Personal finance books come in two varieties: entertaining or drier than twice-reheated pork chops. So, you may not think of giving recent graduates personal finance books for fear of wasting your money on a book they’ll never read (see: pork chops).

That said, there are some fantastic personal finance books out there! I love giving at least one of these ten books as graduation gifts because they all teach wise financial lessons in relatable ways so grads start out their young lives on the right financial foot.

(Our original post included five books, but I found five more that are worth checking out!)

1. The Latte Factor by David Bach

I love giving The Latte Factor as a gift to everyone, not just recent grads. This book is short and sweet, but very impactful. It teaches that no matter where you are in your personal finance journey, you have the power to achieve your financial goals. You’re richer than you think (and you didn’t have to take any big leaps to make that your reality)...

So who has started spring cleaning? Do you have a good system in place so it doesn’t take hours and hours to get the job done? There certainly are a lot of cleaning checklists on Pinterest and Instagram. As we’re thinking about spring cleaning our homes, it’s also the perfect time to spring clean your finances. The first quarter is over, and last year's taxes have been completed, so let’s get organized financially for the rest of the year.

Here are 10 ideas for spring cleaning your finances.

Check your credit reports. You can check your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus once a year so I recommend checking one at the end of April, one at the end of August, and one at the end of December. Credit report mistakes can prevent you from getting a loan or force you into paying a higher interest rate. If you see any errors or fraudulent activity on your credit report, file a dispute with the credit bureau right away.   

Review your monthly budget. Your current budget may ne...

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, many women are thinking about how to show love to the special people in their lives. But before you buy the flowers or book the dinner, I want to invite you to pause and do something equally meaningful: show love to yourself and your financial future.

Self-love is not selfish. It is one of the smartest investments you can make. Just like the airplane safety reminder says, you need to put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others. The same is true with your money. When you prioritize your financial wellness, you create stability, confidence, and peace that benefit everyone around you.

As a financial planner who has helped hundreds of women through major life transitions, I have seen how financial clarity can transform confidence. When you feel in control of your money, you show up differently in every area of your life. You make choices that align with your values, not your fears. And that is the ultimate form of self-love.

Here a...

It’s easy to overspend and go over budget during the holiday season! I’ve certainly done it plenty of times!! I know it’s hard not to get caught up in the gift-buying season with all of the advertisements and “special” deals that we’re bombarded with every day. And none of us want to be viewed as a “scrooge.” With some planning and research, there are so many ideas for creating a wonderfully memorable holiday season without stressing about spending too much. 

Here is a recap of some of our previous blog posts that share gift ideas for some people that may be hard to buy for as well as tips on how to stay on budget and creative ideas for decorating. 

8 Ways to Stay on Budget During the Holidays

Read about some tips to help you stay on budget, including setting spending limits, only shopping for the kids, using cash-back websites, and more! Even if you only want to incorporate a few of these tips, they are sure to help you stay on track this holiday season.

Use These Affordable Holid...

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays with its focus on family and gratitude, and it’s the perfect opportunity to feel grateful for everything that I have, despite whatever bumps in the road tried to take me off course throughout the year. But Thanksgiving can also be a difficult time for people for a variety of reasons so I wanted to share how developing a gratitude mindset can help you take a different approach to not only Thanksgiving but each new day. 

So what is a gratitude mindset? 

Gratitude is defined as the quality of being thankful and exhibiting a readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Simply put, a gratitude mindset is the ability to focus on the positive things in life rather than the negative - you know the glass is half full kind of thinking. You see opportunities instead of obstacles. When you can focus on gratitude, the number of things you appreciate continue to grow. 

Why should you strive for a gratitude mindset?

Engaging in a gratitude...

A lot of people, women in particular, are hesitant to ask for more. Whether it’s a mindset that’s holding you back, fear of rejection, or something else entirely, you have to pursue what you want — and sometimes, that means asserting yourself and asking for what you want!

Even if you work for a company that reevaluates the market rate for positions and adjusts salaries accordingly or you work for yourself and can increase your rates any time, there is still a level of needing to feel confident to advocate for yourself when and if it becomes necessary.

Why It’s Important to Ask for More

I have a client who works in data analytics, but she wasn’t “trained” to do data analytics (ie: she didn’t go to school for this particular set of skills she has). Instead, she evolved into this role in the company and she’s good at it. However, because of the way she evolved into it, she was significantly underpaid when we started working together.

She felt she didn’t deserve to get paid at the s...

April is Financial Literacy Month! It’s such an important time for me because I truly believe in the importance of education, especially around money. The reality is that the schools don’t provide much, if any, financial education.

So, I want to make sure you have the tools to feel confident in sharing this information with your kids and also so you are confident in advocating for yourself when it comes to your finances.

I remember learning about money at a young age — I must have been about 10 and my brother was 15. My mom was a single mom. She hurt her back and couldn't go grocery shopping, so it fell to us (my brother and I) to go to the store and get what we needed.

It was the first time we had to be responsible to get the groceries and it was a little scary. We were in charge of making sure we chose wisely so we would all have food to eat for the whole week and hadn’t loaded the cart with groceries that would exceed our budget.

Even though it was a little nerve-wracking, that ...

When you want to feel empowered around your money mindset, there's one thing that is at the heart of preparing to increase your income. Sometimes, in mindset work, we forget that we do have a great deal of control. While that control isn't over anything outside of ourselves, we can control our thoughts, reactions, and beliefs — and that is powerful! And it starts with asking.

Kids are great at this. For example, my kids always want McDonald's. Never mind that 99.9% of the time, my answer is no when they ask. But they always ask for it. I'm sure if you're a parent, cousin, or caretaker of any sort, you've had this experience, too.

And as any kiddo is too familiar with hearing… Just because you want it doesn't mean it's going to happen. But when you realize that you have a great deal of power over your choices in your money mindset journey, you can learn to guide your thoughts and actions to prepare yourself for an increase in income.

There are two main steps to getting to the heart o...

Often, as a woman is entering a life transition, she experiences this feeling of “I can do it!” mixed with a hefty dose of “What am I going to do?” Our mission at Watch Her Thrive is to provide support for women to thrive through these transitions.” 

The goal behind Watch Her Thrive is to be a beacon. It’s more than just writing helpful blog articles to show you how something is done. It’s to empower you and show you that, Yes, you can do it!

From my early career days, I’ve always been an educator. I've used my experiences to provide support for women to thrive, regardless of circumstances. Sometimes in the traditional sense, like when I taught third grade in inner-city Baltimore; and sometimes in the non-traditional sense, like when I became a published senior equity research analyst. And sometimes in the very non-traditional sense as my ex-husband and I navigated the adoption system.

No matter what I did, my mom was always my rock. She was non-judgemental, full of support and enco...

Improving your financial situation is always high on the list of resolutions I hear from my clients. After all, with a mindful eye on your finances, you can build stability for your family and be able to thrive for years to come without worry. (It’s such a hot topic, I created a list of 10 financial resolutions you may want to set for yourself to help in this mission.)

That said, surviving and then thriving takes a little effort in the beginning to get yourself on the right track. Case in point: How many dimes would you have for each person you hear claim that “This is my year”? You may have racked up a few dollars just counting all the times you’ve proclaimed it’ll be your year. And, I mean this gently…. What happened after that proclamation? Exactly. Never fear, these 5 simple steps will help you improve your financial situation once and for all so you can bask in the knowledge that this will be your year for years to come.

Make the Decision

The first step in making this year be “...