By Andrea Martino

(Left to right) Gregg Chottiner, Joe Whelan, Marky Campbell, Bob Sweo.

Several UMUC faculty and staff could “write a book” on building a Web resource on personal finance in a matter of months, for they did, essentially, write a book—one that is more than 800 pages long.

Launched this past spring, the Household International Military Financial Education Center—which, though it is designed for military families, provides a wealth of information to civilians as well—now attracts approximately 1,000 visitors each week.

“We like to think we’re in our second ‘reprint’ at this point,” said Robert Sweo, project manager for the site’s development. “Only thing is, there is no way for us to autograph copies.”

Building the site has not just been a matter of writing a few lessons and giving them to the Webmaster to post. The process was much more involved, with Sweo, who oversees business and management programs in the School for Undergraduate Studies, at the lead with colleague Joseph Whelan, chair, accounting and finance, overseeing teams devising content in financial planning, savings, investments, debt, credit, insurance, and estate planning. Doug Terwilliger, who developed the personal finance course “Fundamentals of Building Wealth,” volunteered to lead the financial planning and debt teams; faculty members Kevin Michel took on savings investments and Bob Sacks, insurance.

“Estate planning—now that was a tough one,” said Whelan. “We even pursued a JAG [Judge Advocate General] officer, but that didn’t work out. Luckily, someone in the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants recommended a lawyer who teaches at George Mason [University] and has her own law firm. Leslie Woodruff came on board in mid-August. So the community is involved, as well.”

Michel designed a Web site where team members could post materials and get feedback from others, including Marky Campbell, Regional Programs.

“Sometimes I’d say, ‘Gee, that’s not really a good example for the military,” said Campbell, who has been a military spouse herself for the past 32 years. “But for the most part, they were right on target.”

Once the teams were comfortable with content, editors and a course developer reviewed the materials, often requesting changes and integrating tools, such as exercises entitled, “How much do I need to put down on a house?” and, “How much should I be saving to have a child?”

Even after the materials were forwarded to the Web site developer, the site had to be tested, and that took several weeks. It was tested for different load times and appearances using various browsers. Colleagues in Europe and Asia—experienced with the WebTycho platform and how it performs—were called on to test as well, since U.S. service members using the site will be stationed worldwide.

The pages are chock full of “bells and whistles,” including videos, specific examples pertaining to military life, a quiz (we are, after all, a university), frequently asked questions (answers are provided, in case visitors aren’t up to taking the quiz), and a glossary thrown in for good measure.

The group is not finished yet. There are more interactive components and graphic enhancements to come.

“Oh, we definitely want to include a vignette comparing term versus life insurance,” said Whelan, as he scribbled a quick note to himself.

The team is staying hush about Phase Three, but Sweo promises it will knock your socks off. Stay tuned.