An Inside Look: Morochian Selected for Buzzfeed’s “Better Money Habits 50 Under $50K” Camp, Powered by Bank of America

One of Moroch’s very own ended her summer with a special surprise: she was chosen as one of 50 young professionals to attend Buzzfeed’s “Better Money Habits 50 Under $50K” camp, powered by Bank of America. Caroline Padja, a Junior Media Investor, spent a weekend in Green Lane, Pennsylvania learning the ins and outs of smart money management. The program targeted 50 young professionals across the country who practice smart financial habits on salaries of $50,000 or less, which was the average starting salary for U.S. college graduates in 2017. Caroline was one of just a handful of Texans chosen for this unique opportunity. Here’s what she had to say: What led you to apply to this program? I originally heard about the program from a Tweet by Josh Peck. He said he was going to be at the camp to talk about better money habits and told his followers to apply. When I looked into it I thought it sounded super interesting, so I filled out my application and turned it in! I went through a couple rounds of interviews before being chosen but once I got there, I was blown away. The amount of work they put into Camp Better Money Habits really showed! We got to meet with so many talented people from different industries and learn about how to make smart financial moves to better ourselves. What were the days like at camp? Our days were mainly made up of lectures and group discussions on best practices for managing your finances; we had editors from Buzzfeed, executives from Bank of America, business owners, and even a hypnotherapist! They basically gave us an overview of everything we needed to make our 401k work for us and set realistic goals for the future. They also hosted lots of group activities throughout the weekend including this big scavenger hunt on the first day and a few fire-pit concerts with local performers. What sort of people did you meet? I met dozens of amazing individuals who wanted to better themselves and live well on good budgets. It was great to see that although our career paths were different, we all had similar mindsets and goals that we wanted to accomplish. I loved getting to know people who are just as driven as I am, and I can definitely say that I made life-long friends and industry connections. What did you take away from this experience? I think the best lesson I learned from this experience was how to set long-term financial goals instead of just short-term. I also walked away with a better understanding of how to make my savings account work for me and how to take advantage of my work benefits. Going to this camp was also an incredible networking opportunity. It was great to meet people who had been through all the ups and downs and made it out the other side with successful careers. I definitely feel more prepared for the future now!
posted on
October 23, 2018
written by
Jessika Roude