Patricia M. Kelly

UCSC Lecturer, Speaker, and Financial Literacy Advocate

My goal is to educate young adults in the framework of personal financial management, so they have the knowledge and confidence to navigate life ahead.

       Welcome to my official website. I teach the popular UC Santa Cruz course, COWL 52 Personal Finance and Investing, which is offered online throughout the University of California system. In 2025, it enrolled 1,000 students per term.

       As an advocate for financial literacy, you will find a description of my background and training, as well as a listing of my current activities and presentations.

       I have also included national financial literacy resources such as the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center (GFLEC) at Stanford and national standards and research.

For students, you will find information on COWL 52: Personal Finance and Investing and how to enroll.

For past students, there are links to course material, including the syllabus, templates, glossaries, and lectures.

For students interested in further study in finance and investing, there are listings for other courses offered at UCSC and in the UC System. UCSC campus investment groups are listed, including the Slug Fund Investment Group and the Slug Investment Banking Group. The UC Investment Academy, which prepares UC students for careers in finance, is also linked here.

For students needing assistance with their finances, there are links to the financial wellness services at UCSC.