SoFi Blog

There’s something pretty great about giving to those around you in need. Getting knee-deep with fellow do-gooders in a cause larger than yourself can score major feel-good vibes. And while giving back to your community is a rewarding and worthwhile pursuit in itself, an added bonus is that investing your time, money, or expertise in your local community can be a powerful way to build relationships and enhance your personal brand. Because you can help others while helping yourself.

Summertime is all about sunshine, much-needed vacation time, and relaxation. It’s also a great time to make significant headway on your student loans.

We know that might sound crazy—after all, there’s nothing fun or relaxing about dealing with student loan debt. But here’s the thing: if you want that debt out of your life ASAP, it won’t help to take a vacation from it. Follow a few summer savings tips now, and you’ll see some satisfying progress by the time winter rolls around.

Over the past few weeks, our career strategy team has been busy sharing research, words of wisdom and webinars on the “new fundamentals for career success.” We do this because we’re committed to our members’ success and happiness. When they win, we win. And in order to stay ahead and win big in the career game, these fundamentals, which include resilience and relationships, matter a whole lot. This week, I pick up where we left off, with the third piece to the puzzle — reputation — and why trust is so integral to it all.

Editor’s Note: The following article on home renovation and budgeting originally appeared on our web partner Houzz’s website. Some of the content has been slightly edited from its original version, and is written from the perspective of a home designer.

The budget conversation — it’s sometimes awkward, often slightly uncomfortable and usually comes with a bit of anxiety. Because of the nature of construction, things often cost more than what homeowners think. There are endless debates on why that is, but the result is that we designers often have conversations with our clients that end with an awkward silence. The silence usually means that certain aspects of the project might be out of our clients’ reach. And truth be told, we really don’t like being the messenger in these conversations. We want our clients to be satisfied with the process and get what they really want.

Money talks. And student debt proves you’ve made a massive investment in your career. While most people want to pay student loans off as quickly as possible, it can actually be smart to take a little longer to do so and start saving for retirement sooner.