Fresh graduates: Pay off your student debt

A lot of students are now graduating college and ready to take on the big leap to “real life.” Thing is, that college degree might have been obtained through a lot of hard work and perhaps a student loan.

One thing you really have to prioritize now, aside from landing a decent job, is to pay off that student loan. Try to make prepayments. Sure, the job market’s hasn’t really recovered yet but it’s better to get out of debt real quick than lose more money in the long run.

Simple math would show that you stand to lose more by opting for longer terms. A $10,000 loan at 5% fixed interest for a 5-year term means that you have to pay $189 a month to pay it off. You spend $1,340 on interest. If you opt to pay $250 a month, in just 44 months you’ve paid it off and you save $340 on interest.

Laws have it that you can make advance payments to get rid of the load quicker. Payments are also tax deductible so that’s another load off your back.

However, make sure that you shore up your emergency funds first before making any big financial moves. If possible continue contributing to your 401(k) and retirement funds as well. You might have to sacrifice a lot of other comforts but doing all of these should safeguard you from the rainiest of days.

Financial tips for college fresh grads

If you’re graduating in a few months, you got to prepare yourself soon. You’ll be pressured to have a job and, of course, earn money on your own. Here are some finance tips for the fresh college grads:

If your student loan confuses you, now is the time to figure it out.

It’s time to not only familiarize yourself with the details, but also to understand every bit of information regarding your loan. This might help you pay it off as soon as possible.

Start saving for the short term.

If you have plans on living independently, you must have the means to support yourself – to pay for an apartment, to buy food, to have money while looking for employment.

Start saving for the long term.

Invest in your future. It pays to have something reserved for the rainy days. And if you’re lucky enough to keep a large amount of your saving, at least you’ll have head start on your retirement fund.

Decide whether you really need a car.

If you have plans on moving to a place like Los Angeles, you’ll definitely need a car to move around. But remember that car payments and gas can really be expensive for fresh grads. Instead, you can consider cities and other places with good public transportation systems.

Ask about benefits.

Once you land a job, ask about health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, employer-matched retirement plans and other subsidies. These things are as important as your paycheck.

Figure out a budget.

There’s nothing wrong with dreaming – just know how to temper your expectations. It might help to take the time to research and compute the cost of living in different areas where you want to live and the expenses needed to keep a particular lifestyle.

Life after college is tough. It’s full of uncertainties. The last thing that you want to do is to cry and run home to mommy for the financial failures that you should’ve preempted.

Source: http://investopedia.com