With hundreds of blog posts, articles and media mentions under her belt, Kristin Wong has her finger on the pulse of personal finance. We cover a lot of ground in this conversation on the NGPF podcast but what I found most interesting is Kristin’s recent revelations about money that have led to a dramatic shift in her money mindset. You will also learn how she comes up with material for her writing, where her interest in personal finance derives from and her favorite apps for managing her finances. You also will enjoy her favorite life hacks that you can apply to your financial lives. Enjoy!

Details:

• 0:00~1:26 – Introduction
• 1:26~2:06 – Kristin’s job
• 2:06~3:22 – Interest in personal finance
• 3:22~5:09 – First job
• 5:09~6:28 – How she figured out money
• 6:28~8:19 – Ideas on financial topics to write about
• 8:19~9:37 – Writing from a personal standpoint
• 9:37~12:27 – What money challenges does Kristin’s friends have
• 12:27~13:54 – The right money mindset
• 13:54~18:35 – Money as a tool, not a goal
• 18:35~18:54 – A word from our sponsor, Next Gen Personal Finance
• 18:54~20:56 – State of freelance journalism
• 20:56~24:53 – How to move away from the scarcity mindset
• 24:53~25:35 – Stocks or index funds?
• 25:35~25:56 – When to get a credit card?
• 25:56~26:18 – Right amount of student debt?
• 26:18~26:42 – Best financial habits?
• 26:42~27:25 – Best thing under $10?
• 27:25~27:55 – Who do you think of when you hear the word”successful?”
• 27:55~28:14 – Billboard in front of every high school
• 28:14~31:14 – Favorite life hacks
• 31:14~32:42 – How to use fintech tools to your advantage
• 32:42~34:27 – Favorite finance apps
• 34:27~36:12 – Basics of personal finance
• 36:12~37:18 – Conclusion

Resources:

• NY Times columnist: Carl Richards writing about money as a tool
• Charles Duhigg: Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better
• Ramit Sethi: I Will Teach You To Be Rich
• Digit

Notable Quotes:

• “Financial control is extremely crucial. In order to foster control, people need to focus on decision making and making choices and taking small actions to do better.”

• “Balancing is important for personal finance. You’re balancing your spending money and your savings for the future which is balancing having fun while being responsible.”

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.