Blog Reads for Financially Savvy Grads

I love The Debtress's list of financial blogs and found a few that I thought would be perfect for new grads. These don't talk down to you or present information in a confusing way--they offer real-life advice and insight into staying financially fit. And...they make it easy to understand all that financial-speak.

Here are some of her Top 100 Financial Blogs I thought you'd like--I did!

• The Wealth Pilgrim. Not just blog posts, but video advice from Neal, the Wealth Pilgrim. He offers strategies for everything from getting more work done, organizing your life and even fighting with your spouse less (really!). Read it: http://wealthpilgrim.com/
• Blogging For Change. The team at MMI do a nice job of exploring the issues behind bad financial habits. Debt and overspending are often about other factors, and with their info you may be able to curtail some bad habits. Read it: http://blog.moneymanagement.org/
• Budgets Are Sexy. Yes they are. This blog will help you get sexy - and stay sexy. Read it: http://www.budgetsaresexy.com
• Studenomics. Ever wish you knew back then what you know now? Studenomics helps college students live with financial responsibility beyond their years. (But there are lessons here for all of us). Read it: http://studenomics.com/
• College Finance 101. Created by two college students who learned about money the hard way. Now has a team of writers who write about everything from budgeting to credit to college life including scholarships and textbooks. Some of the sections seem to be more informative while other more creative. Read it: http://www.collegefinance101.com/
• The Frugal Duchess. Sharon Rosenberg is a “wealth” of knowledge and has written a few books based on finances. Her blog gives lots of tips for savings, spotting scams and ways to still have fun on a budget. Read it: http://sharonhr.blogspot.com/
• Broke Grad Student. As long as colleges have existed there have been broke students. But few are as reflective as the Broke Grad Student, who offers great insights on the financial lessons learned from his experiences. Read it: http://www.brokegradstudent.com/
• Queer Cents. The blog’s sub-hed says it better than I ever could: “We’re here, We’re queer, and We’re not going Shopping without Coupons.” A great staff with diverse expertise. Read it: http://www.queercents.com/
• Money Under 30. A former writer for SmartMoney magazine, David brings a journalist’s skill and passion - and a debtor’s perspective - to this blog. Read it: http://www.moneyunder30.com/
• No Debt Plan. A simple plan, laid out in posts, to help you go from debt to debt free to actually earning wealth. New posts provide support, and also tackle other issues, like living without air conditioning for a month. Read it: http://www.nodebtplan.net
  
• Squawk Fox. Done by Kerry K. Taylor, author of “397 Ways to Save Money,” SquawkFox doesn’t just tell you that adding insulation to your home can save you money. The Fox will take you through each step, with photos, of how to insulate your home. Read it: http://www.squawkfox.com/
• Get Rich Slowly. Smart posts that follow through on a great concept that just happens to be this blog’s title, Get Rich Slowly focuses on starting where you are and doing what you can to achieve financially. Read it: http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/
• Bargaineering. Even when dealing with your finances it’s good to hear from a “Devil’s Advocate,” and Bargaineering plays this role well, including lots of information on the details of credit scoring. Read it: http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/
• Christian Personal Finance. A great blend of faith and finance. You’d be amazed at how much fiscally sound advice is found in The Good Book. Read it: http://www.christianpf.com/
• Gen X Finance. Author Jeremy Vohwinkle also covers finance for About.com, and while his blog focuses on a certain age set the advice spills over to all ages. A well-read blog, and for good reason. Read it: http://genxfinance.com/
• Being Frugal. Being Frugal doesn’t just give advice, but actively solicits it, making this blog a nice collaboration with readers. Also, she’ll cover more than just frugality. Expect to learn lessons from a soon-to-be homeschooling mother and teacher. Read it: http://beingfrugal.net/

Q&A: How do I make friends after college?

Q: "So I moved to a city where I don't know a lot of people. I'm currently job searching, but I'd also like to find friends. I'm a female, so I don't feel comfortable going out alone. How do I meet people my age?" --iamcassandra

A: This is such a common issue for new grads. And actually, any adult. It's so easy to meet friends on campus, but after college many people neglect to fill up their social circles.

I think the key thing here is that you moved to a city--and with that comes lots of people and tons of opportunities to network. That can yield professional perks and new pals, so I think going to a networking event would be a win-win for you.

Check newspapers and local websites to find networking events, or to see if there any "young professional" organizations in the area. You may have to head to the event solo but there will be other people so you won't have all that one-on-one pressure. If you're worried about flying solo, try to go and return home during daylight. You may also want to try bringing a colleague from work to the event.

And if you don't have too many allies at work, try checking out what your company has to offer. Even a seminar on the corporate healthcare policy may be a good chance to meet a new pal at work.

Outside of work, it's a great idea to consider your hobbies and try to meet others through that. Can you find a photography club or a knitting group, for example? I've found http://www.meetup.com to be pretty successful. Again, you may have to go to the event alone but if you choose something that feels right (and scope out the locale beforehand), you'll likely feel more comfortable.

All the best--this is hard and scary but definitely necessary to make the connections that we all need when going through our lives!

Call for Questions on After-College Life

My oh my...is it time to update this here bloggy, or what?

I've been very busy with some copywriting projects. Which, yes, is a good thing especially these days. It leaves little time for blogging. Plus, it's hard to blog because I am not going through that after-college phase, so I tend to just share things of interest instead of personal feelings. I know that's okay.

But I'd like to hear from some of you. Send me your post-college questions and I'll respond in an upcoming Q&A post. I'll take questions on anything: careers, relationships, finances, boomeranging, etc. Leave your question in the comments section!

Grads...Choose Your City!

According to AfterCollege.com, Phoenix, Indianapolis, New York, Atlanta, and Denver are the top five cities for college grads.

But another survey says New York City is the top spot, with Washington, D.C. as #2. Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, and San Diego round out the top 10 another survey.

Sounds like some conflicting information to me--but only because these are different surveys.

So what's your take on big cities and new grads? Are you in a new city? Why'd you choose that city and what do you love/hate about it?

Do Students Deserve a Bailout?

I was recently interviewed by an MSN reporter who was investigating a Facebook group that wants all college grads to have their debt forgiven. I disagreed with the concept--that's why she wanted to hear from me for her article, "Do Students Deserve a Bailout?" (Christina did a great job of explaining my take on things, so thanks, girl!)

I don't believe in this concept because it will have other ramifications. I support financial help for students, but I don't think everyone should go to college for free. There are many ways to get a great education, but I don't get why everyone thinks they are entitled to everything free. The country was built on working for things, and there's nothing wrong with getting a degree, getting a job and paying back the money that helped you get there.

People can disagree with me, that's cool. I just don't have time to debate things...but you're more than welcome to discuss this among yourselves here. No personal attacks, please. Debate the concept--don't attack the commenter!:)

I'm working hard (to pay off my student loans, too!) and I was asked to be featured in an article to promote my book because that's what hard-working authors do. That doesn't warrant the rude emails I've gotten. I don't have time to respond individually to these "not-so professional" emails. Quite frankly, I don't care what other people think about my viewpoint. I'm entitled to mine, you're entitled to yours--but you don't have to share it all the time. If I wrote the author of every article I disagreed with, I'd never get anything done and not be able to pay off the money I owe for my degree.

But I do want to put the article out there for my readers here because I think it's an interesting concept. And I'll keep bringing you relevant information regardless of whether you agree with my take or not--my goal is to just present information.

Look, it's a cool concept that--poof--your college debt could just be gone. And if you support that, good for you. I don't. Our may opinions differ and I'm fine with that.

Newsflash: The world is made up of differing opinions. You'll get further along in life if you politely and respectfully own yours instead of being rude and unprofessional. If you didn't learn that in college, you didn't even get your money's worth, anyway.

Help! I Can't Pay Off My Student Loans!

For those who are still in school, paying of college loans seems far off. But if you've just graduated, it's probably one of your top concerns. While most lenders give you six months before you have to start making payments, others will require immediate payment.

But what if you can't make your payments right now--is all hope lost? No.

Here are some tips for dealing with not being able to pay your loans.

Admit it. Ignoring the statements as they pile up doesn't make the problem go away. By taking action, you can proactively respond to the problem. you'd be surprised how accommodating your lender may be. So the first step is to not go the avoidance route. If you miss even a few payments, you will fall into delinquency and later into default. You don't want that--this loan is tied to your credit. And even if you don't use credit cards, that can affect major factors later on, like buying a house.

Talk to your lenders. Call your lender and simply state that you are having issues making payments at the moment, and you'd like to know what your options are and how they may be able to help. Some of the things lenders can do is give you a forbearance, or period where you don't have to pay. They may also offer you lower payments. Make sure to be aware if any of these options have penalties.

Here's something new--if you have a federal government loan, they have a new program that will calibrate your payment amounts according to your income. This option caps monthly payments at 15 percent of a borrower's discretionary income, which includes earnings above 150 percent of the poverty line. The current poverty level for a single person is $11,000 yearly. This means that payments would be 15 percent of any income over $16,000 a year.

Don't expect freebies. Yes, it is possible in some cases to get debt forgiven, but it's not easy and you can't just claim that you can't make payments. The fact of the matter is that you went to college and used this money to complete your education, so it is only right to pay it back. There can be challenges associated with that, and lenders understand. The best step is to work with your lender to devise options that will help you make the payments and get on your feet.

More information on paying student loans here.

Do you have any questions about student loans? Leave them in the comments with your first name and location so I can respond to them in a future post.

First Job Question

It's time to get interactive...

What's your first job like, if you have one? How'd you find it and what made you decide to take it?

Leave a message in the comments. I'd like to compile answers in an upcoming post.