You’re a freshman in high school, trying to figure out who you are and turn more towards what you want to be in the future. Sophomore year goes by in the blink of an eye and now you’re a junior; time to start thinking about college, thinking about your major and where your life is heading. Now you’re a senior, game face on; it’s time to apply, accept, and make plans for after you graduate. There are so many options for after graduation; a 4-year college, community college, trade school, the military, a gap year…What if you don’t know what to do?

Let’s talk about managing money, crawl before you walk. At the moment, maybe you have a job or a small amount of income of some sort. Your parents have probably set up a savings account for you, and you might have a credit or debit card. A debit card is good for understanding the flow of money, from transferring cash into the card, to spending it, to seeing where your money is going. If you have a credit card, you can start to earn credit. A debit card has a limit; once you are out of money, you can’t go into debt. With a credit card, you can pay off the money you have spent, later. Managing money can also look like paying for car insurance or, “Buying something if it is a necessity”, says Colin Morris. Colin wants to become an electrician while being a part of the Army National Guard. He says, “I have a comfortable plan and financially am saving and allocating money in efforts for a life in the future”.

Out of a survey of 51 seniors, 73% are attending a 4-year college, 9% are attending community college, while the other 17% are either doing a gap year or other. On a scale of 1-3, 1 being not confident about a financial plan and 3 being completely confident financially, 58% are a 2 and have somewhat of a financial plan, but there was an even amount of people who are both confident and not. Abby Rose will be attending a 4-year college and has worked a few jobs to earn money for college. Abby said, “I am very fortunate to have parents who want to pay for my education, however I am taking care of living expenses”. She also keeps a log of how much she earns and spends. Chloie Brion wants to be independent and experience new things in college. She will also be attending a 4-year college and says, “My parents are not paying for my education because it is my future and I shouldn’t have to rely on my parents for that”. Like Abby, Chloie also tracks monthly expenses and has a debit card. Annabelle Landis will be attending a community college after she graduates. She chose a community college not only for the pricing, but so she can work and still make money. “My mom has helped me a lot with keeping track of my money”, says Annabelle. She took personal finance last year and says it has taught her more about savings and checking accounts.

Caroline Bezos said, “If you can’t manage 1,000 dollars, you can’t manage 10,000.” These are four seniors who are choosing different paths, but all have a financial plan of some sort. Being financially educated goes hand in hand with your future. Now, it’s your turn to start planning your future not necessarily academically, but financially.