Real financial advice for real scientists
Ahh, internships. A scientist’s right of passage, a way to gain all of those skills your professors talk to you about. But how the hell are you supposed to do it? You have bills and unfortunately, you can’t pay them all with monopoly money. In order to fulfill your prophecy, you must save. But, how…
Long days and late nights in grad school can lead to excess coffee consumption, too many composition notebooks and living off of snacks in the vending machines. But what’s a scientist to do when you realize that you’re out of quarters? Tackle your finances of course. Today, we’re gonna be discussing how to manage your…
Let’s assume you find a great science job to apply to. Sweet! The next question is – does it even pay enough? Thankfully we’re scientists armed with the awesome power of math, spreadsheet wizardry, and enough internet research skills to wow your grandparents. We don’t have to guess; let’s nerd this question up. In…
The world is full of ways to automate your life and make it easier. Everything from automatic Amazon ordering services to automatic soap dispensers to automatic butt wipers (I’m told they’re called bidets, but I digress….). I love all of these automatic gadgets (except the automatic butt wipers…yeeeech). There’s something really satisfying about using…
It’s that time of year again! Everyone’s getting ready to set their New Year’s resolutions. Personally, I’m going for being able to drink tea out of a mug without spilling it all over myself like a besotted drunkard. But I realize that many of you have financial goals. Me too. I’m hoping to double…
Question: What’s the difference between Bill Gates and 50 Cent? Answer: A successful budget. I know. I’m the funniest person alive. Seriously, though, there’s a reason 50 Cent went broke and now has…well…50 cents left to his name. Today we’re going to talk about your budget…and how to make it successful so you don’t…
Saving money used to be as elusive to me as finding Bigfoot. Apparently I’m not the only one, since 62% of all Americans don’t even have $1,000 in savings. If there’s anything I’ve learned in my lifetime though, it’s this: Things will go wrong Things will cost more than $1,000 Things will happen when…
Tacky green see-through visors. You know the kind I’m talking about, right? Those goofy half-hat things that old-timey accountants used to wear? Up until a few years ago I used to think I’d never be able to successfully keep up with my budget because A) I wasn’t an accountant, and B) I didn’t have…
If you would have said the word “budget” to me three years ago I probably would have ran away screaming in terror. Who wants to budget? That’s what my grandparents did during the Great Depression, along with eating shoes and using corncobs for TP (come to think about it, that might explain a lot…)….
Once upon a time I wanted: A house Dogsledding team Fully-funded retirement account…at age 35 Trips around the world A new Toyota Tacoma To get my PhD Airplane lessons Guitar lessons To win the Iditarod To be fluent in French A private island To be fluent in German An ambulance To be fluent in…
