Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction xv
Preparing To Go To College
1 My First Checking Account: Building money-management experience with a checking account before leaving for college 3
2 First in the Family: Gathering information about potential college choices, seeking out experienced help, and student financial aid resources 9
3 Budgeting for College: Creating a realistic spending plan, simple ways to monitor spending, and understanding your financial nature and personal spending patterns 21
While in College
4 Facts of a Financial Life: The basics of money management so you don't have to learn the hard way 33
5 Know What You Owe: Ways to determine how much you can safely afford to borrow for your education, being smart about choosing your loan package, and the consequences of dropping out of school 45
6 Credit Card Phobia: The pros and cons of credit cards so you can be cautious about credit cards without being afraid of them 55
7 Spend, Spend, Spend: The pitfalls of trying to keep up with others who have more money, techniques for dealing with this, and how ignoring the rules for debt and student loans can change your life 64
8 Building a Credit History: Why you need a good credit history, how your credit score is determined, and how to ensure you leave college with a good credit rating 73
9 Car Crazy: How to make decisions on acquiring those extra things you want but may not need for college 80
10 I'll Think About It Tomorrow: The dangers of ignoring financial responsibility and how to cope with the habit of procrastination 89
11 Now Where Did I Put That?: What documents to save, how to store them, and security issues for your sensitive financial information 96
After College
12 What's Next?: Financial planning for life after school-establishing priorities, debt payoff plans, savings plans, and retirement plans 107
13 Investment Basics: First steps in starting an investment program 119
Before, During, and After College
14 Your Personal Money Philosophy: Developing principles to guide you through your financial life 131
15 Your Story: Recording your money-management experiences as a way to pinpoint your financial strengths and weaknesses 136
16 A Note to Parents: Financial considerations for parents with college-age children and ways to help their student understand money-management issues 147
17 A Postscript to Grandparents: Ideas for grandparents who want to aid their college-bound grandchildren-financially or in other ways 156
Glossary of Financial Terms 161
Helpful Apps and Websites 169
Index 173
