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Julie Heaton
Julie Heaton is Director of the Penn State Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center. She is a Certified Personal Finance Counselor® and holds a Master's of Public Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Public Health Administration from the University of Montana as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from the College of William & Mary, VA. In her role at the Center, Julie oversees programming, instructional design, and general operations. She represents financial wellness initiatives in Penn State's Undergraduate Education Council and serves as Chair of the Penn State Financial Literacy Advisory Board, bringing together Penn State faculty, staff, and administrators that work the financial literacy space. She is an active volunteer with the Higher Education Financial Wellness Alliance (HEFWA) and currently serves on their Programming Committee as the Master Class Coordinator. Before coming to Penn State, she taught personal finance at the University of Montana and served as Director of the University of Montana’s Financial Education Program. Julie lives in State College, Pennsylvania with her husband and two daughters. When she's not busy talking about financial wellness, you can find her with her family hiking on a trail, paddling a river, or curled up with a good book!
Money Question for Julie: Do you find saving money difficult? Why or why not?
"Yes! Saving money has always felt like a challenge, but the reason it is difficult has changed for me over the years. When I was an undergraduate, my expenses and needs were fairly simple. Saving was a chore because I made little income and simultaneously had big travel dreams and desires that would quickly drain whatever I was able to save. Now, I’m more frugal and have a stable income, but the cost of life expenses and my desire for security is higher (e.g. mortgage, insurance, childcare, healthcare). So, saving is still something I have to be very intentional about."