Yahoo Finance People Over 30: What's The One Money Tip You Live By Now That Would've Totally Changed Your Life Had You Implemented It Sooner?
One of the scariest parts about entering adulthood is figuring out how to know the first thing about anything when it comes to personal finance. Somewhere along the way, the adults that came before thought it would be funny to send a bunch of 18-year-olds off into the world with 13 years of learning to find the parabola of a function and factoring polynomials (you were so right; I definitely use these every day, Mr. Bastedo). But god forbid any of us learn what the hell the difference between a Roth IRA, regular IRA, and 401(k) is.
So, let's band together to stop this vicious cycle: Anyone who has survived their 20s, I want to know what are the things you wish someone had told you about finance when you were starting out and knew absolutely nothing.
Maybe you've found a way to curb impulse buying.
Maybe you learned to immediately set aside a decent chunk of your paycheck into a high-yield savings account the second you get paid. You figure out what you'll need for bills (and life), and you stash away the rest ASAP — and as a result, you're finally making a real dent in your savings goal.
Or maybe you know to use a VPN when booking flights or hotels, because different countries sometimes have different rates offered.
Or maybe you educated yourself on index tracker funds and can navigate them better than a Wall Street shark, so you don't have to rely on actively managed funds — which many feel are a rip-off.
Maybe you are a budgeting savant and make a point of unplugging all your electronics when you're not using them. Apparently, 10%–15% of the average American's electric bill goes to vampire energy, which is electronics that are plugged in but not in use.
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