SoFi Blog

It happens to the best of us. You’ve got a totally watertight budget, covering every basic from housing to groceries to gas. You’ve even built in space for quality-of-life extras like a gym membership and a subscription to Spotify.

And for a few months the whole thing goes pretty well. You carefully watch where each and every hard-earned penny scurries off to, basking in your newfound feeling of fiscal control and responsibility.

So you decide to build in another, slightly loftier objective: a savings goal for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation or to finally replace that junker you’ve been driving since you were literally in college.

And then, life happens. Maybe that beater you’re still relying on to get to work suddenly requires a repair, or you discover that moths spent the long summer months snacking on last year’s winter coat while it was in storage. Maybe a bicycle stunt lands you in Urgent Care, delicately cradling a broken wrist.

Or maybe you just lose track of those far-fledged ambitions when you see something shiny and new in a storefront window—or by frittering away your cash on tiny daily indulgences, whether they’re iced Americanos or ice cream cones.

No matter what it is that gets in your way, it’s all too easy to lose sight of financial goals, especially when the payoff is fairly far in the future.

It’s natural to be tempted to satisfy your current self at your future self’s expense. But there are ways around this common financial trap and they might be simpler than you think.

These days, heading off to college often means scrimping and saving, and borrowing student loans to make ends meet. As you’re applying to college and trying to find the right fit, it could help to explore a variety of options.

At some work college programs in the United States, students work in exchange for free or discounted tuition. While these programs are limited, work colleges may be worth exploring.

This is the year. You’re in charge of throwing the big Halloween bash.

Organizing a Halloween party isn’t like hosting just any function. Everyone knows you’re expected to make the event gruesome, fantastical, and spooktacular—in addition to entertaining.

Searching for Halloween party ideas? Keep these six tricks—some appropriate for kids and some reserved for adults—up your sleeve to hold an event no goblin or ghoul will ever forget.

If you’re a high school athlete, chances are you’re considering continuing playing your sport at college. And although your ultimate reason for going to college may be to get your chosen degree and prepare for your career and overall life, sports may play a significant factor in where you choose to go.

If that’s the case for you, you may want to consider these questions:

  1. How important are sports in your college selection?

  2. How important should they be?

  3. How can you benefit by participating in collegiate sports?

  4. What are some associated challenges?

Read on to learn some answers to those questions and more.

In our efforts to bring you the latest updates on things that might impact your financial life, we may occasionally enter the political fray, covering candidates, bills, laws and more. Please note: SoFi does not endorse or take official positions on any candidates and the bills they may be sponsoring or proposing. We may occasionally support legislation that we believe would be beneficial to our members, and will make sure to call it out when we do. Our reporting otherwise is for informational purposes only, and shouldn’t be construed as an endorsement.

Tuesday night, 12 democratic hopefuls took the debate stage in Ohio. The number of participants was record-breaking, but it did not keep the candidates from making sure their positions on major financial issues were heard loud and clear.

Here’s a quick rundown of the major financial topics discussed during the debate and how the proposed plans may affect your wallet in the future.