What 20-somethings wish they had known about money before entering the real world after college

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We don't always make the right choices when we're young.

It's especially true with our money, since we probably don't think about how our split-second decisions can impact our lives later on. 

I am guilty of these kinds of mistakes myself — wasting money on things I had no use for, not taking advantage of all the "free" stuff my school offered, and ultimately not thinking about life after college — which led to some poor habits that kept me from building wealth in the year I've spent post-grad.

But, I'm not alone.

I reached out to my friends to see if they had any money mistakes they wanted to share, and what they would have done differently. Just like me, many of peers weren't always as financially savvy as they wanted to be in the years after college, and have also made some poor money decisions. 

Looking back, here's some advice they would have given their younger selves about money before they entered the real world:

Be smarter with the college courses you choose

"I wish I took an intro to economics course or a class to familiarize myself with the money market instead of those easy A's in sociology class. Learn about investments, especially retirement, so when you get your first job you know where/how to allocate your money when you're offered a 403b or 401k. You'll get a head start." — Jenny Ha

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Don't get ahead of yourself

"Don't let material things, or the lavish lifestyle your peers seem to have, blind you from your ultimate goal.

"Your responsibility right now is to prepare yourself to find a job to make the money that will allow you to enjoy the kind of lifestyle that you want for yourself, not to live it while studying." — Derek Wong

Steer clear of credit cards until you can handle them

"I REALLY wish I had told myself to stay away from credit cards. At the time I thought it was so great ... four years later I still can't get rid of the damn credit balance because I kept paying the minimum for so long.

"And then when I paid some down finally, I had to charge more on the card, so I was back to being super in debt." — Krysten Massa

 

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