UNC Charlotte Niner Finances

What UNC Charlotte Niner Finances does

Niner Finances is a financial literacy and wellness office within the University of North Carolina at Charlotte's Division of Student Affairs, founded around 2021-2022 and headquartered at 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, North Carolina. The department delivers a comprehensive suite of free financial education services to the UNC Charlotte community, including one-on-one financial coaching sessions, group workshops covering 20+ topics, self-guided Green to Gold Learning Modules delivered through Canvas LMS, free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) for individuals earning $68,000 or less, the Rainy Day Savings incentive program for Pell-eligible and first-generation students, and the First Generation Investors high school tutoring partnership.

The department operates as a cost center within a public university system, with no commercial revenue model. Services are funded through university budget allocation and corporate sponsorships from Truliant Federal Credit Union (Rainy Day Savings sponsor) and Vanguard. Its technology stack is modest, anchored by the Canvas LMS for content delivery and YouCanBook.me for appointment scheduling, with no proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capabilities. Distribution occurs through five channels: in-person coaching at the King Building office, campus workshops, online self-paced modules, VITA tax sites, and the FGI community outreach program.

Niner Finances serves five primary segments: UNC Charlotte undergraduate and graduate students (the core audience), faculty and staff, recent alumni within 3 years of graduation, local high school students through the FGI program, and broader community members accessing the Green to Gold modules. The program employs approximately 16 staff and is led by Director Nicole Benford, with notable prior leadership under Dr. Brad Yeckley who received the 2021 EIFLE Educator of the Year award.

Name

UNC Charlotte Niner Finances

Legal name

Niner Finances (University of North Carolina at Charlotte)

Website

https://ninerfinances.charlotte.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Niner Finances is UNC Charlotte's financial literacy and wellness office within the Division of Student Affairs, delivering free one-on-one coaching, workshops, self-guided Canvas learning modules, VITA tax preparation, and the Rainy Day Savings incentive program to students, employees, alumni, and local high school students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Wellness Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (611)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic Support & Learning Assistance (Tutoring Centers) (EDALABAF)

Keywords

• Financial literacy education
• Personal finance coaching
• Student financial wellness
• Free tax preparation
• Community financial education

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. University-funded public service: Niner Finances is a department within UNC Charlotte's Division of Student Affairs. All services including one-on-one coaching, workshops, presentations, VITA tax preparation, and learning modules are provided free of charge to UNC Charlotte students, employees, and alumni within 3 years of graduation. Funded through university budget allocation and sponsor partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Niner Finances is UNC Charlotte's financial literacy and wellness office within the Division of Student Affairs. It provides free individual financial coaching sessions, group workshops and presentations on 20+ financial topics, self-guided Green to Gold Learning Modules delivered through Canvas LMS, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) free tax preparation, and the Rainy Day Savings incentive program. Services are available to UNC Charlotte students, employees, alumni within 3 years of graduation, and local community members.

Product overview

Niner Finances is a financial literacy and wellness office at UNC Charlotte offering a comprehensive suite of programs including one-on-one coaching, group workshops, and self-paced online learning modules. The core offerings consist of Financial Coaching Sessions for individual support, Workshops and Presentations for group education, Green to Gold Learning Modules delivered through Canvas LMS, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) for free tax preparation, the Rainy Day Savings incentive program for first-generation/Pell-eligible students, and First Generation Investors (FGI) community outreach tutoring. Together these services provide the UNC Charlotte community with tools, knowledge, and resources to increase financial wellness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Green to Gold Learning Modules: Self-guided financial wellness education modules covering topics like budgeting, credit, investing, debt management, and retirement planning.
• First Generation Investors (FGI)
• Rainy Day Savings Program
• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
• Money Talk Series

Products and services

• Financial Coaching Sessions One-on-one coaching sessions with Financial Wellness Coaches covering budgeting, credit, investing, retirement planning, student loans, and other personal finance topics. Available by appointment through YouCanBook.me and walk-in hours on Fridays 10am-12pm at the King 210 office.
• Workshops and Presentations Group workshops and presentations on more than 20 financial literacy topics tailored for faculty, staff, student organizations, and classes. Delivered at campus locations including the Student Union and Cone Center.
• Green to Gold Learning Modules Self-guided online learning modules delivered through Canvas LMS covering 15+ financial literacy topics including Money Mind, 10 Principles of Financial Literacy, Student Loans, Budgeting, Saving and Investing, Debt Management, FICO Credit Score, Credit Cards, Identity Theft, Salary Negotiation, Retirement Planning, Mortgage, Needs vs Wants, After Graduation, Financial Technology, Off-Campus Housing, Financial Literacy for Women, Money & Relationships, Money Bootcamp for VA Benefits, and Insurance Planning.
• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Free tax preparation services for UNC Charlotte community members earning $68,000 or less, including both domestic and international students. Operated as part of the IRS VITA program with trained volunteers.
• Rainy Day Savings Program Emergency fund building program for Pell-eligible or First Generation students offering up to $250 in incentives for academic year 2026/2027 in exchange for completing positive financial behaviors such as FAFSA completion, attending workshops, and participating in coaching sessions. Sponsored by Truliant Federal Credit Union.
• First Generation Investors (FGI) An 8-10 session course in which UNC Charlotte student volunteers teach local high school students the basics of investing and personal finance on Fridays from January through April. High school students who complete the program receive $100 to invest in mutual funds, transferred to their own accounts upon turning 18.
• Financial Resources Library An online library of articles, podcasts, webinars, videos, and the Money Talk Series covering topics such as budgeting, borrowing, earning, saving, investing, credit, and financial wellbeing, including the 49 Tips for the Academic Year guide.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• First Generation InvestorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Generation Investors is a national nonprofit that teaches high school students the basics of investing and personal finance. UNC Charlotte volunteers partner with local high schools to deliver an 8-10 session course. High school students who complete the program receive $100 to invest in mutual funds, transferred to their own accounts upon turning 18. This partnership is entering its 5th year.
• Student Legal ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent Legal Services office can review leases for students before signing, helping them understand legal contracts for off-campus housing.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• University of Florida Financial Wellness: UF's Financial Wellness program is a peer university financial-wellness office offering 1:1 coaching, workshops, and self-guided content to its student community — structurally and functionally analogous to Niner Finances.
• FoolProof Financial Education: FoolProof provides financial-literacy curricula and resources specifically targeted at K-12 schools, colleges, and young adults — a direct peer to Niner Finances' Green to Gold learning modules and student-workshop curriculum.
• First Generation Investors: FGI is the national nonprofit that operates the high-school investment-literacy program partnered with Niner Finances — directly comparable as a financial-literacy curriculum provider, though operating in a different (high-school) learner segment.
• Inceptia (a division of NHHEAF): Inceptia provides financial-literacy and student-success solutions to higher education, including the CashCourse curriculum — directly comparable to Niner Finances' classroom/workshop curriculum and self-paced learning modules for college students.
• iGrad (Financial Wellness): iGrad is a leading commercial financial-wellness platform specifically built for colleges and universities, offering online courses, counseling, and reporting — directly comparable to Niner Finances' online modules, 1:1 coaching, and student-focused curriculum.

Others

• Higher Education Financial Wellness Alliance: HEFWA is a national consortium of university financial-wellness programs where Niner Finances' leadership participates — a peer network of comparable in-house programs across U.S. higher education.

Broad incumbents

• EVERFI (Blackbaud): EVERFI offers K-12 and higher-ed digital financial-literacy curricula at scale — a broader incumbent competitor to internally built programs like Niner Finances that universities may compare against when evaluating wellness-program delivery.
• National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE): NEFE is a national nonprofit foundation that funds research, curriculum, and programs in financial education — a thematically adjacent, broader incumbent that university financial-wellness offices like Niner Finances reference and align with.
• GreenPath Financial Wellness: GreenPath delivers financial-counseling, education, and debt-management services through partnerships with universities and employers — comparable to Niner Finances' 1:1 coaching and workshops, though operating at a much larger national scale.

Emerging players

• Money Experience: Money Experience is an early-stage edtech platform providing personal-finance curricula for high schools and colleges — a more technology-driven emerging peer to Niner Finances' Canvas-delivered learning modules.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ninerfinances
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unc-charlotte-niner-finances
• Instagraminstagram.com/ninerfinances

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UNC Charlotte Niner Finances