Save regularly, and early on.

This was the bottom line of the third annual Financial Bootcamp, a presentation held Thursday, Nov. 13 by Senior Lecturer Stephen Buckles and Associate Professor Malcolm Getz, both of the economics department.

The lecture covered an array of pertinent topics, such as credit cards, savings plans, wills, money market funds and investments. While not a topic many students would be excited by, the presentation was formatted in an interactive way, allowing for questions and discussions from the student audience.

"All these students will graduate, earn money and think of these issues as soon as you start earning a living, which will be soon," Buckles said. "Credit card responsibility is especially crucial because many students already have them. They're useful but especially dangerous."

The purpose of the lecture was to present a fundamental overview of financial basics. The material for the lecture was modeled after Scott Adam's "Unified Theory of Everything Financial," a guide to the top nine ways to maximize lifetime financial opportunities.

"To put it in perspective, if you save $5,000 every year from age 25 and earn 5 percent interest every year, you will earn $787,170 by the time you retire at age 65," Getz said. "The key to wealth is to live below your means and save."

With the current crisis in our economy, the lecture was useful in providing clarification and guidance.

"It’s the kind of stuff that most of us don't have any idea about therefore it's a great educational program that addresses practical concerns," said sophomore Boone Williams.

Aside from the great information he acquired, what made the lecture particularly dynamic?

"Hands down, Getz's bow tie," Williams said.