Description
Book SynopsisTime is on your side smart money management for Millennials Smart is the New Rich: Money Guide for Millennials is an interactive, step-by-step guide to all things money.
Table of ContentsPreface xi
Acknowledgments xv
Chapter 1 How to Think About Money: Budgeting Basics 1
Pay Yourself First 6
How Much Should You Save? 8
The Rainy-Day Fund 12
Roadblocks to Money Success 15
The Holiday Red Flag 15
Your Money Quiz 16
Chapter 2 College Investment 19
The Million-Dollar Payoff 21
It’s Cheaper to SaveThan Borrow 23
Four Ways to Keep College Costs Down 24
WhatDo YouWant to Be When You Grow Up? 27
Not All Degrees Are Equal 31
Chapter 3 Managing Debt 37
Paying Off the Debt 39
Interest Rate Triage 42
A Safety Net for Low-Income Grads 43
Public Service Loan Forgiveness 45
Live Like a Student 45
Chapter 4 Job Market Fundamentals 49
The Long Healing Process 51
Fastest-Growing States 52
The College Degree Advantage 54
Chapter 5 Millennials at Work 59
Resume #Fail 64
You’ve Got Two Minutes 66
The Hidden Jobs Market 67
Don’t Call Them Soft Skills 70
Keep Your Eye on the Ball 72
Lean In or Lean Back 72
Online Tools to Help Set You Apart 77
Chapter 6 House Money 81
Missing the Real Estate Rebound…So Far 84
Generation Renter 86
Get Ready to Buy 89
Mortgage Rates 91
Location, Location, Location 92
Affordability 93
Living at Home 93
Chapter 7 Family Money 97
Dating and Money 99
The “Talk” 102
What Kind of Debt? 104
Piggy Bank Parents 107
Friends and Finances 108
Crowdfund Our Wedding 109
Chapter 8 Understanding Investments 111
Getting Started: Tax-Advantaged Retirement Accounts 115
Time Is a Four-Letter Word 116
No 401(K)? Invest Anyway 120
Building Blocks 123
Chapter 9 Credit Karma 129
Debit Cards 130
Overdraft Protection 131
So You Want a Credit Card? 131
What Is the Credit Score? 133
Expensive Credit Monitoring 135
What Is the Fed? 137
Time to Buy a Car 138
Appendix A Web Resources 141
Appendix B Cover Letters: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 145
Appendix C PayScale 2014–2015 College Salary Report 153
Notes 193
About the Author 199
Index 201
