Personal Finances!! Such a scary and easily avoidable topic. Along with budgeting and controlling your spending, these are 5 basic and preliminary adulting actions you can do (and already should be doing)!!
1. Building Credit
You should start building your credit score ASAP. Read as much information on different cards as possible and submit an application online. Before committing, read the fine print thoroughly and if you feel overwhelmed communicate with your parents to avoid making a big mistake. Building credit is so important for so many reasons, and one of the biggest impacts on your credit is how long you’ve had an account. Meaning, the longer you have an account the higher your score (as well as on time, FULL payments). College is the perfect time to start building credit and to learn responsible spending. My personal favorite card is with American Express. American Express is a great company to start forming a relationship with.
Here is my referral link with a $150 sign on bonus
2. Sending In Your Transcript For Insurance Discounts
Most major auto insurance agencies reward good grades with high discounts. My car insurance from AAA was cut almost in half after sending in my transcript.
3. Fully Understand Your Student Loans
Before taking out any loan fully consider the debt. Communicate with your school’s financial aid office and make sure to ask lots of questions. Make sure you calculate and truly analyze what your monthly payments will be after graduation. Understand fixed and variable interest rates. Consider your college’s chance of raising the cost of attendance throughout your years at school. Again, as scary as it is to open up your student loan page, it’s super important to understand your investment fully.
4. Working Part-Time
Research shows students with part time jobs have higher GPAs, oh and a savings account.
5. Learn
Ignoring personal finances until college, senior year of undergrad, or your mid twenties is a bad idea. Yes it is overwhelming, but there is so much support and help online for women. Read as much as you can on personal finance. You should learn how to file your own taxes, exactly where to pay your monthly loan payments, how to purchase your own home, how to start investing, or how to make an income from the side.
Knowledge is power, and it is important to invest in yourself. Some great books are: “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” “How To Win Friends & Influence People,” “Prince Charming Isn’t Coming,” “A Modern Girl’s Guide To Personal Finance.”