There are links for these in the articles.
Before I go, I want to remind the young graduates, their parents who scrimped and saved to get them there, and anyone else who stuck with me this far that are a few other rules of life worth considering.
Among them are the following.
Never pay a real estate agent a 6 percent commission.
Buy used things, except maybe used tires.
Get on the do-not-call list and other do-not-solicit lists so you can’t be tempted.
Watch infomercials for their entertainment value only.
Know what your credit reports say, but don’t pay for that knowledge: go to www.annualcreditreport.com to get them.
Consolidate your cable, phone and Internet service to get the best deal.
Resist the lunacy of buying premium products like $2,000-a-pound chocolates.
Lose weight. Carrying extra pounds costs tens of thousands of dollars over a lifetime.
Do not use your home as a piggy bank if home prices are flat or going down or if interest rates are rising.
Enroll in a 401(k) at work immediately.
Postpone buying high-tech products like PCs, digital cameras and high-definition TVs for as long as possible. And then buy after the selling season or buy older technology just as a new technology comes along.
And, I’m sorry, I’m really serious about this last one: make your own coffee.
