Given that it's now mid-June, and pretty much everyone that will be graduating from college this year has done so, I though I'd spend a bit of time putting together a short list of financial tips for the recent graduate. Here goes:

    1. Spend less than you earn. This is perhaps the most worn out, overused phrase in the world of personal finance. But guess what? It's also the single most important financial lesson you'll ever learn. No matter how hard you work and how much money you earn, you'll never achieve financial security if you spend more than you earn, so… Do whatever it takes to make sure that this doesn’t happen. This takes self-discipline, and might require constructing (and sticking to) a budget, but if you ever want to get to a point where you can afford all the little niceties in life, you need to make it happen.

    Remember: If your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep will be your downfall. 

    2. Plan for the future. I’ve been where you are, and I know that “the future” seems like it’s a million miles away. Do yourself a favor. Sit down and define short, intermediate, and long-term goals and then put together a plan for getting there. It’s not easy, and you probably won’t get it right at first (see also #4) but once you do this, you’ll have something concrete to work from (and to modify in the future). Start small and work your way up.

    Open an online savings account and start making auto-transfers into to build up an emergency fund. Sign up for your company’s 401(k) and make regular contributions. Come up with a plan for ditching your debt. Open an IRA (either Traditional or Roth) and start funding it. And read books about money and investing so you’ll be ready to take the next step when the time comes.

    Whatever you do, don’t wait.

    3. Be patient. Building a solid financial foundation takes time. Don’t look for shortcuts or try to strike it rich overnight with the latest hot investment tip. Likewise, don’t make major financial decisions without fully considering the ramifications. This isn’t to say that you should be paralyzed fear. Rather, you need to do your homework. Turns those unknwowns into knowns, and then make an informed decision.

    4. Learn from your mistakes. Nobody’s perfect. You’re bound to make mistakes, especially when you’re just starting out. The important thing is to learn from them and move forward. If you make a bad financial decision, make a note of it and get yourself back on track. Don’t beat yourself up, and don’t throw in the towel.

    現在已經是六月中旬了，幾乎所有今年的畢業生就要從大學畢業了。我想，我該花些時間為這些即將畢業的學生整合一份簡短的理財建議清單。如下所示：

    1、支出要少于收入。這個說法在個人理財中已經是陳詞濫調了。但細想一下，它又是你要學習的最重要的專一理財課程。不管你工作有多努力，不管你會掙多少錢，如果你花去的錢比你掙的錢還要多的話，你就永遠沒有經濟保障了，所以……一定要盡一切辦法來避免這樣的情況發生。這就要求自律了，或許還需要做個預算。但是如果你想在你的生活里面找到一個有細微區別的地方的話，那你就讓它發生吧。

    切記：如果你的花銷超出了你的收入，你賴以生存的東西將變成你墮落的根源。

    2、規劃未來。我也是從你們的階段走過來的，我知道，在你們眼中，“未來”是很遙遠的事情。為自己做件樂事吧。坐下來寫寫自己短期，中期和長期的目標，然后放一塊兒，作為一個奮斗目標。這不是一件容易做到的事，你可能不會一次就能把未來規劃做對，但是，一旦你做了規劃，你就會去做一些實實在在的事(和在將來有所改正)，從小事做起，會使你以后的路變得積極向上。

    開一個網上儲存賬戶，自動轉帳來建立一個應急基金。在你工作的公司報名401(k)計劃，然后定期付款。制定一個還請債務的計劃。開個人退休賬戶(傳統，非傳統的都可以)，然后開始投資。閱讀一些關于金錢與投資的書，這樣，待時機成熟，你就可以隨時邁出第一步了。不管你做哪一個，都別等。

    3、要有耐心。打造一個堅實的經濟基礎是需要時間的。不要指望走捷徑，也不要寄望于通過得到最新的熱點投資信息一夜暴富。同要地，沒有充分全面考慮之前不要做什么重要的經濟決定。這并不是說要你畏首畏尾，相反，是需要你做足準備，把不懂的弄懂，然后再做一個有依據的決定。

    4、在錯誤中吸取經驗教訓。人無完人，你一定會犯錯的，特別是剛剛開始的時候。最重要的是要從中學習經驗教訓，接著繼續前進。如果你做了一個很糟糕的經濟決定，記下來，再重新步入正確的軌道。千萬別自己打擊自己。也千萬不要輕言放棄，承認失敗。