So why not use free cash back apps in order to make your shopping trips even more affordable?

With cash back apps, you shop and redeem your purchases. As soon as you reach the app’s threshold, you can deposit the money back into your bank account – and let’s be honest – who doesn’t love receiving cash back for their purchases?

Here are some of the best cash back apps available – the first five alone could get you $50 if you sign up using our links!.

1) Ibotta

 
Everyone needs to purchase groceries – but you can lower your grocery bill by using Ibotta.

Gone are the days of old school coupons at the grocery store. Ibotta now lets you “clip” virtual coupons, all from the convenience of your smartphone. All you have to do is open up the app before going to the grocery store, claim the offers you would like, and then go shopping. Once you’re finished with your purchasing, you can snap a picture of your receipt. The app will then tally what they owe you in cash back offers.

Ibotta has deals from most major supermarkets, including Kroger, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Safeway, and more. Once you redeem $20 worth of offers, you can transfer the money to your bank.

2) Rakuten

 
One of the most popular cash back sites and apps is Rakuten, which used to be called Ebates. There are two ways to receive cash back through Rakuten. First, you can shop on your favorite websites online, and Rakuten will automatically search for discounts and coupon codes to apply – no extra work is required on your end. Or, you can log into the app, search for offers, and shop through the app.

Both methods are incredibly easy to use. Once you hit at least $5.01 in cash back offers, you can receive payment through Rakuten.

3) Swagbucks

 
Swagbucks is one of the original shopping websites. With the Swagbucks app, you get “swagbucks” for completing specific tasks through the app, such as taking surveys, playing games, and watching advertisements.

The “Swagbucks” you earn can be redeemed for gift cards or cash back. Each “swagbuck” equals about one cent, but they add up more quickly than you would realize.

4) BeFrugal

 
BeFrugal is one of the biggest cash back sites, and they have a great app to accompany it. BeFrugal works with over 5,000 retailers, so you can be sure you will find a coupon for whatever you are searching for.

With BeFrugal, you receive cash back whenever you make a purchase through one of the retailers through their app. You can redeem the cash back either by PayPal, check, direct deposit, or a gift card.

5) Acorns Found Money

 
You may be familiar with the popular investment website, Acorns, but you may not have heard of their newest app called Acorns Found Money.

Found Money is truly a one-of-a-kind app. Like many apps, you can shop through various retailers in order to receive cash in return. But instead of the typical cash back offers, instead, it will provide you with additional investment cash to be used with Acorns.

Truly, what could be better than automatically investing money you received in return for common, everyday purchases?

Note that this is within the Acorns app, not a separate app.

6) Mr. Rebates

 
Mr. Rebates is another one of the bigger cash back sites out there. Mr. Rebates has thousands of brands and retailers that it offers cash back rewards for.

Mr. Rebates isn’t complicated. Like other cash back sites, you click through their link to a specific retailer or brand’s website, and 1-3 days after the product ships the rebate is reported. But it’s not just physical products. They work with online retailers like Hotels.com to offer rebates for online purchases.

7) Dosh

 
Dosh is perhaps one of the simplest cash back apps available today. In order to use the app, all you have to do is download it to your smartphone, securely link it to a credit card, and start racking in the points.

Every time you use your linked credit cards, you have the potential to receive 1-10% cash back. There are no hoops to jump through, either – you simply swipe and check your app!

8) Checkout 51

 
Checkout 51 is another cash back app for grocery stores. But the best thing about the app? You can redeem offers from any grocery store.

Once a week, the app will list about 50 new offers for various food products. No matter where you purchase the product, you can redeem it for the cash back it offers on the app. In order to receive your cash, you must redeem at least $20 worth of offers.

9) Fetch Rewards

 
Fetch rewards is one of the newer apps on the market. They specialize in cash back offers from your favorite grocery stores. Instead of having to clip coupons, like you have to with apps like Ibotta, you simply redeem your receipt. After that, you will be rewarded with points.

No matter where you shop, you can snap a picture of your receipt. In turn, your points can be redeemed for gift cards.

10) Makeena

 
Makeena is a fairly new cash back app that specializes in healthy and eco-friendly products. For anyone who makes it a point to purchase mindful products, you won’t want to miss out on the deals offered by Makeena. Even if you don’t always buy eco-products, Makeena provides great deals that makes purchasing friendlier products more affordable.

Makeena can be used both in stores and online.

11) Trunow

 
Does anyone enjoy paying for fuel? Gas is pricey, but necessary, no matter how little you commute. Trunow is a unique app that gives you cash back on just fuel purchases. Every time you fill up at the pump, you will receive an automatic 1% cash back in your app.

Not only does Trunow provide cash back offers, but it is an excellent app to help you find the cheapest gas near you.

 
Too many to choose from? It can’t hurt to sign up for all of them. Then, whichever is offering the best rebate at any given time is the one you should use.

 
Read about DC’s hack to get the most cash back possible when shopping online.
 
 

Our trip involved long flights from the United States and back, as well as multiple flights across Vietnam and Thailand.

We wanted to be as prepared and comfortable as possible. After all, we would be in no one place for more than four nights. We’d be unpacking and repacking often, and we would need to sleep on some of the flights.

This is the list of things we bought to make international travel easier. I think you’ll find them helpful as well.

You can also browse this list on Amazon.

Teppy Pocket WiFi

 

 
One of the most important things to me when I embark on international travel is having service on my phone. There are many places around the world that have WiFi networks, but if you want seamless and reliable connection I highly recommend renting a Teppy Pocket WiFi.

Teppy Pocket WiFi is a piece of hardware that is similar in size to a phone, but slightly thinner. All you have to do is turn it on and connect to the WiFi hotspot it creates. This was a lifesaver when we were in Vietnam and Thailand, since we could look things up on the go.

Read my full review of Teppy Pocket WiFi.

External Battery

 

 
The last thing you want to do when you are out and about in a foreign country is get caught with your phone or other electronics drained of battery in the middle of the day. An external battery is a must.

I bought and recommend the Anker PowerCore 13000 Portable Charger. This battery is powerful enough to recharge your phone multiple times, but what I really love about it is the two USB ports. You can charge two phones at once, but what I often found myself doing was charging both my phone and Teppy Pocket WiFi at the same time. Super useful and not too bulky considering how much of a charge it carries.

Noise-Cancelling Headphones

 

 
Noise-cancelling headphones don’t block out 100% of the noise around you, but there is a huge difference between noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds. Besides blocking out noise on the plane, it also helps protect your eardrums because it naturally makes it so you don’t have to listen to your audio as loud as with earbuds. I’m always surprised more people don’t use them when flying.

I admittedly didn’t buy mine for flying because I use them when I’m working. Unlike some of the things on this list, noise-cancelling headphones have a use outside of your international travel. They also aren’t as expensive as you might think. I love these Boltune bluetooth headphones and they only cost about $50.

Clothes Organizers with Compression Built-In

 

 
On most of my international trips where I am only staying at one location the entire time I haven’t had to worry much about having my clothes super organized. But on our Asia trip we were packing and repacking often, so I wanted to make sure we had everything as organized as possible.

These Lermende Compression Packing Cubes were a big win. They come with a handful of bags in different sizes. There is compression built-in with how the zippers are set up, and it was easy to divide up clothes based on type or leg of the trip.

Neck Pillow

 

 
I’m a light sleeper, so sleeping on flights is something I rarely do. But when you think about a long international flight, especially a red-eye, you have to at least try to sleep for part of the flight.

What made a big difference for me was a neck pillow. This is a basic travel necessity, but at the same time an essential one when we are talking about international travel.

I recommend this memory foam neck pillow that costs around $15.

Medicine Organizer

 

 
I take allergy medicine regularly and typically like to have ibuprofen and benadryl on me in case I need it. The problem with traveling is that it’s annoying to bring multiple bottles of pills.

Until recently I would bring my pills in their prescription bottles or in little plastic bags. My wife found these pill organizers and they worked really well. I also used a label maker to label each section.

These compartments are small. If you have larger pills you won’t be able to fit a ton, or will need to fill many of the compartments with the same pill. For most pills, though, the organizer will work well.

One thing I will warn about this is that you could run into issues if the country you are entering has some rules around pills needing to all be in labeled bottles. I didn’t read deep into this topic so I’m unsure what countries, if any, would cause issues. I had no problems and it was super useful having such a compact organizer in my bag.

Finally, always make sure to have copies of your prescription information.

Water Bottle

 

 
Having a large, quality water bottle can make your trip more comfortable – you don’t want to run out of water right away on a long flight.

A travel water bottle should also have a covered mouth piece, for obvious reasons. I admit at one time my water bottle didn’t have a cover and it’s pretty gross to think about.

We went with this 32 ounce Hydracy water bottle. I don’t like fruit in my water, but this water bottle does come with a removable fruit strainer.

Rewards from Credit Cards – Free Flights and Credits towards Travel Expenses

 
We’ve been using travel rewards credit cards and cash back credit cards for nearly a decade to save money on flights, hotels, and more.

For example, our flights to and from Asia cost only about a hundred dollars from taxes and airport fees, and we also saved money on hotels through travel credits we gained through our credit cards. I go into more detail in this post.

Besides free flights and savings on hotel stays through travel credits, another credit card rewards we really value is a credit for Global Entry, which includes TSA PreCheck. There are a few cards that offer a credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck, including the Capital One® Venture® Rewards credit card which offers up to a $100 credit. The Capital One Venture Rewards card also has a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. These 50,000 miles equal $500 in travel, which is a huge perk.

Electronics Organizer

 

 
Chargers. Batteries. USB cables.

The amount of cords and electronics can get a bit ridiculous. That’s why I decided to purchase an electronics organizer for when I go on trips. This helps keep all your cords and equipment in one spot. I went with this BAGSMART Electronic Organizer, which may have a little too much space since I got the double-layered version. The single-layer is likely enough for most people.

Tablet & Accessories

 

 
For years I went back and forth on whether to get a tablet or not. Typically it’s not that big of an issue to bring my laptop with when I travel. Yes, it can be a bit bulky, but if I’m not constantly on the move it doesn’t matter much to me.

I finally decided to get a Microsoft Surface for our trip to Asia. We were going to be traveling often throughout the trip and a laptop didn’t seem practical. The Surface was a bit more expensive than some lower-cost tablets, but it has Microsoft Office on it which I use all the time.

I also bought a couple accessories including the Microsoft Surface Go Type Cover, this screen protector, and this case.

Backpacks

 

 
Luggage works just fine for many trips, but if you are on the go it can help to have a large backpack. I went with this Kelty Coyote backpack, which has an 80 Liter capacity. There are many opinions on what size of a bag is needed, so it’s worth noting that 80L is a pretty big bag. My wife went with a smaller 55L/65L backpack.

I’m not going to lie, when you have these bags packed full of stuff it can be a bit heavy. But that has more to do with what you pack versus the bag itself. I think it would be challenging to fully pack an 80L bag and walk around with it for an extended period of time.

Here are some other things we bought that are worth checking out:

• Silicone Rings – Men’s and Women’s – Even if you have insurance on your rings, there is no reason to make yourself a target when traveling internationally. Buy these inexpensive silicone wedding rings and leave your expensive rings at home.

• Waterproof Phone Case – When you are close to the water don’t risk your phone getting wet, use one of these waterproof cases. One warning is to make sure that the case is clean if you are taking pictures. And since I mentioned that, check your camera lens, too. Mine got dirty on an excursion and a bunch of the pictures are a bit blurry.

• Charcoal Pills – Charcoal pills are becoming a popular way to combat digestive issues while traveling.

• Adidas Soccer Pants – One of my greatest travel purchases were these pants. Yes, a pair of pants. These pants have zippers on the side which makes pickpocketing way more difficult. They also are tapered and super comfortable. I wish I had bought these years ago.

Hopefully you found this list useful and have some ideas of things that will help make your next international trip easier. If you have anything you would add to this list, please drop a comment. We are always looking for new products that will help make traveling a breeze.

Don’t forget – you can browse this list on Amazon.

So why would you want to look for alternatives to Dave Ramsey? If he’s helped millions, why wouldn’t anyone and everyone who has struggled with debt simply buy his book, take his course, and be on their way to financial freedom?

If you’re reading this you may already have your reasons for looking for alternatives to Dave Ramsey. But for those who are curious, I’ll walk you through a few reasons why someone may look for alternatives.

One-Size Fits All Approach

 
One of the biggest reasons people ditch Dave Ramsey or seek out alternatives is because of his one-size fits all approach. This can be off-putting, or in some cases downright damaging.

For example, Ramsey has a strict belief that credit cards are evil. While there are certainly many people who struggle with credit cards and may be better off not having one, it’s not everyone. There are millions who benefit greatly from credit card rewards. From simple cash-back credit cards to travel rewards credit cards, you can literally receive thousands of dollars in benefits if you pay off your bill in full each month and do not purchase things you otherwise wouldn’t.

Ramsey also shared some misleading and potentially devastating advice related to student loan debt recently. I did a full-write up on a Facebook post here, which includes a screenshot from the Instagram Q&A where he gave the advice. The fact that Ramsey fails to even mention the full array of strategies on student loan repayment strategies makes me very concerned for those who are listening to him alone.

No Room for Differing Opinions + Reports of a Toxic Workplace

 
There are reports that Ramsey Solutions, the 500+ employee company that carries out the Ramsey portfolio of businesses and builds/maintains the Dave Ramsey brand, is a toxic workplace. I’ll let you read this article instead of rehashing the claims and rumors of claims within this post.

One article I read (which is no longer online) that shared experiences from a former Ramsey Solutions employee, was particularly troublesome. There was an entire Facebook group of former employees that shared troubling experiences at Ramsey Solutions and how there was no room for dissent (again, read this article for more). Just a lot of, at best odd, at worst discriminatory behavior and not something I personally would want to be associated with, which is one reason I don’t refer anyone to Dave Ramsey.

One of his financial coaches (yes, he is building an army of financial coaches as we speak), suggested a robo-advisor to a client. Well, Ramsey hates robo-advisors so that’s not okay. He has vowed to “get to the bottom of it.”

I understand the need to have a consistent message and brand, but this is troubling because of the earlier student loan comment I made. What if someone could potentially receive $100k+ in tax-free loan forgiveness through Public Service Loan Forgiveness? Would one of his financial coaches essentially get chastised by Ramsey and removed from his brand for helping someone execute a financial strategy that could mean a $100k-$200k+ swing in their financials? Very troubling.

One thing that really concerns me is this: Ramsey receives free advertising at hundreds, if not thousands, of churches across the United States.

I feel a need to re-iterate that Ramsey has helped millions with their debt. But I have trouble with the fact that his financial program seems to be the only financial program that consistently gets free air time at churches throughout the country. Hypothetically speaking, if the toxic workplace allegations were true, it’s disheartening for me as a Christian to see this business get so much free airtime and, subsequently, cash flow, from churches.

Like most things, there is nothing that has more impact than the power of the purse. If you don’t feel good about supporting Dave Ramsey by purchasing his book or taking his course, or are concerned about the advice he is giving, there are plenty of alternatives.

Financial Coaching

 
If working one-on-one sounds like something that would benefit you, you’re in luck: there’s a growing number of options.

Traditionally the advice you’d hear around financial advice / financial planning would be to talk to a Certified Financial Planner, or CFP. While a CFP can sometimes be a good option, there are many who will only meet people with a certain minimum of assets (i.e. $200k, $500k, etc.). The reason why is because they take a percentage of your portfolio (think 1% as an example) as their annual fee. Well, if you don’t have the assets you’re out of luck. And even if you do have the assets, you have to ask yourself whether that fee is worth it.

There are some CFPs who you can pay for an hour or two of advice, or a flat fee for a comprehensive financial plan. While this is a growing number, most advisors still seem to prefer the percent of assets model.

One option for financial coaching is The Financial Gym. I personally know the founder, Shannon McLay, and I think this is a much-needed business that has already helped tons of people improve their finances. It’s a membership model where you pay a flat fee per month and receive various benefits such as quarterly check-ins with your trainer, access to your trainer for ongoing questions, and more. You can learn more about The Financial Gym here.

Personal Finance Books

 
I’m biased because I’m an author myself, but I think personal finance books have a huge potential return on investment. Some of the books I’ll reference below I have read, underlined, and dog-eared. Sometimes even one paragraph alone can be worth the price you paid for the book. Ramsey may have one of the best-known books, but it’s certainly not the only one.

For general personal finance I recommend Kristin Wong’s Get Money. This book is a treasure trove of personal finance advice and hits on a wide variety of topics.

While there are a handful of student loan books that have been published, I decided to write a book on student loans because none of them seemed to lay out all the options for borrowers, nor did they tie in their personal finance situation. I think considering all your options and opportunities for strategically paying back your student loans is important. Learn more about Student Loan Solution here.

One other book I will mention is in regards to investing. Erin Lowry’s Broke Millennial Takes on Investing is a good deep dive into the ins and outs of the investing world.

Blogs

 
Personal finance blogs can be a great resource for personal finance information – especially because they are free!

Again, I’m biased because I’ve spent the past seven years writing and editing Young Adult Money and I truly think we are making a difference in people’s lives.

Because I know of so many personal finance blogs, I will resist listing out suggestions as I will certainly leave off someone. Different bloggers have different opinions, and you’ll find the whole range of opinions if you go to enough blogs.

One drawback of blogs is the fact that most bloggers – myself included – get paid to refer people to products and services. For example, there are a few student loan refinancing companies that pay per funded loan. Well what I learned quickly is that very few bloggers put a disclaimer that says “You should NOT refinance federal student loans unless you are comfortable losing benefits that come with them, such as income-driven repayment and opportunities for forgiveness.”

This may be an extreme example, but you get the point. Bloggers who are compensated for affiliate links are naturally biased, and may not go out of their way to say things that would deter you from signing up for a product or service that pays them for referrals.

Regardless, blogs can still provide a ton of valuable content that can help improve your finances, all at no cost.

Courses

 
What keeps Ramsey’s company and brand rolling is the course they offer (again, which gets a ton of free promotion at churches throughout the United States).

While his course is extremely well-known, it’s not the only one.

There are courses on virtually every financial topic, like investing and budgeting, but there are also general personal finance courses. If I had to recommend one it would be Tara Falcone’s MONEY course, which has over 75 modules and covers a wide variety of personal finance topics. You can learn more about her course here.

Podcasts

 
Blogs, courses, and books are all great, but let’s not forget about another form of media that provides a ton of valuable personal finance content: podcasts!

The quantity and quality of personal finance podcasts today is remarkable. There are tons of podcasts out there, so give some a listen and see which you like. A few suggestions for you:

• Millennial Money with Shannah Compton Gaine

• Stacking Benjamins with Joe Saul-Sehy

• Financial Grownup with Bobbi Rebell

 
See a longer list of recommendations here.

___________________________

As you can see, there are nearly limitless alternatives to Dave Ramsey. Even with these alternative options you should still seek out a variety of views. For example, working with The Financial Gym’s trainers can be really beneficial, but it’s still important to educate yourself and understand the “why” behind the choices you are making. For example, why can an index fund be a solid investment choice? Why are you taking a specific approach to paying down your student loans?

Check out some of the alternatives to Dave Ramsey, and if you decide to read a book by Ramsey or take on of his courses, please go in with a skeptical mindset.
 
 

After all, college students have very little “extra” time. They are trying to perform well in all their classes, and many have numerous obligations outside of class such as working, volunteering, organization involvement, and social lives.

And that’s not to say life gets less busy when you are out of college, but it’s better to confront your finances right away out of college than ignore them for a few years.

One example where taking control of your financial life right away can pay off is through Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or PSLF as it is commonly referred to as. This is the government program where certain federal student loans on certain repayment plans (income-driven repayment plans) are eligible for loan forgiveness after 120 qualified monthly payments. These payments must be made while working for a 501(c)(3) or government employer.

If you knew this right out of school it may impact where you decide to work. It also is a complex program that essentially forces you to understand the ins and outs of the program. But if you didn’t take the time to even become aware of PSLF you may make a costly mistake such as refinancing through a private lender, when in reality keeping your federal loans would have been a good move.

That is just one example of many where confronting your finances right after you graduate college can pay off dividends down the road.

The books in this list have the advice, information, and action items to get you started on the right foot. So if you are a 2019 college grad or know someone who is graduating, grab a copy of these books. They will more than pay off.

Here’s a quick summary of the books, followed by a more detailed description of each.

Summary:

 
Student Loans

• Student Loan Solution: 5 Steps to Take Control of your Student Loans and Financial Life by David Carlson

General Personal Finance

• Get Money: Live the Life You Want, Not Just the Life You Can Afford by Kristin Wong

• Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together by Erin Lowry

• Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together by Bobbi Rebell

Career

• Corporate Survival Guide for Your Twenties by Kayla Cruz

• Ask a Manager: How to Navigate Clueless Colleagues, Lunch-Stealing Bosses, and the Rest of Your Life at Work by Alison Green

Student Loan Solution: 5 Steps to Take Control of your Student Loans and Financial Life

From Amazon: Lower Your Student Loan Debt

Personalize your approach to student loans: Those who have student loans, especially those with a lot of student loans, need to approach their finances differently than those who do not have student loan debt. Student Loan Solution explains what student loan borrowers should be focusing on when it comes to their finances above and beyond managing their student loan debt. Additionally, it shows borrowers how to take advantage of strategies that help them make more money, save more money, and ultimately pay down their student loans faster.

Be smarter than your student loan debt: Loans should be straightforward, but unfortunately, student loans are complicated. College financial aid terms like “federal direct subsidized” and “GRAD Plus” mean little to most of us, but each type of student loan is slightly different, with its own set of rules and repayment options. Student Loan Solution explains everything you need to know about your student loans. From how student loans work, to student loan repayment options and opportunities for loan forgiveness, to creating a plan for managing and paying down your loans, author David Carlson covers it all.

De-complicate your life: By the time you are done reading Student Loan Solution, you will understand your student loans, gain control of your finances, and be armed with strategies to improve your finances and, ultimately, your life.

Be more than a statistic: For millions of Americans, paying for college meant taking out loans. If you are one of the 70% of college graduates with student loans, Student Loan Solution has financial advice for you. Fight the student loans epidemic affecting 40 million borrowers―learn the best way to pay off the college degree you worked so hard to earn.

A step-by-step approach: Student Loan Solution uses a 5-step approach to help you understand your loans, your options, and how to improve your greater financial life while paying down your student loan debt. A topic that can be overwhelming is simplified through the step-by-step approach that gives clear action items that keep you moving forward in your journey to repay your loans.

Student Loan Solution has the tools you need to start your student loans repayment with a bang. In this book, David Carlson provides the tools and financial advice to:

• Pay off your student loan debt
• Personalize your student loan repayment plan
• Live a happier, more financially knowledgeable life

Title: Student Loan Solution: 5 Steps to Take Control of your Student Loans and Financial Life
Author: David Carlson

Get Money: Live the Life You Want, Not Just the Life You Can Afford

From Amazon: Learn how to live the life you want, not just the life you can afford!

Managing your money is like going to the dentist or standing in line at the DMV. Nobody wants to do it, but at some point, it’s inevitable: you need to clean your teeth, renew your license, and manage your personal finances like a grown-up. Whether you’re struggling to pay off student loan debt, ready to stop living paycheck to paycheck, or have finally accepted that your Beanie Baby collection will never pay off, tackling your finances may seem immensely intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be. In fact, by approaching it as a game–or something that requires you to set clear goals, as well as face challenges you must “beat”–personal finance can not only be easy to understand, but it can also be fun!

In Get Money, personal finance expert Kristin Wong shows you the exact steps to getting more money in your pocket without letting it rule your life. Through a series of challenges designed to boost your personal finance I.Q., interviews with other leading financial experts, and exercises tailored to help you achieve even your biggest goals, you’ll learn valuable skills such as:

• Building a budget that (gasp) actually works
• Super-charging a debt payoff plan
• How to strategically hack your credit score
• Negotiating like a shark (or at least a piranha)
• Side-hustling to speed up your money goals
• Starting a lazy investment portfolio…and many more!

Simply put, with this gamified guide to personal finance, you’ll no longer stress about understanding how your finances work–you’ll finally “get” money.

Title: Get Money: Live the Life You Want, Not Just the Life You Can Afford
Author: Kristin Wong

Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together

From Amazon: Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck and Get Your Financial Life Together (#GYFLT)!

If you’re a cash-strapped 20- or 30-something, it’s easy to get freaked out by finances. But you’re not doomed to spend your life drowning in debt or mystified by money. It’s time to stop scraping by and take control of your money and your life with this savvy and smart guide.

Broke Millennial shows step-by-step how to go from flat-broke to financial badass. Unlike most personal finance books out there, it doesn’t just cover boring stuff like credit card debt, investing, and dealing with the dreaded “B” word (budgeting). Financial expert Erin Lowry goes beyond the basics to tackle tricky money matters and situations most of us face #IRL.

Title: Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together
Author: Erin Lowry

How to Be a Financial Grownup: Proven Advice from High Achievers on How to Live Your Dreams and Have Financial Freedom

From Amazon: Bobbi Rebell, award-winning TV anchor and personal finance columnist at Thomson Reuters, taps into her exclusive network of business leaders to share with you stories of the financial lessons they learned early in their lives that helped them become successful. She then uses these stories as jumping off points to offer specific, actionable advice on how you can become a financial grownup just like them.

Financial role models such as Author Tony Robbins, Entrepreneur Ivanka Trump, Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, Mad Money’s Jim Cramer, Designer Cynthia Rowley, Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren, Zillow’s CEO Spencer Rascoff, PwC’s CEO Bob Moritz, and twenty others share their stories with you.

Title: Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together
Author: Bobbi Rebell
 

Corporate Survival Guide for Your Twenties: A Guide to Help You Navigate the Business World

From Amazon: Welcome to the corporate world, friend! A world where things aren’t fair, some people are mean, and if you want to succeed, your boss has to like you.

In her new book: Corporate Survival Guide for Your Twenties: A Guide to Help You Navigate the Business World, Kayla Buell, founder of the award-winning blog Lost GenY Girl, helps you face the corporate world post-college. Navigating a corporate working world filled with pitfalls and traps is not easy there’s no app for that.

Should you speak up in meetings? Should you stay quiet? Should you eat at your desk? What should you wear? And what do you do when someone blasts you via e-mail? In Corporate Survival Guide for Your Twenties, Buell helps the early career professionals get their kick-ass career running!

Title: Corporate Survival Guide for Your Twenties
Author: Kayla Cruz

Ask a Manager: How to Navigate Clueless Colleagues, Lunch-Stealing Bosses, and the Rest of Your Life at Work

From Amazon: From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York magazine’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to navigating 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice!

There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when

• coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it

• you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all”

• you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all

• you catch a colleague in a lie

• your boss seems unhappy with your work

• your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal

• you got drunk at the holiday party

Title: Ask a Manager: How to Navigate Clueless Colleagues, Lunch-Stealing Bosses, and the Rest of Your Life at Work
Author: Alison Green

Summary:

 
Student Loans

• Student Loan Solution: 5 Steps to Take Control of your Student Loans and Financial Life by David Carlson

General Personal Finance

• Get Money: Live the Life You Want, Not Just the Life You Can Afford by Kristin Wong

• Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together by Erin Lowry

• Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together by Bobbi Rebell

Career

• Corporate Survival Guide for Your Twenties by Kayla Cruz

• Ask a Manager: How to Navigate Clueless Colleagues, Lunch-Stealing Bosses, and the Rest of Your Life at Work by Alison Green

Even if you land a job out of college that pays decently, those monthly student loan payments can still be painful. They can also hold you back from things like buying a house or even moving out of your parent’s place.

I get it.

My wife and I had a lot of undergrad student loans, plus my wife had to go to grad school in order to continue her career path of becoming a therapist. If you are feeling the pain of student loans, I can relate.

This is a big reason why I took the past year to research and write my second book, Student Loan Solution. This book is focused on giving student loan borrowers practical, actionable advice on how to take control of their student loans. I go further, though and talk about how to improve your greater financial life as well.

 
When I wrote the book I interviewed a number of personal finance and career experts. There was one question that I asked each of them: what is a word of encouragement you would like to share with student loan borrowers?

This post is made up of all their responses. I hope they give you some encouragement on your path to repaying your student loans. And please share with others!

Paulette Perhach

Author of Welcome to the Writer’s Life

 
Hang in there. Your financial situation today is not the financial situation you will always be in. There are a lot of people struggling alongside you. Find people who have similar financial situations and goals, and work together.

Shannon McLay

Founder and CEO of The Financial Gym

 
Student loans should not define you and your life journey. We have clients paying off student loans while also traveling the world, buying homes and having children. Anything is possible when you put your mind to it.

Erin Lowry

Author of Broke Millennial Takes On Investing: A Beginner’s Guide to Leveling-Up Your Money

 
You’re not alone. Student loan debt is an incredibly common struggle and you should reach out for emotional support. That could mean speaking openly to your friends and using your immediate network as accountability buddies or it might mean consuming content like blogs or podcasts where other people are talking about similar struggles.

You also have to face your numbers. You cannot create an effective attack plan for dealing with your debt without knowing all the nitty gritty of who owns your loans, your principal balance, the monthly due, the interest rate and your repayment plan options.

Chonce Maddox

Founder of My Debt Epiphany

 
I’d say awareness is key when paying off any debt for that matter. There was this unwritten rule to avoid talking about student loan debt when I was in college. Everyone I knew just avoided it and by the time I graduated, I didn’t know how much I had, what my interest rate was, or what my monthly payment would like like.

Once I found out my loans were accruing interest during my grace period, I tried to throw anything extra to the balance and that’s how it starts. I’d recommend that someone make sure they budget for their minimum payment (this may involve doing things like continuing to live like a college student, getting a roommate, driving an older car) but don’t feel as if they have to stop there. If you can throw an extra $20 or $50 on your loans, it will help. Plus, putting extra on your loans can help you get ahead on payments in case you endure a financial hardship.

Leanna Haakons

Founder of financial marketing firm, Black Hawk Financial and author of Young, Fun & Financially Free

 
One of my favorite quotes is “the struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you’ll need for tomorrow.” This is applicable to so many different areas of your life, including keeping a strong mindset when it comes to financial situations. Make no mistake, time is your most valuable commodity in life, not money. Though I hope you won’t, you will likely experience much greater stress throughout your life, as I have, than money stress. Such as the loss of loved ones, relationships failing, sick children, war, etc. Perspective can be a wonderful thing when it comes to financial situations because it allows us to de-emotionalize the situation to create a plan of action. Know that although this is your current struggle now, you can create a sound plan to manage your payments and still live a fulfilling, abundant and happy life. Try to keep it in perspective.

Kevin Ha

Founder of The Financial Panther personal finance blog

 
Don’t give up and keep pushing on! It’s not fun to have student loan debt and while things will seem slow at the beginning, you’ll find that it quickly speeds up towards the end as you get more and more motivated.

Alissa Carpenter

Millennial workforce expert and leadership trainer

 
I promise, there is a light at the end of the tunnel! You might not see it now, but it’s there. To help keep me motivated, I marked dates on my calendar for when I would reach certain dollar or percentage milestones. It helped me to not only see how far I’ve come but to stay focused until the end. When you get that email from your loan provider saying you paid off your loans, it’s the best feeling to know how hard you’ve worked to get there!

Jason Butler

Founder of My Money Chronicles

 
Don’t give up. I’m still paying on my student loans. I procrastinated for years but I’m making payments and I’m seeing the balances get lower. Keep going.

Leslie Tayne

Author, Life & Debt, and Founder Tayne Law Group, P.C.

 
You’re not alone! It takes time to get out of debt. Patience!

Melanie Lockert

Author of Dear Debt: A Story About Breaking Up With Debt

 
Your student loan debt does not have to define your self-worth. It doesn’t have to be ‘forever’. Student loans are no fun and they’re tough to pay back but it’s worth doing so.

Just remember you are never alone. With 44 million borrowers, you’re far from alone. Be responsible with paying back your student loans but don’t let them ruin your life.

Peter Anderson

Founder of Bible Money Matters

 
If you’re struggling with student loan debt, remember that while the balance may seem insurmountable at times, as long as you create a plan for removing that debt, and put that plan in action, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Apply yourself to pay it off as quickly as you can, and in no time you’ll be stashing cash away for the future!

 
 
I hope you found these words encouraging. The best thing you can do about your student loans – and your greater finances – is take control of them! Check out Student Loan Solution, which has insights and advice from all these experts.

Side hustles are a powerful way to make additional income outside of your 9 to 5 job. However, since you’re typically making money without having taxes taken out of your earnings, there are quite few more steps that you need to do to ensure you care managing your earnings in the safest and most efficient way ever. Failure to track your income and expenses can result in owing significant money come tax time – something no one wants.

Fortunately, there are plenty of valuable tools to help you manage your side hustle finances, all for little or no cost. If you make money through a side hustle, you’ll want to be sure to check out these 5 tools.

1) Separate High-Yield Bank Accounts

 
The absolute easiest and simplest thing you can do to help keep track of your side hustle income and expenses is to open a new savings and checking account, separate from your personal finances. Everything else on this list is certainly helpful, but at the very least, having a separate bank account makes it easy to know exactly how much you are earning and how much you are spending on business-related expenses.

Not only that, but it ensures you are saving enough for taxes. Overall, it is just much easier to keep track of, and helps limit some of the liability that may come if you try to keep all of your accounts in one place.

You can easily open up a new savings or checking account. If you have side hustle income, consider opening up a high-yield, online savings account through CIT Bank. Currently, they are offering 2.45 percent APY, which is much higher than you can find at a traditional bank in your hometown. Plus, online banks offer all of the same ac abilities as regular banks.

Related:

• CIT Bank Review – High Yield Savings Account

2) Low-Cost Invoicing Tools

 
Any freelancer will tell you that invoicing fees are one of the most dreaded expenses.

What’s an invoicing fee? These are fees charged by companies such as PayPal. Whenever you send out a digital invoice and someone pays you, these platforms take out a small percentage of your earnings as a payment to themselves for you to use their services.

PayPal’s fees are currently 2.9% + $0.30 per sale. While that might not sound like a lot of money with smaller invoices, it can really put a damper on your earnings when you’re charging $500 or more. Plus, it’s just another unnecessary expense as a freelancer.

Instead of paying high fees for these types of services, find a lower paying invoicing system. Freshbooks is a popular option, and for good reason. Instead of charging per transaction, you can purchase monthly subscriptions to send unlimited invoices out to a set number of clients each month. For instance, for just $15 a month, you can send out invoices to up to 5 clients, saving you a significant amount of cash if you tend to send out larger invoices.

3) Project Management Software

 
It isn’t easy to side hustle on top of your full-time work. When you’re busy working so often, you can sometimes forget to side aside time to manage your finances.

I know there have been a few times where I literally forgot to invoice clients. It’s pretty silly looking back, because that was quite a bit of money I simply forgot to bill my clients for. Not only was I missing out on income, but my clients were probably a little confused and would have likely appreciated a little more consistency.

In addition, when I didn’t pay enough attention to my business finances, it made it impossible to play catch up. Trust me – it’s not fun to try to count all of your quarterly income the day that quarterly taxes are due. It’s much easier to keep track of your finances on the front end.

In order to do this, I had to get myself organized. I started using a variety of free project management software available online to help remind me of each task I need to do.

Currently, my absolute favorite software is Trello. I put everything, including to-do lists for my personal life in Trello. It makes it easy to keep track of deadlines, assign tasks for each day of the week, and more.

4) A Budget Tracker

 
Like with anything, you will need to develop a budget for your business.

Since you can’t always anticipate when income will come in with a side hustle, you need to be extra diligent about staying on budget. You never want to find that you’ve overspent and won’t get paid for several more weeks.

One of our favorite and most affordable budget trackers is Tiller. Tiller lets you easily create unique Excel spreadsheets to fit your financial needs. You can then link them to your bank accounts and it will automatically export your financial transactions to your Tiller spreadsheet. Think of it like a massive export of your current financial picture. Tiller also has a pre-made spreadsheet specifically for business income and expenses.

Tiller costs just $4.92 per month, but they give you the first month as a free trial when you use this link, so be sure to check it out.

5) A Business Credit Card

 
Some of the most profitable side hustles incur many expenses along the way. Take photographers for instance – they have to pay for travel to meet clients, materials fees, and have to periodically buy expensive equipment or props. When you have a number of business expenses, you will want to sign up for a credit card dedicated to just business expenses.

Why a credit card? Credit cards make it easy to keep track of your spending. Your credit card statements can serve as an additional form of record keeping come tax time, further providing security in the event that you need it.

Not to mention, credit cards may offer rewards like points and cash back, which is enough to help offset many of the costs of your business. Hey, if you’re going to spend money, you might as well try to get some perks out of it.

You can see other top business credit cards here.

 
Related:

• 7 Side Hustle Ideas That Might Surprise You

• 10 Things My Side Hustles Taught Me About Money

• 12 Productivity Hacks to Help You Side Hustle Better

 
 
Do you have a side hustle? If so, what tools do you use to keep track of your income?
 
 

Traditionally, reading and being taught in a classroom setting have been the few ways we can learn. Nowadays, it couldn’t be different. We are constantly surrounded by new information, and podcasts are just one of the newest forms of delivery.

Many people are turning to podcasts because they can listen to them while doing something else. For instance, you can’t (or shouldn’t) read a book while driving, exercising, or working. On the other hand, you can listen to podcasts anytime and anywhere, making them yet another valuable resource at your disposal.

If you’re interested in learning more about personal finance, there are plenty of free podcasts available to you. We rounded up 9 of our favorite personal finance podcasts, so check them out!

1) Financial Grownup with Bobbi Rebell

 
Bobbi Rebell, a Certified Financial Planner, is the host of the Financial Grownup podcast. Her podcast features interviews with some of the top thought leaders in personal finance. While some guest speakers offer financial advice, many others share their own inspiring financial stories.

These short, 15 to 20 minute podcasts are perfect for anyone who needs a little extra motivation when it comes to their finances. Rebell also shares simple, actionable advice in each podcast, so you can improve your finances one step at a time.

2) Stacking Benjamins with Joe Saul-Sehy

 
Stacking Benjamins is likely the most established and well-known podcast on this list, and DC has actually made an appearance on it! Stacking Benjamins is hosted by Joe Saul-Sehy and OG, and often features roundtable discussions with other financial experts on current topics.

It’s also probably one of the most amusing financial podcasts out there, and Joe’s extensive experience in media makes him a great host. The roundtable guests have a lot of chemistry, so even if they’re discussing something like investing and the stock market, you’ll find it funny and informative.

You’re also likely to find a bit of everything on Stacking Benjamins. They publish three times a week, and since they have multiple segments within an episode, they change topics frequently – something not found on most podcasts on this list.

Most episodes are around an hour long, although if you want more, there’s also “The Green Room,” an extended version of Stacking Benjamins – with less emphasis on money.

3) Martinis and Your Money with Shannon McLay

 
Shannon is the founder of The Financial Gym and a financial coach with years of advisory experience, and in Martinis and your Money she covers all sorts of financial topics with advice aimed specifically at millennials…while drinking. (It’s called Martinis and Your Money for a reason!) Yes, it’s as fun as it sounds.

You’ll also find “happy hour” episodes once a month, which feature a fun group of personal finance bloggers. They run about an hour each. Shannon’s other episodes vary between 30 – 60 minutes.

4) Money Girl with Laura Adams

 
Laura Adams Money Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips podcast has been running for a full decade. Part of the “Quick and Dirty Tips” network, Laura provides listeners with practical takeaways that help improve their finances.

She also has a private facebook group called Dominate your Dollars with thousands of members that goes hand-in-hand with the podcast.

5) Planet Money

 
While Planet Money is about the economy as a whole, it does include quite a few episodes specifically about personal finance. And, of course, everything happening in the economy affects your own finances. Planet Money can help you understand the bigger picture regarding your money.

Planet Money puts out a new podcast twice a week, so you can always stay up-to-date on hot topics. It has remained the top financial podcast on iTunes for quite some time with a loyal following.

6) Afford Anything with Paula Pant

 
Paula Pant goes by the motto “You can afford anything, but not everything.” She bases the content on her podcast Afford Anything around two questions: How can we make smarter decisions about our money, time and life? And how can we align our daily behaviors and habits with the lifestyle we value most?

Pant’s blog and podcast cover anything from investing, debt, common financial questions, and more. Each podcast is approximately one hour in length.

7) Her Money with Jean Chatzky

 
Her Money is a podcast specifically for women. Host Jean Chatzky delivers straightforward and actionable steps for each podcast. Not only do her podcasts provide general financial education, but they discuss hot-topic issues surrounding women and their career and finances.

Most podcasts are 30 minutes in length and consist of Chatzky interviewing an industry expert. Chatzky prides herself on being frank, funny, but always compassionate, and her podcasts deliver just that.

8) Optimal Finance Daily

 
If you prefer reading blogs to podcasts, then Optimal Finance Daily is for you. While it technically is a podcast, it has proclaimed itself as more of an “audioblog or blogcast.”

Optimal Finance Daily was created for those looking to improve their financial lives little by little. They provide content from blogs and other resources and read it to you, so you can take some of your favorite blogs on the go.

Most blogcasts are less than 10 minutes in length, making it a perfect addition to your daily routine.

9) Journey to Launch with Jamila Souffrant

 
Jamila Souffrant is a Certified Financial Education Instructor and blogger. She is the founder of Journey to Launch, a popular personal finance blog and podcast. Journey to Launch is ideal for those who understand financial basics, but have a hard time implementing changes into their lives. Instead of simply providing and discussing information, each podcast provides action steps for each reader to take in order to change their financial situation.

Each podcast is 30 to 60 minutes in length, making it the perfect supplement to your commute or workout.

10) Work Your Wealth with Mary Beth Storjohann

 
Work Your Wealth is a weekly podcast by Mary Beth Storjohann, a Certified Financial Planner. In her podcast, she interviews leading financial experts, business owners, and authors to discuss everything related to millennials and money.

Since her professional background is in finance, she strives to educate listeners on the hard money topics, such as investing, fine print, and taxes.

 
Related:

• 100+ Ways to Improve Your Finances

• Personal Finance Books for Millennials

 
 
Do you listen to financial podcasts? If so, what podcasts are your favorite? If you don’t listen to podcasts, what financial resources do you prefer?