Book Review: Bad with Money

My first read of the year was the recently released book, Bad with Money by Gaby Dunn. Inspired by the podcast of the same name (which I love), this book explores some different fundamentals of finance, with a dash of social justice, and pinch of both humorous as well as poignant anecdotes from the author.

I really enjoyed this book. It definitely captures the spirit of the podcast well while not just feeling like a retread. It centers each chapter on a concept then provides facts, figures, and advice from experts. Dunn then puts the concept in context of her own story. She acknowledges her shortcomings, mistakes, and where she just had gaps in her understanding at the time. She also shows how she has worked to get past these financial difficulties, yet still underscores it with the acceptance that she still has a way to go.

This book serves as a great primer for college students, young professionals, and freelancers, but certainly has a lot to engage any reader on the current state of our financial systems and how they have historically disadvantaged many Americans.

I can’t think of a better book to kick off 2019 with. Bad with Money is smart, funny, socially conscious, honest, and engaging. I blew this book very quickly which is a testament in itself for me. It usually takes me forever to read a book to the end, and even then I sometimes skim through parts that feel irrelevant. I read this one cover to cover and recommend you do the same!

Hope you enjoy Bad with Money as much as I did!

Thanks for stopping by!

Make The World A Smarter Place, Help A Student Today

The future of humanity lies in education. There’s no denying it. The more knowledge people have, the better they get at making the right decisions. The more you know, the least you err, to put things in simple words. However, the acquisition of knowledge can often feel like an impossible quest for nowadays students. There isn’t a week that goes by without mentioning high stress issues and tuition fees that students have to cope with. Additionally, the cost of education is increasing all over the world, making it impossible for some ever to get a chance at turning their life for the better. So what can you do to help students make the world a better place?

Students need support to shine

Learning is a chance you can share

You may not have traveled far away, but you probably have heard of the countries where studying can make the difference between making a living or struggling in your home village. For many children and young adults in poor populations, the opportunities to get a scholarship are extremely limited. As a result, kids are forced to work from an early age to help their family. But if you take part to the child sponsorship programs you can help give teens a chance to study and establish themselves as professionals. When a degree can make all the difference between a healthy lifestyle and a famished existence, there’s no room left for hesitation.

Fight off the anxiety

One in 5 college students struggle with anxiety or depression disorder. The increase of tech gadgets has isolated the youth from their real life, while they try to maintain the virtual appearances on social media platforms. Additionally, the desire to succeed has driven many to seek out stimulant drugs, creating devastating addictions. It’s key for the education sector to acknowledge these mental health issues and provide personal support for those who need it most. It’s also recommended for student affairs professional to take a mental health first aid course.

Teach them to study

As scary as it might sounds, modern kids don’t know how to learn anymore. According to Daniel Willingham, professor of psychology, most students drop out of college because they don’t devise the right strategy to work. The common use of the highlighting approach to remember passages of a text doesn’t work, as it doesn’t bring students to think about the meaning of what they’re learning. Ultimately you can’t remember what you don’t understand. It’s therefore key to teach students how to best remember and understand their classes.
 

Talk about money

Last, but not least, a lot of people choose not to pursue their studies because they’re struggling with the burden of student loans. Therefore, students need the advice of experts who can help them to better understand the financial strategies to reduce and manage student loan payments. From refinancing options to enrolling in an IBR program, there as many options that young adults could use. Every student should be able to get access to a finance expert to discuss their long-term payments, budget and income potential.  

Student loan application

Education pays for itself in the long term. But without your help, is there any chance for today’s students to get the chances their parents or grandparents had?

Keeping Your Finances Strong As A Student

Being a student has its ups and downs. On the whole, most people will find it to be a particularly enjoyable and enlightening experience. But that is not to say that there are never any difficulties; of course there are, and it is up to the student to learn to deal with them as well as possible. One of the major stresses of student life for most people is the financial side of things. It is notoriously hard keeping your finances in check when you are studying, so it’s worth taking a look at what you can do to improve it before you start. In this post, we are going to go through some of the most essential financial tips which a student can benefit from. Bear the following in mind, and you should be in a much better position with regard to your finances.

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Making The Most Of Benefits

There are many ways in which students do actually benefit from their particular lifestyle, and many examples of the society providing certain boons in a financial sense. It’s a good idea to get to know what benefits there are out there for you to take hold of, as doing so will ensure that you really are making the most of the situation you find yourself in. A good example is that when buying many goods on the high street, you can usually find student cards or discounts for students. You might as well make as much use of these as you can, as it all helps in keeping your finances in check. Similarly, you will be able to save money by not paying as much council tax - something that can usually be notoriously expensive. All of these things add up to make for a cheaper way of living - and you might find that it is absolutely essential to take advantage of them if you are to enjoy student life as much as possible.

Free Cash

It might seem like it’s too good to be true, but you can actually get hold of free cash in order to help your studies along. Whether or not you have already looked into this, it’s something you will want to consider if you are going to make the most of being a student. This money can come in many forms. Most commonly, it is in the form of a governmental or local grant - which usually means you won’t even need to pay it back. There are also examples of other, more specific grants for those studying certain courses or at particular institutions. As with everything, it is worth taking the time to check it out yourself so you can make sure you are getting all the money that is truly bowed to you. The money is there to be had, so you really may as well make the most of it. If you do, your life as a student will be considerably easier, and you will be able to focus more on the studies themselves, rather than spending your time worrying about money.

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Applying For A Scholarship

There is another kind of free money which you should look into, primarily because there is a good chance you can get it. If you apply for a scholarship, you can often have your way completely funded throughout your education - something which is bound to make a significant difference to your studies as well. Scholarships are not easy to come by, but when you get them they are notable for being a mark of distinction as well as making your life a lot easier. It’s worth at least trying to get one if you are serious about both your studies and your financial situation being as strong as possible. The right scholarship can really make all the difference.

The Right Bank Account

As a student, you are often entitled to a range of specifically student-focused bank accounts. These tend to offer a variety of benefits and characteristics which you might find useful. You might need an overdraft with a small interest rate, or maybe you just need to make sure that you will never have to pay to hold the account in question. Either way, student accounts are the way to go. Sometimes, you even get further gifts for signing up, which can be geared towards helping your studies in some way or another. Bear in mind, however, that you should spend your time and make sure you end up with the account that really is right for you. Otherwise you might find yourself stuck with an account which you should not really have, or which does not actually serve you all that well. This is a difficult situation which is hard to escape from. It’s best to really take your time when it comes to opening up your student bank account and do your research well; this is a skill you’re going to need once you’re at college proper, so why not start now? Make sure that every aspect of your life, work, and studying is going to be covered by the bank account you have picked; there are banks for students in California, for example, which clearly are going to suit some more than others. Other banks will offer online-only banking with fewer fees, or they will have branches you can assess and talk to a real person at. What do you need from a bank? Know that and you’re halfway there.

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Selling Back Your Belongings

You will often find that you no longer need some of your textbooks as you continue your study. For example, in your second year it is unlikely that you will need many of the texts from the first year. You can use this situation to put yourself in a better financial position just by selling those books on to someone else. There are many ways to do that - you can sell them locally or to a friend you have in the lower year. Or you could use a service like buybackexpress.com for more money to come rolling in. However you decide to do it, it is worth looking into. Books are likely to be your main expense, or one of them, and selling them on when you are done with them ensures that you are going to keep in the best financial position you possibly can. Of course, it can extend beyond just books - you can sell any old clothes or anything that you no longer want or need. You might be amazed at how much money you can bring in this way, so it is definitely worth doing.

Save On Travel

Wherever you study, chances are you are going to have to use public transport a lot to get around. Fortunately, this in itself is a great opportunity to save some money, as you can easily help yourself to one of the many travel cards that abound. If you live in a big city, it’s likely that such a scheme does exist, and it’s definitely worth making use of it. Be sure to look out for specifically student-related cards, as these might save you even more money in the long run, and you might as well. But even just using an ordinary travel card will help you to save money overall, so it’s always worth looking into.

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Budget Your Loans

If you are going to be receiving loans for studying, then you will need to make sure that you are sensible with them. It can be tempting as a student to spend it all at once, but you want to avoid this trap if you are going to live as well as possible. You need to learn the basic act of budgeting, something which is relatively easy as long as you have patience and some basic skills in arithmetic. As long as you work out exactly how much money you will need and how to spend what where, you can be sure of being much more sensible with your money. That will mean that your loans last you as long as they are meant to, which will make the student life much less stressful on the whole. Learning to budget can make a huge difference to how well you live, and how successfully you live life as a student in particular.

Save On Energy

Wherever you live, you are going to want to make sure that you are not overpaying for the energy supply. One of the first things to do, therefore, is to make sure that you are with the cheapest supplier you can find. This is a simple matter of using a comparison service to ensure that you have chosen the right one. It might not seem like much of a difference at first, but over the space of a year it really can make a huge difference to your finances, so it’s definitely worth looking into if you are serious about looking after your money as well as you can. Saving on energy is one of the most central things here, and you should make sure that you are doing it right if you want to save money.

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Cooking From Scratch

It is often during higher education that many people learn to properly cook for the first time. You will soon enough learn that cooking from scratch is definitely better. Not only does it taste better, is more enjoyable and skilful, but it also means that you will spend less money on food. This is a fact, and it’s one that you should make the most of if you are keen to be in the best possible financial situation. Cooking form scratch, buy your food in bulk, and you will be well on your way to financial success as a student.