SoFi Blog

With the holidays right around the corner, many people think about spending time with family, travel plans, and ironically their finances. It might surprise you that finances made that list, but after over a decade in the industry, I’ve learned that the next several months is when people place the greatest emphasis on their finances.

Whether this focus comes from feeling the pressure of accomplishing resolutions before the year ends, or year end deadlines set by the IRS, there are several common ways to help make your year-end planning more effective.

If you’re on the job hunt, you know how real the hustle can be. Combing through online job boards to find the right fit, revamping your resume, interview after interview. The constant pressure to sell yourself and impress each interviewer can be exhausting.

When you finally get the offer for the new job you’ve had your eye on, it’s thrilling. You’re about to breathe a well-deserved sigh of relief, until you dig into the details, realizing that taking this job means taking a pay cut.

Deciding whether or not to take a job for less can be a complicated decision. There are a lot of factors to think about as you weigh the pros and cons of accepting a lower offer. It’s a personal choice and it’s worth noting that everyone’s situation is different.

If you’re in pursuit of your next job opportunity and are thinking about taking a lower paying job, it can help to review the situation from all sides. You’ll probably want to find out if there is any room for negotiation. If there isn’t, it might help to consider the following factors.

No one likes paying bills. And yet, for most of us, they are just a fact of life. There are bills for everything—from our cell phones to our electricity—and even though they are generally due every single month, sometimes it can be a challenge to stay on top of them.

Like most things that aren’t particularly pleasant to do, it can be tempting not to think about paying your bills. But avoidance is usually not the best way to get on top of things.

Sometimes, bills can be pretty regular. For instance, though your electrical bill may vary from month to month, chances are the amount will stay relatively reliable unless you buy some new appliance that suddenly starts driving up your costs.

The same goes for your phone bill. The amount you owe may stay stable unless you do something like take a one-hour phone call while roaming in another country.

Whether you’re about to graduate from college or you’ve been in the workforce for a while, chances are you’ve wondered how to choose a career. Most millennials think constantly changing jobs leads to career advancement, so it might help to be thoughtful about when and why you’re making choices and changes.

Bigger picture: We spend over 13 years of our lives at work, and more than 80% of U.S. workers say they’re unhappy with their jobs. When you put it that way, choosing a career takes on a lot more meaning than just the place where you get a paycheck—it’s an integral part of your entire life.

Why is planning your career important? If you’re the type of person who likes to take control of your situation, then you can view this as a way to take the reins and be more likely to get what you want. If your dream job exists, chances are it won’t just fall into your lap—you’ll have to make it happen.

Taking out student loans is a big commitment—and filling out the paperwork is no cakewalk, either. You’ll need you and your parents’ tax documentation, income statements, and, of course, the ability to actually understand all that IRS gibberish… which is challenging even for those who already have a college education.

So we put together this FAFSA® “cheat sheet” to help you get filed and funded in a snap. (Sorry, though; we won’t be able to give you an equivalently easy fix when it comes to actually completing your college assignments.)