What Financial Concerns are on the Minds of Young Adults?
By: Pete Glocker | Posted: 29th March 2007
Paying off credit card debt, student loans and buying a home are among many others.
Yes, you guessed it! Paying off credit card debt, student loans and keeping up with bills are among many serious concerns of young adults. College students struggle with the necessities of buying groceries and making monthly rent payments because of a lack of full time jobs while in school. College graduates worry about paying off credit card debt and student loans that were accumulated throughout college. People in their late twenties and early thirties worry about their credit scores, making a mortgage payment and saving for retirement.
A college freshman starts their first semester of college. They see a booth passing out free t-shirts with the school's logo. After walking over to the booth, the student is told they could have the shirt for FREE if they sign up for this high interest credit card. Do you really think 18 year-olds are getting low interest rates with no credit history? I don't think so. So the freshman signs up for the credit card and gets the free t-shirt. But if they are not smart, by the time they graduate, they will have $3,000, $5,000 or even $10,000 in credit card debt and paying 18% interest, which is $1,800 on top of $10,000. So this credit card debt of $11,800 will be paid in the first two or three years of working an entry-level job after college graduation if they are lucky. This money can be put to far better use if the debt was never accumulated. You can put a down payment on or buy a decent car, take a huge chunk out of student loan debt or even put it into a condo you want to buy.
Jen Giovinco of Pompano Beach, Florida is 24 years-old and a recent college graduate of Florida Atlantic University. She says her top three financial concerns are paying off bills, moving out into her own place and paying for graduate school. "One of the main reasons I am living at home is because I have so much credit card debt from when I was younger. It is impossible to budget when you make little to nothing at an entry-level job," she says.
A few years after receiving a marketing degree from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Jimmy Stewart of Gainesville, Florida is now 27 and is into his fourth year of his career. Lucky for him, he has paid off all credit card debt and is pretty much debt free now. His financial concerns now are buying a home, saving for retirement and eventually investing in property. When asked if he thought he could maintain a budget by living his same lifestyle, he replies "yes, because my salary will only increase so my lifestyle would not change for the worse. I just have to make sure not to overspend when my salary increases."
Sheri Elfman, 32, of Wilton Manors, Florida says her concerns are having a good enough salary to cover all her bills, have a good credit score and being able to live the same lifestyle she grew accustomed to. "I still live my same lifestyle of shopping and nightlife, but instead of shopping at Bloomingdales and Arden B, I now go to Old Navy and Target. When it comes to nightlife, I try to look for places with no cover charge and I now drink Miller Lite instead of top shelf vodka martinis. You can still have fun without spending a fortune," she insisted.
Finally, Jayson French, 25, of Wellington, Florida says he is worried about home ownership, especially when the median house price in Palm Beach County is in the mid $300's. He is also concerned about saving for the future including retirement and future healthcare costs. When asked about some ways he saves money, he says "I stopped eating out on weekdays, bought a used car, shop at wholesale places like Costco or BJ's and keep a close eye on bar tabs." He also advised to use computer programs such as Microsoft Money or Quicken to track all your expenses. "You will be shocked on what you waste your money on!"
As you can see, there are many concerns among young adults. If you or someone you know are having financial difficulties, create a master plan and stick to it.
� First begin by ordering your free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com. This is the only legit "free" one out there and is sponsored by the three major credit bureaus.
� Calculate all your debt including loans, credit cards and student loans.
� Design a payment plan for all debts and concentrate on paying more on the higher interest debts first.
� Make a budget plan to help you spend your money wisely so you will have more money to pay off your debts.
� Pay yourself first! Yes this means putting money into a savings account. Even if it's only $25 a month, it's a start. Do not touch anything in your savings account unless you absolutely need to. Do some research and find an FDIC insured online bank like ING Direct or HSBC Direct that offer savings accounts that will pay 5% or higher in interest.
Remember, it took you a while to get into this debt. So it will take some time to get out of it. Just like overnight diets do not work, there are no quick fixes when it comes to paying off your debt, unless you win the lottery of course.
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Pete Glocker is employed in the Education and Charitable Services Department at Debt Management Credit Counseling Corp. ("DMCC"), a 501 c(3) non-profit charitable organization located in Boca Raton, Florida. Pete graduated from FloridaAtlanticUniversity with a BA in Multimedia Journalism and was a web producer Intern for Tribune Interactive products Sun-Sentinel.com and SouthFlorida.com. DMCC provides free financial education and personal budget counseling to consumers across the United States. DMCC financial counselors can be reached for free education materials and budget counseling by calling 866-618-DEBT or by visiting www.dmcccorp.org. Pete Glocker can be reached by email at pete@dmcccorp.org.
About the Author
Occupation: Associate Coordinator of Educational and Charitabl
Pete Glocker is employed in the Education and Charitable Services Department at Debt Management Credit Counseling Corp. (
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Tags: credit card debt, mortgage payment, free t shirt, college graduates, financial concerns, 18 year olds, low interest rates, interest credit card, paying off credit card debt, saving for retirement, student loan debt, entry level job, college graduation, free t shirts