SoFi Blog

It’s a very modern conundrum: How do you constantly achieve more, while often making do with less?

At work, do you find yourself needing to sell more widgets, create more content, get more users—but do it all with a smaller budget, less human power, less time?

In your personal life, you’re trying to see more friends, have more fun, buy the latest gadget, save more money—attempting to do it all with less free time, less savings once you’ve paid your bills, and less energy after worrying about how to juggle all the things.

So how the heck can you make it all work… and maybe even have some fun while doing it? How can you get more productive without completely burning out?

Did you know that if you don’t negotiate your salary you could be missing out on up to $1 million dollars over a 45 year career?¹

Last year, we introduced Get That Raise—an initiative that empowers our members to go out and ask for the money they deserve, while equipping them with the tools and resources to be prepared and have informed conversations with their managers.

This year, we’re expanding on our initiative to discuss why it’s important to go out and ask and stop leaving money on the table. We’re excited to partner with Allyson Felix, the most decorated Track and Field Olympian, who lived this experience firsthand.

You could say that Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, began his career in business at age 11—selling parakeets with his best friend. Fast forward to today, and the boy who was once slinging pet birds now has a net worth of $3.9 billion. Here’s a look at the steps—and missteps—Branson took on his way from entrepreneurial schoolboy to billionaire mogul.

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.