5 Things New Grads Wish Their Parents Had Taught Them About Money

One of the hardest things about letting a newly licensed driver leave the house in your car is this: They don’t know what they don’t know (but if you taught them to drive, you may have some ideas). They will learn, perhaps the hard way, and you won’t be there to offer warnings and commentary.

Finances are a lot like that. You’ve taught them, they’ve graduated from high school or college and now they are entering the real world — and figuring out that there are some gaps in their knowledge. Maybe their parents didn’t tell them, or maybe they weren’t listening when the parents did, but here’s what newly minted adults — asked via social media — told us they wished they had known more about money.

1. Compound Interest

They now wish they’d put baby-sitting and lawn-mowing money into retirement accounts. The young adults who responded to our question were big believers in putting away money early. They just wish they’d known sooner.

2. How to Invest

They want to know what they should be doing with the money they sock away. Some wish they had known how to invest in college. Some of them remember hearing their parents or grandparents talk about getting crushed in the market during the recession. But by now, the markets have rebounded, and they know that those who held on when the ride got scary have been rewarded.

3. How Taxes Work

Some states have income tax, and others don’t. Some municipalities tax the money you earn. Sales tax can be twice in a new state what it was in one’s home state. Who knew? And is there a way to figure out how much to take home in one’s paycheck after the deductions? They wish they understood taxes a little better.

4. Credit & Credit Score Management

“My dad always told me never to get a credit card,” said one. “My friend actually told me that I needed it to eventually get a house, new car, etc. So I’m building credit now when I could have been doing that throughout high school and college.” Others said they are learning late about precisely what it takes to build or rebuild credit. (Interestingly, no one complained that parents didn’t warn them about debt — parents are presumably doing a great job there.)

Experts suggest checking your credit scores and credit reports regularly so that when you do decide to take on debt (perhaps to buy a home or car), you can qualify for the best rates. Regularly monitoring your credit can also clue you in to possible identity theft if there is a large, unexplained change in your scores. You can get your credit reports for free every year from AnnualCreditReport.com, and you can get a free credit report summary updated every 14 days on Credit.com.

5. Buying vs. Renting

Whether they’re shopping for a home, car or furniture, new grads want to feel confident they’re making a good decision. Some wonder if renting to own is a good compromise.

There are a good many resources online to help with understanding all of these topics, and the millennials who described the gaps in their knowledge seem fully capable of finding them. Still, it can be confusing because some of the information is conflicting or just plain wrong. And none of it answers the question, “Mom, Dad … what do you think?”