personal finance tips for recent grads

5 Personal Finance Tips for Young Adults & Recent Grads

personal finance tips for recent grads

The following article is an in-depth guide on personal finance tips for young adults, recent grads, and really anyone in their 20s.

I’ve been wanting to do this post for a while now, as personal finance and investing have become a passion of mine within these past few years. And it frustrates me how much bad advice floats around regarding money management.

Here is something to keep in mind – 69% of Americans don’t have $1,000 in cash saved up. According to a 2019 GoBankingRates survey.

Everyone’s background is obviously different, but that statistic should scare you about the validity of what you’ve been taught all along in regards to money (It scares the hell out of me).

“Well why should I listen to you? Aren’t you just a marketer and not a finance guru?”

While I am definitely not an expert in this subject, I would argue I know more than most.

My portfolio returns, inner circle of intelligent finance professionals, investing books I’ve read, and the ability to plan out the long term game serves as some credibility (or at least I think lol).

A huge thanks go out to my good friend Alex Smith, who has greatly enhanced my investing knowledge (I still hit him up with questions).

He manages one of the best personal finance blogs on the Internet called Wealthy Diligence. Give it a read!

I was also featured in an article on Little Miss Finance, which covers similar personal finance advice as seen in this post. (Thanks Malia!)

The personal finance tips I’ve included below essentially apply to anyone, but they are aimed at young adults.

Disclaimer: I am not a certified financial advisor, and make no claim or guarantee for specific investment rates of return. I am just some guy on the Internet providing content that is for informational and entertainment purposes only.

Personal Finance Tips


1. Avoid & Remove Debt ASAP

It still blows me away that the average American is $38,000 in consumer debt (excluding mortgages) – according to 2018 CNBC study.

While there are some forms of “good debt” (real estate, business loans, etc.), I like to refer to personal debt as the devil and try to avoid it at all costs.

So what exactly is “good vs bad debt?” Well, put it this way – If borrowing money increases your net worth over time or has future value then it’s considered good debt. If it doesn’t it’s bad debt.

Although he gets criticized for his perspective on this, Dave Ramsey HATES debt. He consistently quotes this famous Proverbs verse – “a borrower is slave to the lender.”

I don’t necessarily agree with Dave’s holistic view on credit, but he makes great points on how becoming debt-free is a game-changer psychologically.

Ultimately, carrying debt for most of your life will hold you back from achieving financial prosperity.

2. Always think LONG TERM

Choosing short term gratification over long term gains is a trap that many fall into. I’ve done it, you’ve done it, everyone is guilty of this.

No, I’m not saying don’t ever have fun. But our generation is way too caught up in “flexing” on social media for short term pleasure.

The whole “keeping up with the Joneses” concept is still extremely prevelant in our society today.

Gary Vaynerchuk says it best here:

The purpose of me writing this is to get you to think about turning unnecessary purchases into long term rewards.

Instead of buying that new car, the latest iPhone, and other materialistic purchases, think about investing that money for your future.

Investing $1,000 in a proven index fund or ETF goes a long way instead of upgrading to the latest phone to impress others.

3. Consume Content from Credible Sources

When trying to learn anything it’s crucial to listen to individuals that demonstrate credibility and trust. This is huge in personal finance.

The personal finance and investing information I consume is through a select few.

I should note that there was a particular book I read that really sparked my passion for personal finance, which is Financial Freedom by Grant Sabatier.

Grant shares his story of going from $2.26 at age 25 to having $1.25 Million at age 30, and how he achieved financial freedom. I HIGHLY recommend this book, it’s a game-changer.

For more information on the book and Grant’s story, check out the link below.

Financial Freedom by Grant Sabatier

Listed below are the other resources I consistently use and recommend to others for all things personal finance & investing:

4. Investing > Saving

No the U.S. stock market is not evil like the media and politicians sometimes portray.

In fact, the U.S. stock market enables average people to elevate to “everyday millionaire” status overtime.

“But it’s complicated, I’ll pay someone else to do that, why would I invest money when I can just save it in my bank? Where do I start investing?” These are common remarks for those new to investing or those who dismiss it.

Luckily for us investing these days is easier than ever. The easiest method to get started from my experience is to open a Robinhood account.

You can use the link below to get started, and you’ll get a free stock just for signing up. You’ll thank me later!

Robinhood Account Registration with Free Stock

Below you will realize why you should be stashing money in a high-interest savings account instead of your local bank.

You will also find screenshots of my current investment portfolio (Vanguard, Robinhood, and Roth IRA).

High-Interest Savings Accounts

In technical terms, your savings account at the local bank is just a depreciating asset due to inflation with its 0.10% interest rate.

That’s why you should have an emergency fund within a high-interest savings account such as Ally Bank, Wealthfront, SoFi, Betterment, Robinhood, etc.

As of this writing, A solid high-interest savings account has interest rates between 1-2% (these constantly change based on the Federal Reserve).

I personally use Wealthfront for my emergency fund and when I started last year I was getting an interest rate of 2.57%!

wealthfront account

Wealthfront account

My Investment Portfolio

I often get asked, “what stocks are you investing in?” So below I’ve included my screenshots showing my Vanguard, Robinhood. and Roth IRA portfolios for those wondering.

In no way are these the “correct/right investments.” But the majority of my funds lie within VTI and VOO, which are Vanguard ETFs that track the index of the S&P500.

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are investment funds that hold assets like stocks and bonds that track an underlying index (like the S&P500). Because of diversification and historic returns, I HIGHLY prefer ETFs over single stocks.

And from 1957 – 2018, the S&P500 has an average annual return rate of 7-8%. (Investopedia) You can’t beat an annual return rate of 7-8%!

Therefore, buying & holding diversified funds that track a proven index like the S&P500 is the name of the game.

Important Note: Prior to investing you should be debt-free (excluding your mortgage) and have an emergency fund of at least 3-6 months of expenses.

vanguard portfolio 2020

Vanguard Portfolio

robinhood portfolio 2020

Robinhood Portfolio

Roth IRA portfolio

Roth IRA portfolio

5. Focus on Net Worth NOT Salary

There’s a huge misconception floating around in our society that “it’s all about what you make a year.”

This couldn’t be further from the truth as there are several people making over six figures annually who are drowning in debt.

The reality is it’s all about your NET WORTH and not your salary. A high income doesn’t mean anything if it isn’t saved/invested.

Net worth is simply your assets minus your liabilities.

  • Assets = cash, investments, real estate, etc.
  • Liabilities = debt (student loans, mortgages, credit card balances, car loans, etc.)

I track my net worth through a spreadsheet on a monthly basis, which helps me stay on track towards the end goal of financial freedom.

I highly suggest starting to keep track of your net worth, while also prioritizing net worth over salary.

Final Take

Overall, as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized there are way too many misconceptions floating around about personal finance that are bogus.

I hope these personal finance tips provided some value for you (if you made it all the way through this article).

If you missed my previous article on my favorite YouTube channels for career advice, you can find the link for that below. This post gained plenty of traction over the past few weeks.

My Top YouTube Channels for Career Advice in 2020

If I missed anything in this article or if you have any thoughts on personal finance please reach out!

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top youtube channels 2020

My Top YouTube Channels for Career Advice & Personal Growth (2020)

top youtube channels 2020

“Hey Ryan where do you get most of your information from regarding career advice, marketing, finance, etc.?” This is a question I often receive.

Although I do read books and articles here and there, YouTube is my go-to source for information pertaining to career advice, personal growth, finance, and overall general knowledge. (Outside of Beers to Careers of course).

With this post, I want to provide my top YouTube channels that I consistently recommend to others. I’ve also included one of my favorite videos from each channel, so I highly recommend watching at least a few of them.

I literally spend a few hours every day watching content from these channels and have learned a ton! Most importantly, the majority of advice given from these channels is actionable, and the individuals are authentic.

My Top YouTube Channels


1. The Dave Ramsey Show

The great Dave Ramsey is probably the most recognizable name on this list. Dave’s videos are a must-watch for me, as I’ve created a habit of watching his videos daily.

Regardless of age and your current life situation, trust me when I say you will learn a thing or two about personal finance from Dave.

“Live like no one else today, so you can live like no one else tomorrow” is one of Dave’s famous quotes.

Check out one of my all-time favorite videos from Dave Ramsey’s YouTube Channel below:

2. Graham Stephan

Like Dave, Graham Stephan also has a huge following on YouTube where he dives into personal finance, real estate, and investing related content.

Graham’s mix of knowledge and personality makes his videos extremely entertaining to watch. His “smash the like button for the YouTube algorithm” remark gets me every time.

Like the rest of the channels on this list Graham’s advice is both actionable and relatable to the average viewer.

If you’re looking for some of the best personal finance & investing advice out there, then Graham’s channel is worth the subscription.

3. Matt D’Avella

Matt D’Avella is a big YouTuber that provides videos on time management, minimalism, habits, and productivity related content. His authenticity portrayed in his videos is what separates his channel from others in my opinion.

The value that Matt provides is all about focusing on what’s truly important in our lives. He provides several tips on eliminating useless distractions and developing productive habits.

I’m certain Matt’s videos have helped me, and they would likely help you too. You don’t have to watch the entire clip but the video below is one of my favorites from Matt D’Avella’s channel.

Matt discusses how to “find happiness in a distracted world” where he references the book Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holliday (which I’m currently reading and highly recommend).

4. Andrei Jikh

Andrei Jikh has become one of my favorite YouTubers lately the more I watch his videos. Andrei’s channel is pretty similar to Graham Stephan in the aspect of covering personal finance and investing.

His investing knowledge, authenticity, humor, and relatable personality separates his channel from the thousands of others in this niche.

I’ve invested hundreds of dollars into stocks and ETFs solely based on Andrei’s recommendations within his videos.

Although there are many others to choose from, the video below from Andrei’s channel is a must-watch. Subscribe to Andrei’s channel you won’t regret it!

5. Roberto Blake

Roberto Blake is an individual that is more on the creative side of the YouTube spectrum. However, his personality does remind me a lot of Gary Vaynerchuk.

Roberto covers a variety of topics such as personal branding, social media, passive income, entrepreneurship, and motivational content.

“Helping you create something awesome!” is Roberto’s famous line used in about every one of his videos.

As of this writing, Roberto’s channel currently has 438K subscribers, but if you asked him he couldn’t care less about quantity on social media. Check out his channel below:

6. Nate O’Brien

Nate O’Brien is another great YouTube channel I follow on a consistent basis. Nate’s personality reminds me a lot of myself – easy-going, laid back, and money-conscious.

His channel provides videos on traveling advice, personal finance, minimalism, and personal growth. His content is both highly relatable and actionable!

Check out his popular “How to Travel the World for Cheap” video below:

7. Engineered Truth

Matt Tran from Engineered Truth is one of the first YouTubers I started following during my senior year of high school.

I vividly remember coming across his “Is Marketing a Good Major?” video when I was in the process of selecting a College Major.

Matt’s channel is focused on career advice, remote work, digital marketing, and future job market trends.

If you are currently in the process of trying to figure out a career path, then Engineered Truth is the perfect channel for you.

Final Take

Overall, these seven YouTube channels have provided a ton of value in my life. I find myself continuing to learn from these YouTubers on a daily basis.

Whether it’s about personal branding, finance, business, or time management, these channels have played a huge role in shaping my current mindset.

I highly recommend subscribing to the channels above. You’ll thank me later!

Also, if you missed my last post on How to Obtain Career Leverage be sure to give it a read. I had a ton of great feedback on that one.

If you have any YouTube channels you recommend please let me know!

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power of career leverage
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The Power of Career Leverage – Why it’s a Necessity and How to Gain it

power of career leverage

In a recent conversation with a friend, the concept of “career leverage” was brought up. Career leverage is essentially the formula for anyone wanting to take their career to the next level.

But what exactly does career leverage mean? How can you obtain leverage in your career?

This article will not only get you thinking about the importance of career leverage but also provide advice on how you can achieve this.

What is Career Leverage?

Let’s put it this way – If you lost your job tomorrow, would you have issues immediately finding a new job that’s similar? That’s the question to consistently ask yourself.

Because understand that no job or company will last forever. In fact, BBC News points out that “the average lifespan of a company listed in the S&P 500 index is just 15 years today.”

Think about that.  Some of the biggest and most successful companies that we know of today are statistically unlikely to be around before I’m 40 years old.

But all along haven’t we been taught the opposite? That we’re supposed to have a “long-tenured career at one or two companies, work hard, and we’ll eventually advance.”

While that logic may have been relevant a decade ago, the transformation of the job market has made it much easier for individuals to “job hop” using the power of leverage.

How to Gain Career Leverage

Gaining leverage is by far one of the most important areas in order to accelerate your career. So how exactly do you gain leverage?

Listed below are some simple, yet actionable steps for anyone wondering how to gain leverage in their career.

1. Develop and Master In-Demand Skills

Having a marketable skillset is one of the first steps to ever obtaining leverage.

IT, finance, accounting, digital marketing, engineering, medical, sales, and trade skills are all examples of in-demand careers as of this writing.

Not only do these professions earn more, but the availability of open positions in these fields is frequent.

“But I don’t like that stuff. I’m not good with computers. I’m bad at math. I’m not going to pay thousands of dollars to study that in college.”

Well lucky for us, the evolution of the Internet has made learning valuable skills very accessible with low-cost investments. It simply takes time and work.

I touched on this a bit in a previous article that was widely viewed. Check out the link below for more information.

Is Going to College Worth it?

2. Networking

The importance of networking is a reoccurring theme on the Beers to Careers site, and there’s a good reason for that. Especially when it pertains to career leverage.

Having quality connections in your “back pocket” is extremely powerful. All it takes is one recommendation/referral to land that next big job.

In my case – my current boss offered me this job solely for the fact that I previously worked under him in a different organization at the time. He then went on to start his own business and hired me with the goal of scaling his new company.

NEVER underestimate the power of networking. The more quality people you know, the easier it is to obtain leverage.

3. Reading

Staying up to date on industry trends is huge. Being a digital marketer myself I am fully aware of how important it is to stay updated with the latest news, platforms, algorithm updates, etc.

Outside of industry-related content, I believe it’s also important to read books that can shift your mindset and fuel personal growth.

The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss and Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk are two books I’ve read that have had the most impact on my personal growth, which results in leverage.

4. Building Your Personal Brand

“Developing your personal brand is the same thing as living and breathing your résumé.” Gary Vaynerchuk said it best in his book Crush It!

I’ve discussed personal branding often throughout this site, while also speaking on the topic to college students.

Think of personal branding as the way others perceive you, and how you market yourself.

Names like Gary Vee, Grant Cardone, Russell Brunson, Mark Cuban, Dave Ramsey, and Michael Jordan all carry powerful personal brands.

Strong personal brands equate to a TON of leverage.

For further advice on personal/professional branding, view my popular LinkedIn Guide below.

How to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out in 2020

5. Side Hustling

Start a podcast, build websites, flip items on eBay, freelance your skills (if legally allowed). The opportunities for side hustling in 2020 are about endless.

Creating multiple revenue streams is obviously healthy for your financial situation. But what you learn from side hustles is just as important.

I’m certain most of my WordPress development knowledge came from a side hustle where I build websites for local businesses.

If you’re currently working a 9-5 job, start side hustling during your free time!

Final Take

I’m fully aware there are many other ways to gain leverage in your career, but hopefully this guide helps you better understand the power of career leverage.

Don’t sit around and hope for something to fall in your lap. If you’re serious about growing your career then you must take action to gain leverage.

As always please reach out to me if you have any questions/comments. Let’s get after it!

“Innovation is rewarded. Execution is worshipped.” – Eric Thomas

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leave corporate job
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New Career Transition: Why Did I Leave My Corporate Job?

New Career Transition Why Did I Leave My Corporate Job

I’ve had several people reaching out to me lately about my new career transition, and what exactly I have been up to these past few months. I feel like I’ve fallen off the grid a bit with the excessive amount of hours I’ve been putting in outside of my 9-5, and Beers to Careers has been dormant because of that.

If I recall a couple weeks ago I calculated that I put in 80-90 hours total in one week, which was very stressful to say the least. So what have I been doing with my time? Why exactly did I leave my corporate job? Well in order to best reflect on what’s been going on with my life lately I felt that expressing my thoughts through a blog post made the most sense.
Read more

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how to make your linkedin profile stand out
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How to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out in 2020

Mastering-LinkedIn-How-to-Make-Your-Profile-Stand-Out

LinkedIn has become a powerful tool for recruiters, students, businesses, and anyone seeking an opportunity to get their name out there. Spending time on LinkedIn has become almost an obsession of mine, as I use the platform daily.

Everyone wants to make their LinkedIn profile stand out from the competition, but how can you execute this? “Get a good head shot, don’t connect with too many people, write an interesting summary” is the cliche advice I’ve always been told.

This post will explain how to make your LinkedIn profile stand out in 2020. Listed below are some of my LinkedIn strategies that have led to numerous opportunities, increased my search appearances, and helped enhance my overall professional brand.

Read more

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First Year in the Real World - Here is What I've Learned
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First Year in the Real World – Here is What I’ve Learned

First Year in the Real World - Here is What I've Learned

It’s hard to believe that my one year anniversary of being in the “real world” is here. I’ve learned a ton this past year, and have seen myself grow tremendously as a new young professional.

It’s very interesting because throughout my educational journey I’ve quickly realized that I was consumed with a lot of information that isn’t all relevant towards my generation. It’s crazy to look back this past year, and this post will reflect on some of the most important concepts I’ve learned. Read more

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PPC Hero Conf
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My First PPC Hero Conf Experience – A Top Digital Marketing Conference

PPC Hero Conf

Last week I had the opportunity of a lifetime to attend my first ever PPC Hero Conf in Philadelphia. Not only was the conference incredible, but exploring the city of Philadelphia for the first time was also memorable.

PPC Hero Conf was full of industry leading marketers, amazing speakers, networking opportunities, and an overall great experience that helped take my digital marketing knowledge to the next level. This post aims to highlight my favorite parts of the conference, and why I would recommend attending PPC Hero Conf to any digital marketer.

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Ryan Doser LinkedIn Advice
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“Personal Branding & LinkedIn Advice” – My 2nd Experience Speaking at UNI

Ryan Doser LinkedIn Advice

Last week I was invited to speak at the University of Northern Iowa again, but this time for the Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE) student organization. As a former member of PSE I had a blast speaking to my former student org members about personal branding, LinkedIn advice, my marketing career thus far, and an insightful Q&A portion at the end.

This was another great experience for me to get outside my comfort zone and help current college students learn more about the real world transition.

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Marshal Lamb Sunday Spotlight Series
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Sunday Spotlight Series: Marshal Lamb

Marshal Lamb Sunday Spotlight Series

The Sunday Spotlight Series segment this week features Marshal Lamb who is the fourth featured connection of the series. I had the opportunity to talk with Marshal and discuss his background, previous experiences, and advice he has about how to find the right fit for you. Marshal is a great connection of mine from UNI, and is definitely someone you should get to know!

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Personal Branding with Ryan Doser
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“Personal Branding with Ryan Doser” – My Experience Presenting at UNI

Personal Branding with Ryan Doser

Last week I had the opportunity to speak at my alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa, for the American Advertising Federation (AAF) student organization.

The presentation covered my background, personal branding, Beers to Careers, my marketing career so far, and a Q&A portion. Overall this was a great experience for me, and a lot was learned.

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