Helping women gain confidence
when dealing with money

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A Trusted Expert Answers Your Questions About Starting a 401K

by Manisha Thakor May 30, 2012

401K

Should I start paying attention to my 401K? I know it’s important, but I don’t know what it is! The short answer is start paying attention as soon as it’s offered to you at work. You can think about it as the financial safety blanket that will keep you warm in your golden retirement years. [...]

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A Trusted Expert Answers A College Girl’s Questions on Saving

by Manisha Thakor May 23, 2012

saving money

How important is it to start saving at this age? First, it’s fantastic that as a student you are excited about saving and even thinking about the differences between short and long-term savings. The distinction is huge because how you choose to build your savings will differ depending upon when you will spend the money. [...]

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A Trusted Expert Answers Your Questions About Passive Income On A Limited Salary

by Manisha Thakor May 16, 2012

Passive income

As a college student, I don’t think I have enough savings to begin investing in the stock market, but I’d like to start generating passive income before I graduate. What is the best way to go about doing this? Passive income typically comes from one of three sources:  (1) Real estate, (2) A business with a [...]

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A Trusted Expert Answers A College Girl’s Questions on Money Habits 

by Manisha Thakor May 9, 2012

Woman in front of a question mark

What are some good habits I could start now with respect to my finances? There are three key things I recommend doing while you are in college to start incorporating financial wellness into part of your ongoing self-care practice. Do no more harm. So many 20-somethings are graduating from college with staggering debt burdens. Don’t make [...]

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A Trusted Expert Answers A College Girl’s Questions on Credit Scores

by Manisha Thakor May 2, 2012

college girl and credit score

How do I go about building a good credit score? Do I have to start now, or can I put it off until I’m older? Your credit score is a three-digit number that summarizes how financially responsible you are, according to the criteria set by the credit bureaus. Broadly speaking, scores can range from 350 [...]

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A Trusted Expert Answers A College Girl’s Questions on 401K’s

by Manisha Thakor April 25, 2012

saving for 401K in college

Should I start paying attention to my 401K? I know it’s important, but I don’t know what it is! I like to say that the three most powerful words in all of personal finance are “start saving now.” The money you save early on has the most power to grow through compounding. While you are [...]

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A Trusted Expert Answers A College Girl’s Questions on Credit Cards

by Manisha Thakor April 18, 2012

Credit Card

Is it best to have one credit card or four? In general, I have found the optimal number of cards is between two and four. I like to see women have a primary credit card and a backup. I use an American Express card as my primary and a Chase Visa as my personal backup [...]

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A Trusted Expert Answers Your Questions on Savings Accounts

by Kent Smetters April 11, 2012

savings accounts

What is the best savings plan/account out there for a single mother just finishing grad school and re-entering the workforce full time? Of course, I am assuming that you are already taking full advantage of any matching retirement account provided by your employer. If not, that’s likely your first stop, even if you are not [...]

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A Trusted Expert Answers Your Questions on 529 College Savings Plans

by Kent Smetters February 3, 2012

529 Plan

If I don’t want to take part in a 529 college savings plan, what are some of my other options? A 529 plan is an education savings plan into which you make deposits from your after-tax money but your assets grow tax free. It is very much like a Roth IRA, but for education savings [...]

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