UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | December 12, 2024

Team Money Good, college athletes promote financial literacy skills

Maddie Warren, a sophomore history major from Lehi, talks about how Team Money Good works and how it is beneficial for all athletes. Miki Akiyama | Sun News Daily

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From college athlete to CEO, a former Utah Tech University student strives to change the financial perspective of college athletes.

Team Money Good, founded by Utah Tech alumnus Deven Osbourne in December 2021, was created to teach college athletes financial literacy. Using the “Money Good process,” members identify the areas athletes need the most help with.

“I had heard about it from other athletes on campus,” said Maddie Warren, a sophomore history major from Lehi. “I got involved with Team Money Good because the founder, Deven Osbourne, talked to my coaches, and they recommended me and my twin sister to join.”

Since joining the organization, Maddie Warren has learned about leadership, organization, networking, teaching and financial literacy. She said it’s been nothing but a huge learning opportunity for her.

The purpose of creating Team Money Good is to teach college athletes how to budget and save to invest, so the financial mindset of college athletes is better.

They are starting a camp, Money Good Sports Camp, from May through July that will be focused on teaching specific sports to local kids in Washington County. Their goal is to build relationships between college athletes and the youth of Washington County. Team Money Good athletes will develop the youth’s athletic abilities and plant the seed of financial literacy using sports as their tool.

Azelia Dickson, a junior marketing major from Fort Worth, Texas, joined Team Money Good when she was a freshman. After hearing about it from her teammates and being asked to join by Osbourne, she said she was ecstatic to have the chance to learn more about budgeting, saving and investing. She also said it was a good way to make friends that have a similar lifestyle to her.

“Being a student-athlete is a whole ordeal and it can be tough to navigate,” Dickson said. “So having a whole team to support you and give you advice is a really positive – truly unique blessing.”

During her time with Team Money Good, Dickson has learned a lot about business, networking and money.

“I already had a good grasp on budgeting and saving, but investing was a weak spot for me,” Dickson said.

While Dickson is not able to make it to the Money Good Sports Camp this year, she was involved last year. She said it was the perfect kickoff to summer.

“It’s just a bunch of college athletes who love spending time with kids, coaching them and supporting the youth,” Dickson said. “We really emphasize the value of financial literacy and actually getting the information across will have a great impact on society.”

April is financial literacy month, and Team Money Good is hosting events all month. A calendar with all their events are on their website and many financial literacy programs anyone can get involved in.