Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “A penny saved is two pence clear” — in other words, a penny saved is a penny earned. While this saying may have been true in the 18th century, when the U.S. GDP was...

Todd Erkis is a visiting professor of finance at St. Joe’s who writes weekly columns answering students’ financial questions. I am graduating in May and I am confused about all of the things going...

Todd Erkis is a visiting professor of finance at St. Joe’s who writes weekly columns answering students’ financial questions. This column is a continuation of last week’s question about what a college...

Professor Erkis, I have a full-time job after graduation. They have sent me a bunch of forms to fill out including a tax withholding form, an I-9 form and elections for insurance and a 401(k). Can you...

I was booking a flight for a spring break trip in March. The airline asked me if I wanted to purchase travel insurance for the flight. I was thinking of buying it because the cost was low (only $29). Do...

Hi, Professor Erkis. The company where I will be working full time next year sent me forms to fill out, including 401(k) retirement plan forms. The paperwork said they will match 50% of the first 6%...

I am thinking about purchasing Bitcoin [cryptocurrency] as an investment. What do you think? —Robert L. ’20, finance major Erkis: Bitcoin is the most well-known of the many cryptocurrencies that...

I heard my credit score is important. How do I figure out what my credit score is and how can I improve it? —Haley V. ’20, risk management and insurance major Erkis: Yes, your credit score is...

The importance of knowing where the money goes January is an exciting month for festival-goers and music lovers. Lineups for festivals all around the country are released this month, from Tennessee’s...

Assessing the price inflation of college textbooks There is a high likelihood that St. Joe’s is robbing you right now or has robbed you in the last two weeks. Did you buy your textbooks from the bookstore?...

My friend told me about a stock that he said was going to go up big. I bought the stock, it went up by $5 per share, but then dropped quickly below what I paid for it. I was worried about losing more money...

Is the Robinhood investment app a good way to purchase stocks? -Alex K. ’20, risk management and insurance major Erkis: Robinhood is popular with students since it’s easy to use and has no minimum...