In the basement of McIntyre Library sits a small room in which a quickly growing organization manages what it can do to help the students of UW-Eau Claire gain confidence in themselves through financial literacy.

“We market to the whole university,” Wyatt Haas said, “So (the students) can set themselves up for success.”

The Blu$Gold website says they are “investing in tomorrow’s leaders.”

The organization started because the founders saw a need for financial literacy on campus. Now, their outreach has extended to the community. They have started working with local high schools to prepare graduating students for the real world, Wyatt Haas, current president of Blu$Gold, said.

Though the focus of the organization is finance, it is open to the entire campus. They focus on a large variety of things from budgeting, to forming credit, doing taxes, all the way to how to write a will.

Haas hopes that the program can be expanded on, as right now this program is the only one of its kind that he knows of, Haas said.

Cayla Seitz, the marketing executive for the club, joined two years ago after attending Blu’s Organization Bash, also known as BOB. She has worked for two years to help make the organization more known and helpful to those who join.

“It helped me find a job and understand what a good job offer looks like” Seitz said in an email interview. “In terms of financial literacy, members don’t need any prior knowledge.”

Seitz continues to work at the club helping new members understand finances and marketing.

Haas is working with the board of regents to expand this organization across Wisconsin to the other UW campuses. If successful, the organization could bring financial literacy to places and people in desperate need of such skills.

The organization works with those who show up to their meetings which are held this semester on Thursday nights in centennial on the second floor. They run workshops on each of the above mentioned topics, as well as running a simulation that runs participants through large financial decisions and helps them understand what they can do in certain situations.

It’s kind of like the game life, Haas said.

The simulation, and workshops, are open to anyone between the ages of 18 and retirement. Blu$Gold has also started to collaborate with Blugold beginnings, and they hope to start new Blugolds on the simulation during freshman orientation, Haas said.

Haas can be found in the basement of Mcintyre Library in room 101, and the club meets in centennial 2920 at 6:30 P.M. Thursday nights. They are also open to appointments for small group or one on one consultation.

Jacobson can be reached at [email protected].