Erin Lowry on personal finance, lessons from her father & how to stay on budget

Original Show Notes: Erin Lowry from Broke Millennial

Erin Lowry is an outstanding writer and is the author of Broke Millennial- stop scraping by and get your financial life together. She has countless blogs on her website that help the 20 and 30 somethings learn and plan for their financial future.

Erin leads by example- telling you in detail all of her tips.

Welcome Erin!

[0:50] So tell us something else about yourself
·      Lives in New York City
·      Lives with partner and dog

[1:25] I loved your blogs- I read like 5 of them, so I have a few questions-
Can you start with telling the Chainers about the doughnut selling yard sell lesson?
·      North Carolina in 1996
·      7 years’ old
·      Sell Krispy Kreme Doughnuts at yard sell

[4:7] What is your $5 saving strategy?
·      Read it on a blog
·      Pay in cash- saves every $5 bill
·      Saved over $300 in 4 months

[6:6] Can you explain what a credit freeze is and what is it used for?
·      Need a special pin number to “thaw” your information
·      Protect yourself from identity theft

[9:31] Do you still do your weekly 15-minute money meetings? Can you explain to our listeners what this is?
·      Every Sunday
·      Sit down and check all accounts
·      Great way to check fraud
·      No surprises

[11:14] What are 2 of your “staying on budget” tricks that you use?
·      Find a style to work for you
·      Know your cash flow

[15:15] What do you think the secret is to getting great credit and then being able to keep it?
·      Two big parts:
o   Utilization (available credit) & payment history
·      Payment history: Pay on time!
·      Utilization: Use 30% of available credit- don’t use more

[17:13] I read that you are an expert on student loans- what did you do to pay for your half of your loans?
·      Paid for 50% of college- went to school with scholarships
·      Partner has student debt to tackle

[18:23] So let’s talk about your book, Broke Millennial- stop scraping by and get your financial life together. What was the inspiration to writing this book?
·      Always wanted to be a writer
·      Help other people to control their money
·      Each chapter stands alone

[20:5] What is your favorite chapter in the book?
·      Getting financially naked chapter

[20:59] What are some of your upcoming projects?
·      Just signed a 2 book deal
·      1 on investing
·      Other is undecided- have an idea, tweet @brokemillennial

Sponsors

[13:05] Chain of Wealth – Awesome gadget guide for the holidays, check out Katie’s top recommendations.

If you’re enjoying this podcast, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review!

Value Link Round (VLR)

[22:4] Why do people fail at achieving their dreams?
·      Too scared to try

[22:26] What books or other podcasts do you recommend to our listeners?
·      Podcast: Planet Money, Reply All, The Nod, Tim Ferriss, The Nerdist, This American Life, Two Dope Queens, Death, Sex and Money, Heavyweight, The Fire Drill Podcast, Uncivil, The Money Nerds Podcast, Freakanomics,
·      Books: Daughters of the Samurai, The Thin Green Line

[24:7] What is your favorite word or quote?
·      Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world, he who understands it, earns it; he who doesn’t, pays it.
·      Mantra: Remember who you wanted to be

[24:57] Any last advice for our listeners?
·      Run your cash flow
·      Think of goals