It’s one of the biggest reasons starting early can pay off big.
Annual Percentage Rate (APR) / Annual Percentage Yield (APY). These terms look alike but mean different things. APR shows how much borrowing money will cost you in a year, including interest and some fees. APY shows how much you’ll earn on money you’ve deposited or invested in a year, factoring in compounding. Both help you compare your options when borrowing or saving.
Asset. An asset is anything you own that has value and can be converted to cash. Assets can be physical (like a car or a house), financial (like stocks or a savings account), or even intangible (like copyrights). Simply put: assets are what you have.
Liability. A liability is money you owe to someone else — like a credit card balance, a student loan, or a mortgage. Think of liabilities as the flip side of assets. They’re what you owe.
Equity. Equity is the difference between what you own (your assets) and what you owe (your liabilities). For example, if your house is worth $250,000 and you owe $150,000 on the mortgage, your equity is $100,000. On a broader scale, equity can also mean ownership — like having shares in a company.