I make a year and pay a month on loans.
Keep rent under $1,228 a month.
A landlord will approve you for $1,500. That extra $272 a month is how people go broke on a good salary.
Your first year out, in order
Every one of these decisions locks in the next one. Get the first three right and the next five years get a lot easier.
- Month 0
Pick the offer
The bigger salary loses more often than you'd think once the 401(k) match, your insurance bill and the commute are counted.
Compare two offers - Month 1
Sign a lease you can carry
Landlords approve you at three times the rent. That's an approval test, not a budget.
Find your real rent ceiling - Month 6
Loan payments start
Federal student loans give you a six-month grace period after graduation. Then the bill shows up every month for years.
Pay them off or invest? - Years 1 to 5
If the degree isn't working
Five years of cash, side by side: a trade or certificate against staying where you are.
Run degree vs. trade
Questions everyone asks in year one
- How to read your first pay stubYour offer said $54,000. Your first deposit says a lot less. Here's where every dollar went, line by line.Read
- How much to put in your 401(k) at your first jobThe benefits form wants a percentage. Here's the order to decide it in, and the one number you can't skip.Read
- Roth IRA vs. 401(k): which comes first?You have a 401(k) at work and keep hearing about Roth IRAs. Here's the order that works for most people in their first five years.Read
- Your student loan grace period: what to do with the six monthsFederal loans don't come due the day you graduate. You get six months. Use them, or month seven gets ugly.Read
- How big should your emergency fund be when you have loans?"Three to six months of expenses" sounds impossible on a first salary. Here's a version you can actually hit, in order.Read
- Should you negotiate your first job offer?Usually, yes. Politely, specifically, once. Here's what to ask for and the exact words.Read
Math, not motivation
Nobody hands you a manual at graduation. You get a lease, a benefits form, a loan servicer and an offer letter, usually in the same month. Most advice online is a sales pitch or a vibe.
Every tool here runs on your numbers, in your browser, and says what the math says. We don't see what you type. When we earn money from something, the page says so, and it goes on one public list.