Most people learn about money the hard way. In this episode, I sit down with Beth Kobliner, personal finance journalist and New York Times bestselling author of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your 20s and 30s and Make Your Kid a Money Genius (Even If You’re Not), to talk about how to build a strong financial foundation before the real world hits.
Beth shares her journey from ghostwriting for pioneering personal finance columnist Sylvia Porter to writing for Money magazine, and why the core principles she has taught for decades still hold up today. From avoiding credit card debt to grabbing your 401k match, the fundamentals matter more than ever.
She also breaks down the new threats facing young people, from buy now pay later traps to online gambling and social media money influencers, and shares her current passion project bringing a free financial literacy curriculum to New York City public schools.
In this episode, Beth Kobliner shares:
- Foundational money moves for young adults, including high-yield savings accounts, index funds, and 401k matching
- The biggest updates in the new edition of Get a Financial Life and why the basics still win
- How to protect yourself from modern financial traps like gambling apps, buy now pay later schemes, and crypto hype
- Why financial literacy education in high schools is more urgent than ever and how to bring it to your school for free + more!
What’s New in the Paperback Edition of Your Journey to Financial Freedom:
- A bonus chapter: When Life Happens: Staying on the Path to Financial Freedom Through Setbacks, Shifts, and Uncertainty
- A book club and discussion guide with prompts, exercises, and action steps
- Updated corrections from the original hardcover
- Exclusive bonuses when you
- The Fire Starter Course
- The Find Your FIRE Number Worksheet
Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode:
- Get a Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your 20s and 30s and Make Your Kid a Money Genius (Even If You’re Not)
- Get a Financial Life NYC curriculum: getafinanciallifenyc.com
- Student Loan Simulator: studentaid.gov
- High-Yield Savings Account Comparison: bankrate.com
- NerdWallet: nerdwallet.com
- Check out the FIRE Calc
- Get your paperback edition of Your Journey To Financial Freedom if you haven’t already.
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Connect with Beth:
- Website: bethkobliner.com
- Instagram: @BKobliner
- Facebook: @BethKobliner
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