• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The College Investor

Millennial Personal Finance and Investing

  • About
  • Free Tools
  • Merch
  • Contact
  • Save For College
      • How To Start

      • How To Save For College
      • How To Pay For College
      • What Is the Average Cost of College?
      • What Is A 529 Plan and Where to Open One in Your State
      • How Much Should You Have In A 529 Plan By Age
      • How To Use A 529 Plan For Private Elementary And High School
      • What Are Qualified Expenses For A 529 Plan (And What Doesn’t Count)?
      • The Best Brokers To Open A 529 Plan
      • Tools + Accounts

      • 529 Plans: The Ultimate College Savings Plan
      • 529 Plan Contribution Limits
      • Prepaid Tuition Plans | What To Know
      • Understanding And Using 529A ABLE Accounts
      • Using A Roth IRA To Save And Pay For College
      • FAFSA Deadlines for Financial Aid
      • CollegeBacker Review
      • Upromise Review
      • UNest Review
      • Other Options

      • Student Loan And Financial Aid Programs By State
      • The Guide To Military And VA Education Benefits
      • How To Fill Out The FAFSA
      • How To Find College Scholarships
      • The Best College Scholarship Search Websites
      • How To Find Grants To Pay For College
      • Pell Grants: What They Are And How To Qualify
      • Understanding Federal Work-Study
      • How To Use A 529 Plan If Your Child Doesn’t Go To College
  • Student Loans
      • Borrowing

        • How Student Loans Work
        • How To Apply For A Student Loan
        • How To Find The Best Student Loans And Rates
        • Best Private Student Loans
        • Best Student Loans To Pay For Graduate School
        • Best Student Loans To Pay For Medical School
        • Parent Loans To Pay For College
        • Perkins Loans: The Ultimate Guide
        • Guide To Income Sharing Agreements (ISAs)
        • Best International Student Loans
      • Get Out Of Debt

        • Best Places To Refinance Student Loans
        • Best Student Loan Repayment Plans
        • Best Student Loan Refinancing Bonuses And Promotional Offers
        • Student Loan Forgiveness: 80+ Programs To Forgive Your Loans
        • The Full List Of Student Loan Forgiveness Programs By State
        • Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
        • Top Student Loan Scams
        • Average Student Loan Monthly Payment
        • Average Student Loan Debt By Year
      • Reviews

        • Credible Review
        • Splash Review
        • Ascent Review
        • Citizens Bank Review
        • Commonbond Review
        • Earnest Review
        • ELFI Review
        • Laurel Road Review
        • LendKey Review
        • SoFi Review
  • Investing
      • How To Start

        • How To Start Investing in High School
        • How To Start Investing In College
        • How To Start Investing In Your Twenties For 22 – 29 Year Olds
        • How To Start Investing In Your 30s For 30 – 39 Year Olds
        • How To Start Investing With $100 Or Less
        • How To Give Kids The Gift Of Stock
        • What Is Dividend Growth Investing
        • IRA Rollover Chart
      • Tools + Accounts

        • Best Online Stock Brokers
        • The Best Traditional And Roth IRA Accounts
        • The Best Robo-Advisors
        • The Best Investing Apps
        • The Best Places to Trade Options
        • The Best Places To Open A Health Savings Account
        • The Best Solo 401k Providers
        • The Best Self-Directed IRA Providers
        • Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges
      • Reviews

        • Vanguard Review
        • Fidelity Review
        • M1 Finance Review
        • TD Ameritrade Review
        • Charles Schwab Review
        • Robinhood Review
        • Webull Review
        • Betterment Review
        • Wealthfront Review
  • Earn More Money
      • Extra Income

        • 15 Best Side Hustles You Can Start Earning With Now
        • Side Hustle Ideas: 50+ Ways To Make Money Fast
        • 100+ Real And Honest Ways To Make Money In College
        • 80 Ways To Make Money From Home (In Your Pajamas)
        • 5 Quick Money Making Ideas (That Take Less Than 1 Hour)
        • 10 Interesting Ways You Can Make Money Driving
        • High-Paying Side Gigs That Earn $1,000 or More Per Month
        • The 10 Best Money-Making Apps
        • Paid Surveys: Earn Money For Giving Your Opinion Online
        • 10 Crazy Ways To Make $10,000 You’ve Never Heard Of
      • Build Wealth

        • 30 Passive Income Ideas You Can Use to Build Real Wealth
        • 3 Ways To Make $50,000 Per Year Without Working With Passive Income
        • How To Become A Real Estate Investor With Just $500
        • 15 Best Online Business Ideas
        • How to Create Streams of Passive Income on a Limited Budget
        • Residual Income: 7 Super Smart Ways to Build It
        • The Most Common Multiple Income Streams
        • How To Become A Real Estate Mogul With Only $10,000
      • Reviews

        • Fundrise Review
        • RealtyMogul Review
        • FarmTogether Review
        • AcreTrader Review
        • Swagbucks Review
        • Survey Junkie Review
        • TopCashback Review
        • DoorDash Review
  • Personal Finance
      • Banking

        • Best High Yield Savings Accounts
        • Best Money Market Accounts
        • The Best Free Checking Accounts
        • The Best Bank CD Rates
        • The Best Business Checking Accounts For Small Business
        • The Best Online Banks
        • 5 Best Credit Unions Nationwide of 2021
        • Best College Student Checking Accounts
      • Insurance

        • Best Life Insurance Companies
        • Renters Insurance
        • Car Insurance
        • Pet Insurance
        • Umbrella Insurance
        • Disability Insurance
        • Tuition Insurance
        • Travel Insurance
      • Credit Tools

        • Best Budgeting Apps
        • Cash Advance Apps
        • How To Get A Free Credit Score Report
        • The Best Credit Monitoring Services
        • Debt Settlement: Inside The Secret World
        • Credit Repair Explained: Should You Pay For Help?
        • Best Personal Loan Companies And Lenders
        • Online Loan Companies To Borrow From Home
      • Tax

        • Best Tax Software
        • Free Tax Software
        • IRS Tax Refund Calendar
        • Common IRS Questions and Errors
        • Federal Tax Brackets
        • Capital Gains Tax Brackets
        • 401k Contribution Limits
        • IRA Contribution Limits
        • HSA Contribution Limits
  • Forum
  • Search

Personal Finance Basics

 

This is where it all starts – making money, saving money, and keeping track of your finances.  Mastering your personal finance basics will put you on the road to success.  Remember, personal finance is not a sprint, it is a marathon that will last you your entire life!

Personal finance is a big subject, but the basics are the same: banking, credit cards, other debt, investing, and retirement planning.  Since this is The College Investor, I don’t have much on retirement planning, and what I do have is more tailored to investing.  You can read more about investing specifically in Investing 101.

Finally, personal finance does have a level of frugality involved.  This isn’t a frugal blog, but I do have some simple advice to impart.

 

Banking

Banking is the bread and butter of personal finance.  This is all about how you spend and save your money.  Here are some topics you may find valuable!

Here is a compilation of The Best Checking and Savings Accounts for College Students.  Don’t let the name fool you, those are some of the best accounts for anyone!  Also, learn if credit unions are as good as banks.

After you have found the best, look at see where you can get higher yields for your cash.

Another key aspect of banking is money management.  Are you keeping track of your money?  Here is my list of the best free online money management tools.

And even though this is obvious, I need to include it – Stop Paying Bank Fees!

 

Credit Cards

Credit cards are both great and horrible.  They are great if used properly – they help build credit and provide rewards.  They are horrible if you abuse them and get yourself into debt.

I want to start with the ugly, and get to some tips and tricks.  Here are The Biggest Credit Card Mistakes Young People Make, and How To Avoid Them.

Now that you know the tricks, you can find the best credit card.

And once you find the best card, you can get some advanced money making skills with Credit Card Arbitrage 101 and How To Maximize Your Credit Card Rewards.

 

Frugal Living

Saving money is essential to everything I do, and it should be for you as well.  Every penny you save is a penny you could use to save or invest to make more money.  I’m not the type of person to highlight “extreme couponing” or the like, but here are some simple tips and tricks to save you some pennies.

  • Easiest Money Saving Phone Calls
  • 5 Easy Steps to Get The Cheapest Vacation
  • How To Get The Cheapest iPhone Plan
  • How To Get The Cheapest iPhone
  • Why Costco is Great For College Students

Primary Sidebar

Robert Farrington

Hi! My Name is

America's Millennial Money Expert

Welcome to The College Investor. We're here to help you escape student loan debt so you can start investing and building wealth for the future

Our expert guides, reviews, and more are designed to help you achieve your financial goals.

Want to learn more? See what's in my wallet.

As Featured In

Social Media

Popular Posts

Side Hustling

Side Hustle Ideas: 50+ Ways To Make Money Fast

Best Side Hustles

15 Best Side Hustles You Can Start Earning With Now

Net Worth of Millennials

The Average Net Worth Of Millennials By Age

Ways To Get Student Loan Forgiveness

Student Loan Forgiveness: 80+ Programs To Forgive Your Loans

529 Plan

How Much Should You Have In A 529 Plan By Age

Make Money From Home

80 Ways To Make Money From Home (In Your Pajamas)

Crazy Ways To Make $10,000

10 Crazy Ways To Make $10,000 You’ve Never Heard Of

Passive Income Ideas

30 Passive Income Ideas You Can Use to Build Real Wealth

Make $50,000 Per Year

3 Ways To Make $50,000 Per Year Without Working With Passive Income

Student Loan Scams

Top Student Loan Scams

Ultimate Guides

529 Plan Guide

529 Plans: The Ultimate Guide To College Savings Plans

Student Loans and Financial Aid By State

Student Loan And Financial Aid Programs By State

Student Loan Advice

The Definitive Guide To Student Loan Debt: Everything To Know About Your Loans

Student Loan Forgiveness By State

The Full List Of Student Loan Forgiveness Programs By State

newretirement

How to Start Saving Now: The College Graduate’s Guide to Saving for Retirement

Latest Research

How Much Americans Pay To File Their Taxes

How Much Americans Pay To File Their Taxes

73% of Americans Support Student Loan Forgiveness

75% of Americans are Familiar With Investing Apps

75% Of Americans Are Familiar With Investing Apps, And Most Prefer The Monthly Fee Service Model

Footer

Banking

  • The Best Free Checking Accounts
  • The Best Online Banks
  • The Best Bank CD Rates
  • Best Money Market Accounts
  • Best High Yield Savings Accounts
  • The Best Bank Bonus Offers
  • The Best Business Checking Accounts

Investing

  • Best Online Stock Brokers In 2021 (According To Readers)
  • The Best Places To Open An HSA (Health Savings Account)
  • The Best Investing Apps That Let You Invest For Free
  • How To Buy Stocks Online For Free
  • The Best Robo-Advisors Of 2021

Student Loans

  • Best Places To Refinance Student Loans
  • Best Private Student Loans
  • How To Find The Best Student Loans And Rates
  • Best Student Loan Refinancing Bonuses And Promotional Offers

Insurance

  • The Top 10 Online Life Insurance Companies
  • The Ultimate Guide To Renters Insurance – Everything You Need To Know
  • The Cheapest Car Insurance For College Students

Connect

  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Press & Media

About

  • About
  • Our Team
  • Podcast
  • How We Make Money
  • Archives

Social

Copyright © 2021 · The College Investor · Privacy Policy ·Terms of Service · DO NOT Sell My Personal Information