As someone who is fairly new to the realm of personal finances, I understand how confusing and overwhelming this all can be. Up until about 5 years ago, the only areas of personal finance I really knew about were checking and saving accounts, loans, and retirement accounts connected to your job. As I started to delve deeper into personal finances, I realized there was a lot I didn’t know. Actually, a ton I didn’t know. But, as someone who considers herself naturally curious, this didn’t really bother me much because when it comes to sleuthing on the internet, navigating a bookshelf, or tracking down the right person, your girl is pretty proficient.
But, I know for many people, this may not be the case. In fact, some people might be the opposite when faced with new or unfamiliar information/financial territory. They may become overwhelmed, confused, or even intimidated and rather than engaging in further exploration and/or trying something new, they disengage and become avoidant in the engagement or exploration of new experiences, products, practices, etc. And although I completely understand, I can tell you, you are not doing yourself any favors when you take this route. You can miss out on a lot of knowledge and opportunities when you choose this path.
So, I am taking this moment to offer up some approaches that helped me and continue to help me navigate the world of personal finances and the myriad products, services, and practices that are out there, just waiting for us to explore and engage with.
Be Curious and Stay Curious
Be curious and stay curious. As the industries of finance, financial education, and financial services and products develops, I encourage you to keep an open mind and to continue to learn and explore. Yes, learning about some of these things can be overwhelming and intimidating, but you don’t have to learn everything all at once. Lean into uncertainty with curiosity, rather than fear. Take your time to understand what’s out there or what is being offered to you. You are responsible for your financial future, so I think being curious and staying curious is a really important part of anyone’s financial journey.
Look, if you can google something as trivial as the height of your favorite actor or actress, you can google how to start and fund an IRA. It takes just about the same amount of effort and is probably a more productive use of your time and energy. We are in an incredible time right now when it comes to accessing information and we need to leverage that. Of course, make sure you do your due diligence. There’s a lot of information out there and not all of it is complete accurate, or up to date. So, make sure when you are engaging with any type of media or information, you look for multiple pieces of information on the subject, service, product, etc., so you can gain a more comprehensive perspective of whatever it is you’re researching and can make an informed decision.
Watch YouTube
If you’ve been around long enough, you’ll know YouTube has grown exponentially as a learning platform. Not only can find a tutorial for just about anything, but you can find content like interviews, reviews, educational content, and even people sharing their own personal stories and experiences on the platform. And, on top of that, we’re living in a time where people with an extensive amount of knowledge and experience in the all things finances are highly interested in sharing that knowledge and experience with an audience in a way that is engaging and accessible. So, when you have a moment, take some time and peruse YouTube for some financial content. I guarantee you, you’ll find AT LEAST one interesting piece of content that will be helpful to you.
Read Everything
Books, magazine articles, blogs, websites, newspapers, newsletters, all of these materials were integral to expanding my knowledge about finances. So, I highly recommend reading whatever and whenever you can. You can gain access to reading materials in a variety of ways, but my go to was/is my public library as well as digital media services and libraries like Hoopla (which I had access to, through my public library) and Scribd*, a subscription based digital library (about $11 USD/month).
*if you’re interested in trying out Scribd, here is my invite link. I’m not an affiliate, just an avid user and evangelist lol You’ll get 60 days to try it for free and I personally believe you will not be disappointed.
Listen to Podcasts
Along with reading, podcasts were and still are a great source of information for me. I love podcasts because they’re typically very casual and I can listen to them while I’m mobile, like when I’m driving or exercising. I feel a certain sense of accomplishment when I just learned about cryptocurrency on my 30 minute drive to meet up with friends for dinner lol And very similar to YouTube, a lot of financial professionals or people who are well versed in personal finance and financial education are starting to enter the world of podcasting, so the content is just continually expanding and improving, as more people enter into the space and connect with their audiences. And for my podcast listening, I use Spotify Premium (about $11 USD/month) and 100% recommend it, primarily because I think they’ve created better recommendation algorithms. I listen to Spotify all the time, so the premium subscription is worth it for me. But, they do have a free subscription option as well, if you’re just seeking to try it out or if you’re ok with ads in your listening experience.
Be in Community
As I started to listen to podcasts, many hosts would direct their listeners to their online communities and I cannot recommend this enough. Join a community, whether it’s a Facebook group, a MeetUp group, a Reddit group, following someone on Instagram, following someone on Twitter, whatever it may be, be in community with other people who are trying to accomplish what you’re trying to accomplish on your financial journey. I’m part of several financial Facebook groups and follow a variety of financial experts, educators, entrepreneurs, organizations, and groups who specialize in a multitude of financial topics, ranging from saving and budgeting to angel investing.
This has been great for me because joining these groups and following certain people/groups allowed me to expand my network and expand my knowledge base. As someone whose family and circle knew very little about more comprehensive financial concepts, services, products, and practices, these groups were/are communities I treasure deeply. There is a wealth of knowledge and experiences people are glad to share with you and in return you can share your own knowledge and experiences too. I’ve learned so much and have felt so supported on my financial journey through these groups and accounts, so I highly encourage you to be in community with people because it really makes a difference.
I hope you found this post helpful and encouraging. What has helped you along your financial journey? What platforms do you use to help you navigate your financial journey? Leave a comment below and share with others if you found this information helpful!
The Everyday Dollar 
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