Negotiating your pay may seem scary and uncomfortable, especially when it’s your first job in your career field after graduating college. However, it is essential you learn to negotiate your pay from early in your career, to avoid leaving heaps of money on the table over time that instead could have been in your pocket. Below are four tips to help navigate the art of salary negotiation and get you well on your way to earning a few more extra bucks. 1. Never
Paying for college can be daunting and stressful, but sometimes parents step in to ease the burden and help with costs. If you are a parent thinking of taking out a loan to help fund your dependent child’s education, or if you have already taken out a PLUS Loan, below is some useful information to help you better understand the PLUS Loan and what it entails. A Direct PLUS Loan is a federal student loan available to the parents of dependent
As you graduate and enter the working adult world, you’ll quickly realize that you’ll need good credit to make just about any type of big purchase. From financing a new car, to purchasing a new house, or even just trying to refinance your student loans, you will need a good credit history to ensure you’re getting the best interest rates for your purchases. Starting to build your credit can be tricky, however, because you typically need a credit history in order to
Learning the ins and outs of money management and success can be difficult, especially when you most likely didn’t learn about it in a high school or college class. As you graduate college and enter the real world, starting smart financial practices immediately can help you avoid many of the money issues that individuals in their 20’s encounter. Below are ten tips to get you started on having a better understanding of your finances and things you should be doing to improve
Emergencies: from a broken bone, to your car breaking down, to losing your job. They are simply a part of life and happen to all of us. Instead of panicking each time one of these unexpected events pops up, wouldn’t it feel great to have a safety net in place? That’s exactly what an emergency fund is. It is simply a certain amount of money set aside for those oh-so-inconvenient emergencies that are bound to pop up from time to time. You never know what
If your financial situation is looking pretty bleak, you might be wondering, “Can I just get rid of my student loan debt by filing for bankruptcy?” Unfortunately, if you’ve ran out of other options and have decided filing for bankruptcy is the best option for you, you more than likely will not be able to wipe out your student loans in the process. What is Bankruptcy? If you encounter a rough financial patch in your life, whether it be from a serious illness,
Saving money can seem impossible when you’re just barely managing to scrape by each month. Everyone has been there: you’ve just graduated college, you have no idea what you’re doing, and you feel like you can barely afford to survive, let alone save. However, it’s still important to attempt to put a little money aside and into savings each month, regardless of how much money you’re earning. Below are some simple tips and tricks to add a little cash to your savings each
A monthly budget is an essential staple for your household if you are trying to save money. It’s never fun getting to the end of the month and having no idea where all your hard-earned money went. Thinking about your finances can be stressful, but coming up with a solid budget and sticking to it can eliminate some of the stress and anxiety surrounding money. To make your budget, you can start as simple as writing it out by hand with pen and
Retirement may seem like it’s lightyears away, especially if you recently graduated and are attempting to settle into your first job and getting used to doing things on your own. A June 2018 survey conducted by Bankrate found that 61 percent of Americans have no idea how much they need to save to fund their retirement. Another study conducted by The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College found that 50% of households are “at risk” of not having enough
When applying for financial aid through your university, your school will likely include student loans as part of your financial aid package. It is important that you understand the different types of loans offered so that you can make the best decision regarding what type works best for you. Generally, there are two types of student loans – federal and private. Regardless of the type you choose, one thing is common: you have to pay back the money you borrow, plus interest, whether