Money Tips Network

This post is by staff writer Honey Smith.

I’ve spent the last 15 years of my life working at three universities, wearing many different hats during that time. As you can imagine, this means that I’ve developed an opinion or two when it comes to higher education! Based on what I’ve experienced (and what I’ve seen other people go through), one of the most difficult things for people is matching a degree program to their budget and overall career path. You want to find the right fit.

What is “fit” anyway?

Here's an interesting article from CNN Money. It has a bit of "down with the rich" tone that I dislike (they say the U.S. has the "top rank in one net worth measure -- wealth inequality") but it lists average and median net worths for Americans, two numbers I don't recall having seen together previously.

The facts:

• Average American Net Worth: $301,000
• Median American Net Worth: $44,900

As they point out, a few very wealthy individuals bring up the average and that's why there's a big difference in the two numbers.

A few other interesting facts:

I recently spent the better part of an hour being tortured by bankers.

Given the contentiousness of the conversation, it is entirely possible that they saw themselves as being tortured by me. However, considering that they had my money and were the ones getting paid to be there, I see it the other way around.

I am not going to name names, of either personnel or the bank, because I do not believe the purpose of this kind of platform is to vent my personal beefs. Also, the point I really want to make is that what went on with my bank could go on with hundreds of other banks. Therefore, the purpose is not to call out one bank, but to caution people about what to watch out for with banks in general.

Life’s too short

The “Books with Impact” series takes a deeper look at specific books that have had a profound impact on my financial, professional, and personal growth by extracting specific points of advice from those books and looking at how I’ve applied them in my life with successful results.

In the past on The Simple Dollar, I wrote some “book club” series where I walked through several of my favorite personal finance, career, and personal growth books in great detail over a series of posts. You should check them out; here are links to each of those “book club” series:

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some great articles on Starbucks hacks that will save you money, money mindsets to adopt today, and starting a business you love.

Top 5 Articles

14 Starbucks Hacks That Will Save You Money — Did you know if you bring your own cup to Starbucks they will give you a ten cent discount? [PopSugar Smart Living]

When it comes to vacation benefits, America is in poor shape. According to the Hotels.com "Vacation Equality Project," America is the only advanced economy in the world that does not guarantee paid vacation days. As a Brit, I was shocked to learn that the guaranteed four weeks of vacation that I got in the UK was going to become just one week when I arrived here in 2001 (and I was told by my employer at the time to be thankful for that). (See also: 11 Vacation Destinations That Stretch Your Travel Dollar)

Littered throughout the personal finance blogosphere are tips, tricks, and success stories about gaming rewards credit cards. If you play the rewards card game right, you can earn some cool cash back, free flights, or money for college. Provided you are paying off your balance each month and avoiding any fees or interest charges, a credit card rewards program is a fun game that the money nerds will always win. (See also: Money-Saving Credit Card Tricks)

I was born a lot of things, but assertive was not one of them.

For years, I would find myself in situations where I had a vague feeling that all was not well, but by the time I figured out that I wanted or needed to stand up for myself (or someone else), the conversation had moved on. Then, I'd replay the conversations in my head whenever I felt discouraged, which only added to my frustration.

Nobody seems to have told 2014 that the recession ended five years ago.

Not only are college graduates having a hard time getting jobs, but current employees are having a hard time getting raises. This means that now more than ever, you should take every interaction with your supervisor or boss as an opportunity to leave a positive impression.