The 2014 Guide to Mastering Your Finances

Chelsea said it best:

“We are the most educated and underemployed generation”.

She couldn’t be more right. We have a lot of things to fight through, but I’m willing to bet on us. There are also tons of tools out there to help you with your money. Unfortunately, people generally only write about one or the other. I’m here to do both. You know money management matters. You’ve read the articles. You’ve seen the stats. The odds say you probably have a loan or two. What you need are resources. Here are some to get you started.

Manage Your Money

Mint – One of the best personal finance tools ever. Keep track of all your expenses and get weekly updates on your spending. A great way to stay accountable to your goals and keep focused in 2014.

LearnVest – Working to help you feel amazing about your money, Learnvest actually customizes finances to fit where you are in life, and where you want to go.

Finovera – Bills are a part of life. FInovera helps you keep track of all of them. They sync with around 10,000 services, so whoever you pay monthly should probably be there.

Beat Debt

No one wants to share debt. We hide and run from it, but that only hurts us more. Here are a couple tools to start fighting back. Get smart about it, and get ahead.

ReadyforZero – Easy and fun way to track your debt payments and get encouragement along the way. They’ve helped people pay down of $30 Million so far!

Tuition.io – All your loans, in one place. Never guess what your payments are again.

Unbury.me – The best calculator on the internet to help figure out how to pay your loans. Play around with it and figure out your strategy to leave your debt behind you.

Pro-Tip: If you’re trying to figure out the best way to pay your loan debt, check out this article on the avalanche vs. snowball method. Also make sure to call your loan servicer, since not all fees are created equal. The more you know, the better you are.

Master the Market

Investopedia – An incredibly library full of tips, tricks, and secrets that explain all the jargon you hear on the news. If you don’t have time to read, check out their video library.

Wall Street Survivor – made specifically with us in mind, WSS has all kinds of guides to help you save, start your hustle, and learn what money means in your life.

Betterment – If you are interested in investing, or at least saving more than you spend, Betterment is on of the best ways to start. If you have $25 a month, then you can get on the path to protecting your future.

Pro Tip: Learn about Roth IRAs here, and how to decide between starting a 401K vs. paying debt down, here

So there you have it. Tools to help you manage the money you have, pay the debts you owe, and begin learning how to grow what you earn. I’m right here with you, learning and figuring it all out as well. Personal finance is different for everyone, and there is no “right” way to do it, but there is a definitely a wrong way: never starting to be serious about your relationship with money.