Looking for resources on managing your finances post-graduation?
Employment Services, Benefits
Jason Dempster, jdempste@macalester.edu
Randi Hartman, rhartman@macalester.edu
Financial Aid, Student Loans
Eli Matzner, ematzne1@macalester.edu
Nancy Anderson, anderson@macalester.edu
Health and Wellness Center, Health Insurance
Sue Rothenbacher, rothenbacher@macalester.edu
Student Leadership and Engagement
Logan Schrader, lschrade@macalester.edu
Prepare and Prosper: A tax prep organization for low-income folks that will do your taxes for free if you’re under the income threshold. They also provide free financial coaching.
Lutheran Social Services Financial Services: Tons of great financial resources, including help with student loan debt.
Resource Generation: Is your family super rich? Stop feeling vaguely guilty and start mobilizing your wealth! Resource Generation will give you the tools and community to do that.
The Anthill: Collective started by Anna and Sophie where we put on fun, free, community events about money and values.
Twin Cities Financial Planning Day: A free event gives you the opportunity to attend financial workshops and meet one-on-one with financial planners to discuss your personal finance questions.
Metro State Tax Free Tax Prep: The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to working students and households that earned less than $55,000.
You Need A Budget: People who love it, LOVE it. It’s pretty hands-on, so it’s not for everyone, but it gives you a super clear perspective on where your money is being directed.
Mint: Another budgeting tool. A little less hands-on than YNAB, but gives you an idea of what your big spending categories are, and lets you set limits on them.
Acorns: If you’re not a huge saver naturally, this can be a great tool. It rounds up small amounts from your bank account and tosses them into savings automatically.
Credit Karma: Your credit score is (unfortunately) really important for big purchases. This is a free tool to check yours.
Annual Credit Report: Request a full credit report once every 12 months for free thanks to the Federal Law.
The Billfold: A website where people write open, honest, and often funny accounts of how they spend their money. (They also pay for stories written by anyone--pitch them!)
The Financial Diet: Think Thought Catalog, but for personal articles about money. Pretty filtered photos, definitely geared towards women, often has solid financial advice.
Oh My Dollar: Also a podcast! Thoughtful advice on budgeting from someone who DOESN’T make a $500,000 a year. Cats are heavily featured.
Mr. Money Mustache: One of the original websites on the idea of financial independence and early retirement. Prone to extremism and dogma, but also has some solid points about how easy it is to spend money in ways that are just not worth it.
Nerd Wallet: Tons of great, fact-based financial advice. If you’re trying to decide which credit card to get, which budgeting tool to use, or what the difference is between an IRA and a 401k, you should check out Nerd Wallet.
Graham Stephan: self-made millionaire and financial youtuber
Investing with Rose: "tips for financial freedom and budgeting, and inspiration for living your best life."
The Financial Diet: "Started in late 2014 as a personal blog by founder Chelsea Fagan to track her own budget, has since grown into a cross-platform media company and the premier digital destination for young women looking to talk about money. From our Manhattan offices, our team of eight women work every day leading the conversation around personal finance, and bringing together everything from expert advice on the complexities of financial planning to personal narratives from everyday women reclaiming their relationship with money, and how it intersects with every element of their lives ."
Bad With Money: A podcast by an extremely millennial (like, she used to work at Buzzfeed) about financial basics, but also about structural inequality.
Financial Feminist: "Join money expert Tori Dunlap as she guides you on how to make more, spend less, and feel financially confident in a world run by rich white men. Through solo episodes and special guest interviews, you’ll walk away with resources to get, save, and grow money to gain financial freedom and kick some patriarchal ass at the same time."
Your Money Or Your Life, Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez: This is a great book for thinking about how your relationship with money fits into your overall life values. It has an intensive process that you can go through, or you can just read it and think through the principles on your own.
The Index Card, Helaine Olen and Harold Pollack: A one-index-card approach to personal finance, with the index card rules elaborated on within each chapter.
Dave Ramsey: A financial guru type who a lot of people love. His approach isn’t necessarily for everyone, but it’s a common sense approach that has helped a LOT of people, and could be great for you.
Mindfulness as a practice is about just a few core concepts with big benefits to the mind, body and soul. Getting started with mindfulness is first step toward regular practice. This can be applied to Budgeting and Finance the same ways it applies to regular mindfulness practices in life. By asking yourself a few core questions about where you are now, you can begin to think how this aligns with your values and life after Mac.
How aware are you of your spending habits?
What does your spending look like?
Where are you spending you money?
What are you spending on WANTS versus NEEDS?
Are your emotions tied to how your spending?
What are you spending on that makes you happy?
Does your spending and investing reflect your personal values?
Have you made the most informed choice?
What are your financial priorities?
What long term financial goals do you have?
How will you achieve these steps?
What can you shift each day to reach your goals?
What are the best choices you can make to realise your goals, right now?
How will you give yourself grace and kindness?
What does it mean to accept where you are financially, without judgement?