Financial Management for Young Adults

When I was a just a wee tot, my parents made me save a percentage of every birthday money check I received, much to my toy-orientated chagrin. Now, as a financially independent adult, I am thankful for the good money habits that resulted from the attitude of "you're never too young to start saving." However, not every young person has the benefit of good financial role models: today's average undergraduate college student (ages 18-21) has multiple credit cards and debts of $2,200 or more. This timely video addresses not only the importance of investing early (as opposed to simply budgeting and saving), but also counsels young people on how to curb bad spending habits and avoid financial pitfalls. It demythologizes the stuffy and erudite image of investment, while encouraging viewers to get started right now ("if you save $600/yr from ages 18-38 at an average interest rate, you'll have almost a half-million dollars at retirement!"). Unfortunately, this essentially talking-heads production uses few graphs or visuals to illustrate points (annoying, since the subject is numbers), while the ones that are shown are mostly either irrelevant or hard to read. While this video should have taken better advantage of the visual medium, it's still recommended due to its winning combination solid advice and budget-conscious price. Aud: H, C, P. (E. Gieschen)