Manage Your Financial Life

Just Starting Out

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During your early years in the workforce, you will encounter many milestones—first couple of jobs, first couple of homes, grad school, getting engaged, buying a home, starting a family—so being organized and knowledgeable about your finances is essential.  Explore the blog articles below for helpful advice during this stage of life.

Fundamental Concepts

Educate Yourself

These fundamental concepts will provide a foundation for understanding investments, markets, and investment strategies. Supply and Demand The value of an item depends not on what you paid for it, but on what someone else would be willing to pay for it today. What someone is willing to pay is related to supply and demand. For example, if there is a fixed supply of something, and the demand for it increases, then the price will increase. If demand for something remains constant, and there is an increase in supply, the price will decrease. Yield, Total Return, and Compounding For any asset, yield is the income earned (interest or dividends) divided by the price of the asset, such as a bond or a share of stock. Price and yield move in opposite directions. If a $100 bond earns 5 percent interest, it earns $5 on a $100 asset, or $5 divided…

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Read the Wall Street Journal

Educate Yourself

A woman in my community received an MBA from the same school that I attended. She graduated with distinction thirty years before me, one of only six women in her class. (My business school class was 25% women.) She has had a successful career and has made a point of advising younger women to read the front page of the Wall Street Journal every day. It is important to keep up with national and world events, but also to be informed about the most important business and financial news of the day.

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How to Underwrite Yourself

Analyze Finances

Underwriting is what banks or insurance companies do when they evaluate risks associated with lending money or providing an insurance policy. To underwrite yourself, you need to take a close and honest look at your finances, ask yourself some questions, consider uncertainties and exposures, and evaluate your risk profile on many fronts. Analyze Your Sources of Income The first consideration is your income. Ask yourself these questions: Is your salary steady or variable? Do you rely on commissions or bonuses? Do you work in a cyclical industry? If your compensation is variable, you should not carry a lot of debt. Likewise, you should make sure to have an ample cash reserve. Evaluate Your Debt When you are thinking of buying a big item, consider if you can actually afford the item, not just whether or not you can afford the payment. Commit to paying off your credit card balances every…

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Spring Cleaning

Get Organized

To manage your financial life better, start with a financial spring-cleaning. Just like when you go through your closet to determine what to keep and what to donate, you need to do the same with your financial life. Get ready A few things before you get started. Designate a room or an area of a room for your work. For online files, keep a log of what you have sorted through. Set out the key office supplies including:  a staple remover and stapler, sticky notes, pencils, paperclips and file folders. Bins for recycling Bags for documents that need to be shredded Gather your information Gather all documents and papers relating to financial, tax, legal, and health care matters, including things such as: Bank, financial, and credit card accounts Insurance Mortgage, car loans, student loans Tax returns Birth certificates, marriage certificates Wills, trusts, and powers of attorney All medical and school documents for…

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