SMMC News & Events Blog

This blog highlights news, events, and informative articles on personal finance from University of Illinois System's Student Money Management Center. Feel free to navigate to different categories with the list of topics on the right or search for a specific topic next to the view all link below.

Making Cents of Money · Episode 135: 13 Ways to Avoid Unlucky Losses

13 Ways to Avoid Unlucky Losses

In episode 135 of Making Cents of Money, Andrea and Kimber discuss 13 ways to face financial fears, build better budgets, and protect your financial future from metaphorical black cats and broken mirrors.

Read the blog post that inspired this episode:

Pellegrini, A. (2025, June 13). 13 ways to avoid unlucky losses in 2025. University of Illinois System, Student Money Management Center.

Prior Related Episodes:

• Ep. 128: Comparing Private Education Loans
• Ep. 126: Student Loan Management Transitioning in 2026
• Ep. 124: Managing Risk with Insurance, Part 2: Coverage & Compliance
• Ep. 122: Managing Risk with Insurance, Part 1: Why and How
• Ep. 105: Stages of Financial Behavior Change
• Ep. 80: Building Wealth After Graduation
• Ep. 75: Setting & Prioritizing Financial Goals
• Ep. 57: Investing to Reach Financial Goals
• Ep. 55: Wealth Building as a Balancing Act

Practical Resources

• AnnualCreditReport.com for credit reports from Equifax, Experian, & TransUnion
• Campus Sustainability Websites
  • Urbana: Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment
  • Chicago: The green campus.
  • Springfield: Sustainability.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Low- to no-cost tips for saving energy at home. ENERGY STAR.

Research and Data References

• Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. (2026, May). Economic well-being of U.S. households in 2025.
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (2015, January). Financial well-being: The goal of financial education.
• Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Riis, J. (2014). The fresh start effect: Temporal landmarks motivate aspirational behavior. Management Science, 60(10), 2563–2582.
• Federal Trade Commission. (2013, February 11). In FTC study, five percent of consumers had errors on their credit reports that could result in less favorable terms for loans [Press release].
• Federal Trade Commission. (2023, October 13). You now have permanent access to free weekly credit reports.
• Grubman, J., Bollerud, K., & Holland, C. R. (2011). Motivating and helping the overspending client: A stages-of-change model. Journal of Financial Planning, 24(3), 60–67.
• Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. (1979). Prospect theory: An analysis of decision under risk. Econometrica, 47(2), 263–291.
• Kunreuther, H., & Pauly, M. (2004). Neglecting disaster: Why don't people insure against large losses?Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 28(1), 5–21.
• LIMRA, & Life Happens. (2025). 2025 insurance barometer study.
• Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705–717.
• Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396.
• Rojas, M., Méndez, A., & Watkins-Fassler, K. (2023). The hierarchy of needs empirical examination of Maslow's theory and lessons for development. World Development, 165, Article 106185.
• Roll, S., & Moulton, S. (2019). Credit counseling and consumer credit trajectories. Economic Inquiry, 57(4), 1981–1996.
• Shapiro, G. K., & Burchell, B. J. (2012). Measuring financial anxiety. Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics, 5(2), 92–103.
• Shefrin, H. M., & Thaler, R. H. (1988). The behavioral life-cycle hypothesis. Economic Inquiry, 26(4), 609–643.
• Stawski, R. S., Hershey, D. A., & Jacobs-Lawson, J. M. (2007). Goal clarity and financial planning activities as determinants of retirement savings contributions. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 64(1), 13–32.
• Tay, L., & Diener, E. (2011). Needs and subjective well-being around the world. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(2), 354–365.
• Thaler, R. H. (1999). Mental accounting matters. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 12(3), 183–206.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). Consumer expenditure surveys. Retrieved November 12, 2026, from
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. (2026, March 30). Food security in the U.S.—Definitions of food security.
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. (2014, September 22). Rental burdens: Rethinking affordability measures.
• Zhang, C. Y., Sussman, A. B., Wang-Ly, N., & Lyu, J. K. (2022). How consumers budget. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 204, 69–88.