Debt Free U Partners with AFCPE Financial Counselor of the Year

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Debt Free U - Student Financial Management Portal

“To receive such recognition from one’s peers is in itself an honor. To be recognized for helping students succeed in college is a true privilege.”

Austin, Texas (PRWEB) November 24, 2009

Debt Free U is proud to announce Paul Goebel, Director of University of North Texas' Student Money Management Center (UNT SMMC), has been named AFCPE's (Association for Financial Counseling, Planning and Education) Financial Counselor of the Year. UNT SMMC is Debt Free U's first University Partner, joining DFU in their efforts to ensure that students and their schools have access to much-needed financial literacy resources.

AFCPE is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating, training, and certifying financial counselors and educators. Says Goebel, "To receive such recognition from one's peers is in itself an honor. To be recognized for helping students succeed in college is a true privilege." Receiving the award further validates the notion that Goebel's student-centric focus is proving effective.

Many of the challenges facing today's students stem from a lack of a proper financial literacy, which has been proven to increase enrollment, retention, and college graduation success. According to Sallie Mae, 84% of undergraduates indicated they could use a greater form of education on financial management topics. For over four years, Goebel has been working diligently with other education advocates to increase financial literacy among their students, applying creative solutions to an age old problem.

The SMMC's peer-to-peer counseling program, where students teach each other the skills they need to thrive financially, has been highly impactful. The partnership with Debt Free U was a natural fit for UNT SMMC, as DFU provides free money management resources designed and authored by recent graduates specifically for today's younger generations.

Through donations from the AscendOne Fund for Financial Literacy, Debt Free U is able to offer services and tools free of charge, including customizable calculators for all users and custom financial literacy websites for Partners. The philanthropic commitment of AscendOne ensures that the website stays commercial free and provides schools that have little to no additional resources with the means to teach their students the skills they need to make sound financial decisions that impact their future.

In Goebel's words, "As college and living expenses continue to rise, financial literacy skills are life skills that all students need; not only to have greater success during their college experiences, but to have greater success throughout their lives."

About Debt Free U
Debt Free U empowers students and young consumers with financial literacy education. Through the process of learning, applying knowledge and staying current on economic issues, young adults are given the educational tools they need to manage their money and make higher education a reality. Debt Free U is offered commercial free by CareOne Services who graciously provided funding as a part of their financial literacy mission under The Ascend One Fund.

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