Get Your Finances on Track: Top Books on Finance

So you spent a lot of the governments change (not the free kind) getting your education, you haven’t gotten into the company you wanted or any others, and your approaching the six month deadline to start paying back your student loans. And, if you’re lucky enough to land a position with any company that will have you, you have to start playing the game to get ahead and looking the part. With a huge loan to payback on top of food, rent, car note, insurance, and gas, you may not have much leftover to invest in or grow your professional wardrobe or even accessorize.

But, there are three books full of information you’ve probably never considered before, and tested techniques that work in making your new life in the real world as stress-free as possible. You’ll learn the best approaches to paying off the kind of debt you have, saving on everyday things, saving for a rainy day, and getting the things you need and a few you want too.

TheStreet.com writer Farnoosh Torabi says go ahead and have your Sprinkles Cupcakes and Jimmy Choos too, but asks the very important question what are you willing to sacrifice for a week, a month, maybe even a year to get it? Priority is the name of Torabi’s game in You’re So Money, and at the top of the list is ensuring your financial security as you’ll see in chapters “ Because Life Happens,” “Getting Covered,” and “No More Debt Drama.” But, according to Torabi, you can “live rich even when you’re not” and still keep your finances in check. How? Splurge smart! Since looking the part is essential to getting the power and perks you desire, regularly updating your wardrobe with killer key pieces is necessary for you-and that’s cool. But, you may need to downgrade from your loft apartment to a more modest one to allow for the extra funds until you snag that swanky position. If you’re dieing to own that new DVF wrap dress, then you can survive without your daily caramel machiatto and blueberry crumble muffin for three months. The “good life” is different for everyone, and unless you’re uber rich, cutting back on one or two things you regularly enjoy long enough to make room for something else you need or just want is not only smart, it won’t shock your budget.

By no mistake, our generation is one that’s under financial attack (ruin?), and voice of The Nation and Pulitzer Prize nominee Anya Kamenetz addresses how a whole generation’s future was “sold out for student loans, credit cards, bad jobs, no benefits, and tax cuts for rich geezers” in Generation Debt- a serious read that will have you asking yourself if your $37,000 student loan bill, four maxed out credit cards, five years of classes, and 3 internships that equaled a $25,000 a year salary-if you’re lucky, to pay back the high cost that came with being a student really all your fault? If your mouth has been agape trying to figure out how you’re supposed to begin your life since graduating in deep debt, the answer lies in Generation Debt. Kamenetz will not only have you raise your eyebrows in question, shock, and even anger you, she tells you how to fight back!

Lynnette Khalfani-Cox provides a stress-free, proven method for wiping out credit card debt, with Zero Debt for College Grads. If you thought your GPA was the most important number in your life, you’ll soon see that it’s your FICO score that will make all the difference in how you live-no matter your GPA. She addresses how to “live large on small change,” “how to squeeze lots of extra money from your job,” and whether student loan consolidation is right for you right now or not. Khalfani-Cox goes deep with this one addressing topics for those who are have already drowned. Wage garnishment, defaulting on your loans, loan rehabilitation programs and repayment assistance are just a few of the more serious topics Zero Debt for College Grads cover.