Wake Up Call

Halloween may be over, but the true nightmare continues to lurk in the shadows and slowly make its way toward unsuspecting college students nationwide. No, it isn’t Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees (though you shouldn’t rule them out just yet). I’m talking about the unavoidable, unfeeling monster known as financial responsibility.
 Currently, most college students have a bad habit of letting their parents handle all their finances instead of learning how to become financially savvy.
 They also have a bad habit of wandering into the woods alone at night while a serial killer is on the loose. Neither is a good idea if you plan on surviving long in the real world. This isn’t high school, where a passing grade is all it takes to measure your success as a student. In college, you’re supposed to be preparing for the future. This involves not only making the grade, but also developing financial skills that will keep a roof over your head and money in the bank. For instance:

 Do you know anything about your credit score and ways to improve it? Do you know how to balance a checkbook or organize a budget? Do you understand your current health and car insurance policies? Okay, here’s an easy question: When exactly were you going to get around to learning about how all this works? If you said after college or through magic, then it’s time to leave fantasy land and sign up for a crash course in economics.
 The real world is unavoidable and, like all unavoidable obstacles, the earlier you prepare the better off you’ll be. Begin your financial enlightenment by talking with your parents/legal guardian. Not only do they have enough experience in the financial world to send you to college, they also have a pretty good idea about how competent you are with money and the current health of your bank account. Why not take a finance class and learn some tricks of the trade, or go to one of the budget seminars that are occasional presented on campus. You can never learn too much about how to keep yourself from bleeding money on a weekly basis.
 Don’t allow procrastination or fear of numbers keep you from moving out of your parent’s house. Take a few steps towards learning about finances and, in no time, you’ll be using your savings account to pay off your future student loans rather than on a keg for the weekend.
 Or just stay the course. It’s not like Georgia has debtors’ prisons anymore.