SoFi Blog

Continuing your education through graduate school can be an exciting decision. Grad school can mean an opportunity to further your knowledge and expertise in your chosen field, and may lead to a lucrative and fulfilling career. But all that potential often comes with a shiny price tag.

The average graduate student spent approximately $24,812 on grad school costs during the 2016-17 school year, according to the most recent “How America Pays for Graduate School” report by Sallie Mae.

In reality, the actual cost of getting a graduate degree can vary widely due to a number of different factors including the type of degree you are pursuing and enrollment status.

Do you remember your 2019 New Year’s resolutions? How did those turn out for you?

It’s a circumstance so common it’s basically a meme: every year, we all start out on January 1st with the very best intentions, only to find ourselves lapsing into old habits before Valentine’s Day has passed.

And after the ubiquitous promises to eat better and exercise more often, financial resolutions typically top the list of well-meant (but quickly forgotten) New Year’s goals.

Even when we know getting our finances in order could make for much smoother sailing down the line, it’s all too easy to get overzealous while making our annual lists of oaths.

What’s more, we frequently forget one of the most important parts of setting a goal you can actually get to: making it specific.

‘Tis the season for sitting by the fire with a cup of cocoa, a warm, fuzzy blanket, and your 2020 budget.

What’s that? Getting your money right wasn’t in the plans this holiday? No worries!

We’ve put together some tips to help you ring in the New Year a bit more mindfully when it comes to your finances.

From creating realistic spending targets to budgeting tips for couples, we’re here to help turn your 2020 into 20money. So pull up a chair, grab another snickerdoodle, and enjoy our collection of festive videos below.

Giving back during the holiday season can feel really great. When you donate a portion of your hard-earned money to charitable causes such as homelessness, wildlife preservation, hunger relief, or many others, you could potentially make a positive impact on someone’s life or even the world as a whole.

In theory, the internet makes it extremely easy to donate to these causes. However, there are many organizations and individuals who prey on others’ generosity via false and/or unsecure websites.

These swindlers aim to con people into handing over funds to fake charities for personal gain. If you fall for one of these donation scams, you could run the risk of not only losing your money but also compromising your personal information.

There are many honest and reputable charities out there doing great work, but how can you tell the difference between the real and the fake? The following seven guidelines could help you identify and avoid charity scams this holiday so you can better protect your money while still giving back.

So you thought your mac and cheese and ramen days were over? Well, maybe not quite yet.

If you’re overwhelmed by the thought of managing student loan payments for years or even decades to come, there are strategies that can help you dump that debt faster. Unfortunately, many require cutting back on your spending or finding ways to make more money.

That might not seem fair if you were thinking graduation would mark the start of a sweeter lifestyle—not more austerity. But the thing to keep in mind is that if you can pay off your loans faster, you’ll typically save money down the road.

Potentially a lot of money: trip-to-Europe, house-down-payment, let’s-get-married kind of money. And knocking down your student debt is a goal worth working toward if you like the idea of financial freedom. Here are some ways to get after it.