A good financial plan is a road map that shows us exactly how the choices we make today will affect our future.
Alexa Von Tobel
When I was younger, I used to play mind games in which I'd try to finish tasks in minutes. My favorite was when I would shower, lay out my school clothes, then devour my dinner - in 15 minutes flat.
Flowers make me irrationally happy.
Kids can learn a lot about necessities and wants by recognizing what people live without. A common routine, but one that should not be overlooked, is having a family donation to a charity for those less fortunate. Ask your kids to search for items, toys, or clothes that they no longer use and contribute those items a collection box.
This isn't like cancer, where we don't know the solution. Financial planning is math. We have the answers, yet it's this huge cause of stress.
I always encourage people to pay themselves first, so I really advocate setting up direct deposit for your paycheck and establishing an automatic transfer so that part of each paycheck goes straight into your savings account.
Automating some of your finances can be incredibly convenient and is a great way to save time, but automating everything makes it too easy to go on autopilot and forget to pay attention to your personal finances.
Without any formal personal finance education or trustworthy resources to tell them otherwise, the majority of people in the 18-to-24-year-old age bracket do not know how to use credit effectively, tackle debt or make wise decisions when it comes to spending.
Personally, I am obsessed with my mom, and I would do literally anything for her.
At LearnVest, we're working to make financial planning both accessible and affordable so that everyone has the opportunity to get on track financially.
It is critical that kids start to learn the value of money, short-term and long-term saving and budgeting at an early age.
What's the point of creating a budget if it's not possible to follow through?
Growing up in a family of doctors, I wanted to be a brain surgeon for a while. But ultimately, I get most excited about creating things, which is why I decided to become an entrepreneur.
A financial plan is a way to take all of the money advice you come across and figure out how it applies to your specific financial situation.
I started LearnVest with a tiny savings account where I paid designers, technologists, and even bartered... Because I started with paying for things myself with my own savings, it sharpened my focus of how to spend money.
There is no denying that auto-bill pay is easier and more convenient than keeping track of and remembering to pay all of your bills each month, so it makes sense to use it for fixed expenses that you have approved and that you're 100% comfortable with.
We never intend to lose our jobs, break up with our live-in loves, or face any number of the curveballs life throws our way. But they happen all the same, so have a bailout plan just in case. Sounds corny, but I call this the 'freedom fund' because it gives you the freedom to get out of a jam without climbing into debt.
Without any formal personal finance instruction in our high school or college curricula, many college seniors who graduate in the red will continue to make common financial mistakes that only exacerbate their debt burdens.
When I was planning LearnVest, everyone told me I had to talk to Ann Kaplan, one of the first female partners at Goldman Sachs. Within five minutes of our meeting, she totally got the idea - and by the time I left, she was a seed investor.
For many, graduation marks the end of formal student life - the end of long spring breaks and of thinking that a 10 A.M. class is far too early.
Losing your job is terrifying, but being prepared makes it so much easier.
I always have Moleskine notebooks on my desk. I am a big journaler. Every day I write down where I went, who I spoke to and what it was all about. Richard Branson told me to do that.
As a wife, daughter, friend, and the founder and CEO of LearnVest, my schedule is anything but simple. But I learned early on how meticulously manage my time.
We're providing planning to a huge audience who's never had access to financial planners before. This was always my plan for LearnVest. It was in my very first pitch deck.
I'm proud that LearnVest is creating content that helps expectant moms tackle their finances. As much as possible, we hope to lessen the stress during what is said to be such a life-changing time.
I think of all my time as existing in 15-minute blocks. Most people think in terms of 30-minute chunks, but I've found that when I free up more time, I waste it.
When you're at work, it's about being present and getting as much done as humanly possible.
As a new entrepreneur, you need a stake in the game, but you can't risk it all.
It's important to have a really clear strategy so when you are in business, you only have to make micro-strategy changes.
Tax time is the perfect opportunity to jumpstart your spring-cleaning by tackling your financial to-do list.
Your credit report should be 100% accurate, so make sure everything is entirely correct. If something doesn't look right, dispute it.
The time to save for the future is now. Thanks to compounding interest, the earlier you start putting money away for the future, the more you will save.
Manage your spending by creating and sticking to a budget.
By teaching twenty-something year olds responsible debt management practices, we can help them create a balanced lifestyle and find peace of mind through increased financial awareness, smart saving and long-term investing.
LearnVest provides women with the necessary tools and resources to manage their personal finances; its core mission, to positively contribute to society through education and, ultimately, the promotion of self-sufficient and financially aware women.
I don't want to tell you what to buy. I just want to help you think about why you're buying it.
If you fail to pay your minimums for any debt on time, your credit score will take a major hit and you run the risk of seeing the interest rate on all of your cards go up. An easy way to remind yourself to pay, is to sign up to receive your statements via e-mail.
Even if you feel like your debt is just never going to go away, think long and hard before declaring bankruptcy. Declaring bankruptcy means that getting a loan for anything will be next to impossible for the next 10 years.
Bring your kids along next time you go to the grocery store and ask them to help find the price per unit for the general grocery items. By comparing brands and looking for the best prices, kids will get in the habit of looking for deals and understand the value of the dollar.
Make the most of online banking to make your life easier and keep your finances organized. Online banking is great because it offers quick, easy, 24-hour access to your checking and savings accounts.
While I strongly encourage my readers to take advantage of the Internet and social networking platforms to gain a greater understanding of their personal finances, it is extremely important to be safe, smart, and responsible when it comes to sharing, discussing, and managing your finances online.
There are many random, unprotected sites online that appear safe to use and are ready to accept credit card information. You wouldn't give a stranger off the street your credit card information, so be extra cautious about who you are sharing it with online.
The best advice that I can offer is that being proactive and a careful planner is key. Think about the major things that could shake up your financial life, and I'll bet there are some great ways to protect yourself.
Investing in renter's insurance is hugely worthwhile. It protects you from a whole load of financial pitfalls around your home. Your home should be the center of your sense of security - not the cause of you losing financial security.
Know the difference between your necessary and discretionary expenses.
The most common reason new mothers return to work sooner than they'd like to is because they can't afford to go without their salaries any longer.
I do my workouts in the morning, and often I'll take someone from my team. The person I'm meeting with can pick the class, whether it's a spin or barre class, or going for a power walk. It's hard to run and talk - I haven't mastered that yet.
Since the beginning of LearnVest, I've never left the office for food.
My ultimate goal is to create operating systems for myself that allow me to think as little as possible about the silly decisions you can make all day long - like what to eat or where we should meet - so I can focus on making real decisions. Because mental energy is a finite quantity.
The fact is, women don't like to talk about money, let alone deal with it. Though we're killing it at work, earning more than ever, running our households, and making big-ticket decisions, too many women still worry they'll be judged by what they earn and how they spend it.
