Comments on: $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Mon, 10 May 2010 22:33:14 +0000

You don’t have to live like your parents live right now. Remember, if they are well-off now, they probably didn’t live that way right after they graduated. It takes time and baby steps. Start an emergency fund, then pay off the debt. Then begin saving for that first house or that new car. Never buy more than you can afford.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:45:30 +0000

My biggest tip is that you not be in a rush to move out on your own. It’s perfectly OK to live with family for a while, so you can save your paychecks up and have a bit of money available for when you are ready for your own place. Now, this doesn’t mean mom needs to be doing your laundry. You did it for 4 years on your own, you can still do it now, but it does mean that you contribute to the day to day of your family’s household and at the same time save the huge amount of money rent would cost you. I did that for about 6 mos and had a nice savings ready to move out and into the city and on my own. Good luck, and stay smart!

By: Ethan

Ethan — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 08:18:48 +0000

well the first thing is never spend more than u have. get a savings account and put money in it every pay check. doing this will let u have money for any sudden emergency’s. make sure rele to jus save money dont buy any thing u dont need. a room mate is always fun and so much cheaper.

By: Madison

Madison — Fri, 23 May 2008 18:18:36 +0000

The contest has ended. Thanks everyone!

By: kristin

kristin — Fri, 23 May 2008 02:33:08 +0000

Advice for new college grads:
* Start contributing to your 401k as soon as possible. You want to contribute enough to get the maximum company match (which is free money!). Work your way up to maxing out your 401k contribution as your salary increases. Once you are maxing out the contribution, you can investigate playing with the percentages you contribute throughout the year. For instance, “front-load” your contributions by contributing a higher percentage earlier in the calendar year. Offset this with a lower percentage in November & December, and you’ve created your own “Christmas Club”

By: frugal zeitgeist

frugal zeitgeist — Fri, 23 May 2008 00:18:46 +0000

My advice: Always question the status quo. It’ll help you figure out where your values really lie.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:31:49 +0000

My advice to a new graduate would be before you start down the path of life go take a solid course in personal finance. You need to really understand the power money can have and the power it can have over you.

Bonus tip: Don’t get a credit card if you don’t have a job (my debt battle started there)

By: Luke

Luke — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:04:40 +0000

Don’t let your neighbors/friends affect what you buy with cars, houses, and boats!

By: Cathy @ Chief Family Officer

Cathy @ Chief Family Officer — Thu, 22 May 2008 19:17:40 +0000

Hmm, tough one. I’m torn between “start saving for retirement right away” and “always spend less than you earn.” I’ll go with “spend less than you earn,” since retirement savings don’t make much sense if you’re going into debt at the same time.

By: Becca Smith

Becca Smith — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:42:31 +0000

Start investing in companies that offer dividend reinvestment plans. When looking for a company to invest in look at the things you use every day and find out who makes it and how much do they pay per share. I Have stock in Southern Company and they provide my electricity every day. I also have stock in General Mills because I buy allot of the foods that they make.

By: Uno

Uno — Thu, 22 May 2008 04:00:32 +0000

Do not live your life based on financial advice.

By: shawna

shawna — Thu, 22 May 2008 02:05:50 +0000

My advice: Remember that those classes you will want to skip actually do cost money and they are not cheap. If you skip the classes or end up having to drop a class and re-take it later on you WILL regret it when you are paying off your student loans on down the line.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 22 May 2008 00:20:12 +0000

Continue your education by reading blogs and books related to personal finance, things are always changing and the way your parents and grandparents may no longer apply.
Brian

By: jay

jay — Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:01 +0000

Track your expenses, create a budget, always live under your means. If you live at home, save what you would have paid towards rent, so forth. Don’t get those cc so quick! Yyou are establishing a credit history with your student loan. Make sure you have a steady income before getting a credit card.

By: Nat

Nat — Wed, 21 May 2008 23:55:20 +0000

If you are a college graduate that has any type of student loan debt, make sure you stay in contact with your lenders. If you ever find yourself unable to pay your student loans due to unemployment, illness, or some other reason they can usually find a deferment or foreberance to suspend your payments temporarily and protect your credit from loan default.

Also, if you are going to work in a public service field, check out the “Public Service Loan Forgiveness” program that just launched this year!