Скачать книгу

244

      243  245

      244  246

      245  247

      246  248

      247  249

      248  250

      249  251

      250  252

      251  253

      252  254

      253  255

      254  256

      255  257

      256 258

      257  259

      258  261

      259  262

      260  263

      261  264

      262 265

      263 266

      264 267

      265 268

      266 269

      267  270

      268  271

      269  273

      270  274

      271  275

      272  276

      273  277

      274  278

      275  279

      276  280

      277  281

      278  282

      279  283

      280  284

      281  285

      282  286

      283  287

      284  288

      285  289

      286  290

      287  291

      288  292

      289  293

      290 294

      291 295

      292 296

      293 297

      294 298

      295 299

      296 300

      297 301

      298 302

      299 303

      300 304

      301 305

      302 306

      303 307

      304 308

      305 309

      306 310

      307  311

      308  312

      309  313

      Your 20s and 30s are such an exciting time. During this period you’re experiencing some dramatic changes in your life, exploring new endeavors, making your way in the world, trying new things, and meeting new people, while hopefully staying in touch with old friends and your family.

      But as with anything else in life, your young-adult years can pose challenges as well. Some young people suffered layoffs and reduced employment incomes during the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath and then again with the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Maybe you’ve experienced a failed relationship and a broken heart. You’ve likely had to deal with a difficult boss (or two) or a job (or two) you don’t like — or perhaps you’re in danger of losing your job.

      And then there are the money issues. Most of you are out of the nest and out from under your parents’ wings, and your 20s are when you experience firsthand earning your own money and paying your own expenses. This isn’t true for all twenty-somethings, of course, because some young people still live at home or have some financial dependence on their folks — maybe that’s why they bought you this book! No matter your living situation, your young adult years can be a challenging time, but this friendly guide can help make those years smoother and more rewarding financially.

      Based on my experiences teaching courses, counseling clients, writing articles and books, and corresponding with friends, family, and people through my website, I’ve discovered how important having healthy and strong personal finances is. With that in mind, I wrote this book to help you begin to lay a strong financial foundation. Your early adult years are the best time to start.

      I’ve worked with and taught people from all financial situations, so I know the financial concerns and questions of real folks just like you. Believe it or not, I first became interested in money matters when, as a middle-school student, my father was laid off and received some retirement money. I worked with my dad as he made investing decisions with the money. A couple of years later, I won my high school’s science fair with a project on what influences the stock market.

      I also wrote this book to protect you, to watch your back. Hucksters out to separate you from your hard-earned money know an easy mark when they see one, and being young and, therefore, less experienced makes you a target. You’re also at increased risk of “being taken” because your generation spends so much time online where the rules and agenda of many sites and apps are murky or worse. The information and advice in this book can help you identify and steer around common pitfalls and bad deals before you suffer the consequences.

      No matter what your current situation is — whether you’re entering the job market right after school, graduating college with or without student loans, living with your parents, or living on your own — I thought of you as I wrote this book. I made some assumptions about you:

       You want expert advice about important financial topics — such as getting a financial checkup, budgeting, paying off some debt, boosting your credit score, and investing — and you want answers quickly.

       Or perhaps you want a crash course in personal finance and are looking for a book you can read cover to cover to help solidify major financial concepts and get you thinking about your finances in a holistic fashion.

       Or maybe you’re just tired of feeling financially frazzled and want to get better organized and on top of your money matters.

      This book is basic enough to help a novice get his or her arms around thorny financial issues. But readers who are a bit more advanced in financial matters will be challenged, as well, to think about their finances in a new way and identify areas for improvement.

Скачать книгу