Rossen Reports: Smart money moves for college grads
Updated: 4:16 PM EDT Jun 2, 2023
Rossen Reports: Smart money moves for college grads
Updated: 4:16 PM EDT Jun 2, 2023
Hi. Yeah, if you have *** child, graduating college or know someone who does. Congratulations. First of all, pretty cool. Send us to them. Here are three smart money moves. They need to start right now. First use apps to create *** budget and keep you on track. Here are some top ranked ones. This one is pretty cool. It's called Y N *** B. It stands for, you need *** budget. Why N *** B? It's best for planning financial decisions on what's called *** zero based budgeting system. You basically take every dollar you earn and assign it *** job like bills or savings. You can do *** free trial of this app. You know, after that, it's 15 bucks *** month. You can start for free. Then it's $15 *** month or $99 for the year. Another good one. Mint, it tracks your expenses and lets you set spending limits. You can also have the app automatically put money into your savings. The best part is mint is free. Next smart move to make create *** money priority list. Experts say these should be at the top of your list right now. Save $500 for emergencies. You will need to save more later. But for now, let's aim for $500. If you're just graduating, contribute enough to your 401k. If you have *** job like that to get your employers match, that's free money. So if there's *** 401k match, do the 401k right to there again, it's gonna save for you. The money will never be in your ecosystem to spend. And if you have student loans start paying those off, even if it's just the minimum, every bit helps finally keep things simple when it comes to credit cards, just have two credit cards. Ok. One with *** low credit limit of 1000 or $2000. That's your walking around card for dinners, small purchases and the second card has *** higher limit of $5000 if you can get it that you use for emergencies and travel only. Congratulations on graduating. Welcome to adulting. That's all for today. Back to you.
Advertisement
Rossen Reports: Smart money moves for college grads
Updated: 4:16 PM EDT Jun 2, 2023
College graduates, welcome to the real world.Experts say these are just a few smart money moves you should make right now.Budget and keep track of your money: This can be made easy with apps.YNAB: This stands for You Need A Budget. It’s best for planning financial decisions on what’s called a “Zero-Based Budgeting System." You basically take every dollar you earn and assign it a job, like “Bills” or “Savings.” You can do a free trial for this app but after that, it’s $15 a month or $99 for the year.Mint: It tracks your expenses and lets you set spending limits. You can also have the app automatically put money into your savings. Best part? It’s free.Rocket Money: The app Rocket Money syncs your bank accounts and credit cards to help you get a look at what you're saving and spending. You can even keep track of your subscriptions to see if you're spending money on a service you don't even use anymore. Every week, you'll get an email telling you how much you spent in comparison to two weeks before, too. The app costs $3 to $12 per month.Also, remember the 50-30-20 rule. Fifty percent of your monthly take-home pay goes to your "needs" like your mortgage or rent payments, your groceries, electric bills, etc. Thirty percent goes to your "wants," like new clothes and entertainment. And 20% goes to savings and debt repayment. You can adjust these numbers based on your bills, so you can put more into your needs or savings if that works better.Create a money priority list: You can’t do all the smart moves all at once, so prioritize what’s important. Experts say these should be at the top of the list right now:Save $500 for emergencies. You’ll need to save more later, but for now, $500 will do.Contribute enough to your 401(k) to get your employer’s match, if there is one.If you have student loans, start paying those off, even if it’s just the minimum amount.Keep things simple when it comes to credit cards: Just have two, one with a low credit limit of $1,000 or $2,000. You can use that one as your “walking around” card for smaller purchases. The second card should have a higher limit of $5,000 that you use for emergencies and travel only. This will make it easier to pay them off monthly and it’s easier to track your spending as well.
College graduates, welcome to the real world.
Experts say these are just a few smart money moves you should make right now.
Advertisement
Budget and keep track of your money: This can be made easy with apps.
- YNAB: This stands for You Need A Budget. It’s best for planning financial decisions on what’s called a “Zero-Based Budgeting System." You basically take every dollar you earn and assign it a job, like “Bills” or “Savings.” You can do a free trial for this app but after that, it’s $15 a month or $99 for the year.
- Mint: It tracks your expenses and lets you set spending limits. You can also have the app automatically put money into your savings. Best part? It’s free.
- Rocket Money: The app Rocket Money syncs your bank accounts and credit cards to help you get a look at what you're saving and spending. You can even keep track of your subscriptions to see if you're spending money on a service you don't even use anymore. Every week, you'll get an email telling you how much you spent in comparison to two weeks before, too. The app costs $3 to $12 per month.
Also, remember the 50-30-20 rule. Fifty percent of your monthly take-home pay goes to your "needs" like your mortgage or rent payments, your groceries, electric bills, etc. Thirty percent goes to your "wants," like new clothes and entertainment. And 20% goes to savings and debt repayment. You can adjust these numbers based on your bills, so you can put more into your needs or savings if that works better.
Create a money priority list: You can’t do all the smart moves all at once, so prioritize what’s important. Experts say these should be at the top of the list right now:
- Save $500 for emergencies. You’ll need to save more later, but for now, $500 will do.
- Contribute enough to your 401(k) to get your employer’s match, if there is one.
- If you have student loans, start paying those off, even if it’s just the minimum amount.
Keep things simple when it comes to credit cards: Just have two, one with a low credit limit of $1,000 or $2,000. You can use that one as your “walking around” card for smaller purchases. The second card should have a higher limit of $5,000 that you use for emergencies and travel only. This will make it easier to pay them off monthly and it’s easier to track your spending as well.