Financial Advice in Honor of Dr. Seuss
We don't know if Dr. Seuss had any financial wisdom for 20-somethings. But in honor of his 108th birthday, we summarized our own advice in verse.
Dr. Seuss's inspirational rhymes ushered many of us from grade school to high school and beyond. More than children's books, works like "Oh, the Places You'll Go" taught life lessons -- trying new things, believing in yourself, caring for other people.
So on the anniversary of the late "doctor's" birthday, we thought we'd follow his lead and find the poetry in personal finance. Feel free to add your own finance rhymes in the comments or on Twitter.
Ah, the places your money will go,
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As you start out, and take it in tow.
Here’s one thing you might already know:
Both you and your money have time to grow.
Remember, you’re just starting out, there’s no need to fret.
With some simple planning, your finances will be set.
If college loans are the things making you frown,
Be proactive and use our tips to pay them down.
Of course, the best college debt tip that we know,
Is to avoid the debt trap right from the get-go.
Our college-value picks look at merit and cost,
A good place to start if you feel a bit lost.
Starting your first job? Congrats, way to go.
Now it’s time to manage your brand-new cash flow.
Be sure to meet your employer’s retirement match.
That’s free money to grab, and pre-tax at that.
With investing comes risk, indeed, that is true.
But how much you want, well that’s up to you.
If your timeline is long, experts say stocks.
Then as you get older, switch over to bonds.
Too much to manage? Simplify it real quick
By making a target-date fund your retirement pick.
Long-term total returns of six to eight percent a year,
Is what Kiplinger forecasts, reason to cheer.
For savers, it’s tough, because we all know
Interest rates still remain historically low.
But low rates are no reason to quit; in fact, just the reverse,
Save even more to fend off this low interest rate curse.
Feed your emergency fund as soon as you can.
Automating your savings is one surefire plan.
After tax season, if you have a refund in store,
Deposit it happily to save even more.
So many choices are there for deciding,
Which city? What job? Which choices to thrive from?
Then there’s shopping and dating, and overall spending,
We have ideas to keep your savings plan from ending.
Still have young person financial jitters?
Don’t worry at all, find us on Twitter.
Any money questions, please just send us a Tweet,
We’ll respond right away to help with each new money feat.
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John Miley is a Senior Associate Editor at The Kiplinger Letter. He mainly covers technology, telecom and education, but will jump on other important business topics as needed. In his role, he provides timely forecasts about emerging technologies, business trends and government regulations. He also edits stories for the weekly publication and has written and edited e-mail newsletters.
He joined Kiplinger in August 2010 as a reporter for Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, where he wrote stories, fact-checked articles and researched investing data. After two years at the magazine, he moved to the Letter, where he has been for the last decade. He holds a BA from Bates College and a master’s degree in magazine journalism from Northwestern University, where he specialized in business reporting. An avid runner and a former decathlete, he has written about fitness and competed in triathlons.
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