SoFi Blog

As the year draws to a close, it’s a great time to reflect on your finances—especially if you’re a recent grad who’s newly employed. You’re likely bringing home a significant paycheck for the first time in your life, but also have big-time monthly bills to pay, including student loans. Without proper planning, that debt can easily drag you down.

So how can you balance paying your bills, eliminating your debt, and saving for your future while still allowing yourself a few bucks for fun?

Start achieving your 2017-and-beyond financial goals by asking yourself these key questions:

When you start a new job or need to select company insurance benefits during open enrollment, you’re given a menu of options, such as dental, vision, disability, and life insurance. While opting for life insurance is pretty much a no-brainer, assessing your needs and reading the fine print can be flat-out daunting.

It’s tough to focus on future needs when current bills and student loan payments loom. We get it. And it’s even tougher to think about the end of your life when you’re so focused on living it to the max. But making sure you not only have life insurance, but also have the right amount is part of adulting—a very important part, especially if you have or are considering a family.

Life insurance: as you yawn, roll your eyes and think to yourself that there couldn't possibly be anything less interesting to read— we acknowledge your lack of enthusiasm.

After all, life insurance is something that many people, especially healthy and young professionals, put off or don't consider at all. Perhaps it's due to a sense of invincibility, or maybe a notion that life insurance is for our parents.

So you want to be a millionaire. And with your killer drive and professional achievements, there’s no doubt you’ll get there in due time. Up first: Aim to save $500,000. Cutting your goal in half will put you in the right mindset and allow you time to ace the habits and skills you need to join the millionaire’s club.

Here are seven tips to help pave the way:

Let’s get the ugly truth out of the way up front: A lot of Americans don’t have great financial planning skills. More than half (56%) have saved less than $10,000 for retirement, according to a March 2016 GoBankingRates survey. And 49% of U.S. adults with a self-directed retirement account, such as an IRA or 401(k), lack the confidence to invest iwt properly, according to a Federal Reserve Board report published in May. To add insult to injury, that same report reveals that 46% couldn’t cover an unexpected $400 emergency expense with ready cash or savings.

While there’s plenty of saving and investment advice available to help us all increase our financial smarts, the lion’s share of it is built around the idea that we should invest and save for other people in our lives. We’re told to save up for a wedding, a down payment on a house to enjoy with a life partner, a couple of cars, and for children and their educations. But where’s the financial planning advice for singles? It’s unfair to be left out just because your life milestones differ from those of others.