Our Vision

We’re all about empowering communities by boosting financial capability. Our goal is to help people gain the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and confidence they need to make smart financial choices. We take an inclusive approach that builds resilience, promotes financial wellbeing, and equips individuals with essential life skills to succeed in various areas of their lives. By fostering financial literacy and encouraging positive behaviours, we aim to lay the groundwork for lasting economic empowerment and prosperity across diverse communities.

Our Goal

Our goal isn’t to turn everyone into a financial expert. Instead, we want to equip people with the common sense needed to manage their money wisely. This includes recognising opportunities to improve their financial situation and understanding the risks involved to develop adequate financial protection, whether in the physical world or the digital realm.

Our Approach

Instead of just teaching, we recognise the unique differences in people’s lives. We work together to develop and tailor our approach by understanding the individual circumstances, factors, and challenges that influence their learning and decision-making. We collaborate with a wide range of groups in our community, including organisations from different sectors and individuals from various backgrounds, especially those who are disadvantaged and marginalised.

MEET THE TEAM

 

  • Monica Jurin

    Associate Professor Monica Jurin in Finance at the College of Business, Law and Governance, spearheads a project focused on financial and social inclusion. This initiative encompasses areas such as financial literacy, retirement savings, insurance, and debt management. She collaborates with various stakeholders to create and implement programs tailored to their requirements. Her research delves into understanding financial behaviours related to investments, debt management, insurance, and retirement planning. Additionally, she integrates financial literacy into corporate decisions, including environmental, social, and governance investments and measurement metrics.

  • Professor Lucy Jordan

    Professor Lucy Jordan is an experienced social worker and social policy scholar with research expertise in cross-cultural migration studies, global development challenges, and data-driven approaches to capacity building in the nonprofit sector. Her current research focuses on the long-term impact of temporary migration on families and migrants across Asia and Oceania including mental and physical health, and financial literacy and empowerment.  Her current research is targeting development and rigorous evaluation of interventions, including financial literacy and mental wellness.

  • Dr Damien Wallace

    Dr Damien Wallace is a Senior Lecturer in FinTech at James Cook University. His recent research covers emerging and important topics in cryptocurrency markets, the impact of technology on financial inclusion, energy markets and the influence of CEO characteristics on firm performance. This research informs investors, academics and policy makers on the importance of good governance, cryptocurrency regulation and infrastructure investment in low-income countries. Damien is published in top tier journals such as Journal of Futures Markets, Energy Economics, Accounting and Finance, Journal of Business Research and International Journal of Information Management.

  • Dr Tania Driver

    Dr Tania Driver is an academic at James Cook University. Dr Driver has been teaching since 2009 in various capacities. She taught and coordinated many subjects in finance, accounting, and financial planning disciplines. Tania is now teaching and coordinating subjects in the financial planning major at JCU.

  • Dr. Pascal Agbadi

    Pascal has an interdisciplinary background in social work, health promotion, sociology, and social policy. His research focuses on the intersection of health, migration and climate change. He is skilled in both quantitative and qualitative research methods. He has expertise and experience in conducting Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation (MLE) projects.