Upon graduating from college, the first paycheck can feel like a finish line. For many young adults, it is actually the starting line.

Jedidiah Collins knows that firsthand. A former professional football player and the founder of Money Vehicle, Collins says his financial journey began as a rookie when he received his first NFL paycheck and spent every dime of it buying an engagement ring.

“A great investment,” he said. “But a poor financial habit.”

That moment became a wake-up call. Collins was living a dream, but he also realized how fragile it was. He was a new player, not a household name, and he did not know what tomorrow would bring. Like many people stepping into adulthood, he had income but no plan. So he started learning.

He read everything he could get his hands on, began studying financial planning, and noticed something that would later shape his career. Financial literacy is not just information. It is a language, and most people are never taught how to speak it.

That is the gap Money Vehicle was built to close.

The plan no one hands you

Collins likes to say that college is not quite “adulting 101.” Even for students with significant responsibility, many major life logistics are still partially buffered. Housing may be handled through dorms or campus living. Meals may be available through a dining plan. Costs may still be shared with family. Then graduation hits, and suddenly everything becomes real at once.

“You’re expected to walk into this plan that everybody goes, ‘Yeah, you’re an adult now. Go do the plan,’” Collins said. “And I just didn’t feel like we were being given a plan.”

Money Vehicle is designed to be part of that missing roadmap. It breaks financial literacy into clear, manageable steps that move people from confusion to clarity, and from intention to action. Collins is clear about one thing: this is not a quick fix.

“One video will not change your life, but little things can make a big difference.”

The phrase is intentional. In football, games are often decided by inches. A route run one yard deeper. A step taken half a second sooner. The smallest adjustments can change the outcome. Collins applies that same philosophy to money.

“Inch by inch, you start speaking a new language and behaving in a new fashion.,” he said.

That approach matters because financial education often fails at the same point. People learn concepts, but never implement them. Real progress rarely comes from one dramatic decision. It comes from small, consistent changes in understanding and behavior that build on one another over time. Money Vehicle is structured to guide that steady progression, turning knowledge into systems and systems into habits.

A mindset shift that makes money feel manageable

Many people hear “budgeting” and immediately think restriction. Collins intentionally shifts the language.

“I go away from that word,” he said. “I change it to cash management. It’s a semantics change, but it is a mindset shift.”

Budget can feel like a rulebook you are being forced to follow. Cash management feels like you are directing your money with purpose. In Money Vehicle, the emphasis is on assigning each dollar a job and building a system that supports your goals. That is the difference between feeling limited and feeling in control.

Saving is another area where Collins challenges the usual narrative. Instead of framing saving as deprivation, he frames it as prioritization.

“The greatest skill of success in any avenue is your ability to prioritize what you want most over what you want right now,” he said.

That shift is especially important for young adults building their lives after college. The ability to delay one impulse in order to fund a larger goal is not just a financial skill. It is a life skill.

Why this matters for early career professionals

Financial literacy is often treated as something you worry about later. Collins argues the opposite. The early career window is one of the most important times to get this right, not because young adults have the most money, but because they have the most powerful advantage.

“Time,” Collins said. “It’s the only advantage they have over everyone in the world.”

That is why he cares so much about reaching people early. If someone learns these systems at 22 instead of 32, their options expand. They can begin investing sooner, avoid expensive mistakes, and build habits that compound over time. In real life, that can influence everything from career choices to stress levels to the ability to support a family, pursue a graduate degree, or relocate for an opportunity.

When members build financial stability early, they also gain something that aligns with the bigger mission of Delta Sigma Phi. They gain choice.

A key message from Career Accelerator

Earlier this year, Collins brought these ideas to Delta Sigma Phi’s Career Accelerator, speaking to members who are standing at the edge of internships, first jobs, and early promotions. The conversation was not theoretical. It was grounded in the decisions that quietly shape the next decade.

He pointed to one of the most common early-career missteps he sees: the first major purchase, especially a car.

“The first one is the car,” Collins said. “People go and get a car that will look good, not a car that they need.”

The issue is not the car itself. It is the story behind the decision. Is the purchase aligned with a long-term plan, or is it driven by image and impulse?

Collins also challenged the idea that financial progress has to wait for a bigger salary.

“A hundred dollars is a perfect time to start investing,” he said. “The habit, the mindset, and the compounding starts with that first action.”

That message resonates because the early years after college are filled with momentum. New income. New independence. New expectations. The choices made during this stretch often compound just as powerfully as the investments themselves. Building thoughtful habits early does more than grow an account balance. It creates flexibility, reduces pressure, and allows young professionals to pursue opportunities with confidence rather than constraint.

As members step into their careers, financial literacy becomes less about math and more about direction. It is one of the foundational skills that supports everything else they hope to build.

Mentorship makes the difference

Collins also emphasized something Delta Sigma Phi already understands deeply. People grow faster when they are not doing it alone.

In today’s world, he believes mentorship is more important than ever, especially as technology changes how people learn and connect.

“The human-to-human connection of mentoring is going to be paramount,” Collins said.

He also offered a helpful way to think about mentorship: plus, minus, and equal. Learn from someone ahead of you. Walk alongside someone at your level. And help someone who is coming up behind you. That last piece matters because teaching reinforces what you have learned and keeps knowledge moving through the community.

This is part of why Money Vehicle is a strong fit for fraternity life. start a conversation in the chapter house. When a brother sets up his first investment account, he can show the next guy how he did it. When someone avoids a costly mistake because another member shared what he learned, that knowledge multiplies.

Financial literacy does not have to live in a classroom. It can live in everyday moments, in honest conversations about job offers, rent, benefits packages, and long-term goals. It can show up when a senior explains a Roth IRA to a sophomore, or when a recent graduate shares what he wishes he had known sooner.

Collins does not envision Money Vehicle as something members complete quietly and move on from. He sees it becoming part of the fabric of brotherhood. Each member who grows in confidence strengthens the man next to him.

One member improving is valuable. An entire chapter improving together is transformative.

Free access for members, supported by the Foundation

Through the support of the Delta Sigma Phi Foundation, members can access Money Vehicle at no cost.

This is not a limited discount. It is free access designed to remove barriers and help members build the skills they need to launch well, live well, and make decisions with confidence.

To get started, members can register for Money Vehicle via their account on mydeltasig.org using the code DeltaSigmaPhi.

If you do one thing this week, Collins recommends simply beginning the process and committing to the steps, not trying to “master everything” at once. Learn the language. Start seeing the patterns. Take the actions as you go.

And if you want one habit that can change everything long-term, Collins points to a specific milestone.

“If I could have one action every Delta Sig takes,” he said, “it’s setting up a Roth IRA.”

That single step reflects the larger shift Money Vehicle is designed to create: moving from saving to investing, and from uncertainty to a plan.

Financial literacy is not extra. It is part of the launch.