Take Charge of Your Finances During Financial Fitness Week 2026

From saving to investing for retirement, Duke staff and faculty can access 25 expert sessions Sept. 14-18

A graphic says "Building Blocks of Financial Wellness" next to wooden blocks. Duke Financial Fitness Week Sept. 14-18, 2026 is written to the right of the blocks

When Dr. Dan Dewitya left Duke for a retail pharmacy job just a few years after he started in 1997, he didn't think much about what he was giving up. He was in his 20s and retirement felt far away.

It took his father, who was nearing his own retirement at the time, to help him understand what he’d lost. Without putting money away, Dewitya’s dad counseled, retirement gets difficult fast.

Dewitya, now 53, returned to Duke in 2001 where he is a Pharmacy Coordinator and has been saving steadily ever since. He and his wife meet annually with a Fidelity adviser at no cost through Duke.

And he’s planning to take advantage of Financial Fitness Week, hosted by Duke Human Resources. Twenty-five virtual sessions will be available Sept. 14-18, covering everything from budgeting basics to Social Security and retirement planning strategies.

Register for Financial Fitness Week

Sign up for webinars Sept. 14-18, 2026.

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Staff and faculty are encouraged to register in advance.

"If you were working in the private sector or self-employed, these are things that you have to actually pay for, and this is something Duke and Fidelity provide," Dewitya said. "It still blows my mind."

This year, after feedback from staff and faculty, more of the virtual sessions will be offered in the morning, late afternoon and on Friday. Several sessions are new for 2026, including "A Path to Financial Wellness," "Set Goals and Save for What You Want" and "Investing in Your HSA.”

Dan Dewitya
Dan Dewitya

"Financial wellness is an overall effort to make sure that you are taking care of yourself from a financial perspective," said Associate Director of Retirement Benefits Johanna Zawada, who helps oversee the week's programming. “Part of that is getting back to some of those basic concepts of budgeting, understanding investments and making sure that you’re thinking about your future – not just 20 years from now but even five years from now – to start building those building blocks.”

Dewitya already has seen the effects of taking advantage of Duke’s financial planning resources. He’s watched his investments grow over decades and is planning college savings accounts for his two young children, a daughter about to turn 11 and a son who is 8.  

"That whole compounding effect is hard to see when there's not a lot in there," Dewitya said, "but once it starts going, it's a pretty incredible machine to watch."

Zawada hopes that’s one lasting message of Financial Fitness Week beyond the virtual webinars. Many of the sessions will be recorded and posted to the Financial Fitness Week site for year-round access.

"It shouldn't be something that you just look at once a year," Zawada said. "It should be something that's ongoing."

See the full list of webinars and register here.

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