Buy now, pay later programs might seem like a magic wand, instantly shrinking the size of your initial payment for a purchase. But BNPL services like Afterpay or Klarna come with risks too. This week, “Financially Inclined” host Yanely Espinal talks with tech editor Joshua Bote of SFGate to get the full story on BNPL, so you can click “place order” with confidence. Dive in with us by watching the video below.

Think you’re financially inclined? Learn more about BNPL.

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  1. Check out Joshua Bote’s reporting on BNPL from SFGate

  
  
  
  
  

• Compare different BNPL services with this guide from The Points Guy
  
  

• Are you in an educational setting? Here’s a handy listening guide.
  
  

This podcast is presented in partnership with Greenlight: the money app for teens — with investing. For a limited time, our listeners can earn $10 when they sign up today for a Greenlight account at http://ww.greenlight.com/inclined.

OK, we know, credit cards can be scary! But they don’t need to be. And credit cards can help you reach a lot of your goals (like someday renting your own place). This week, Yanely Espinal chats with TikTok finance influencer John Eringman (aka John E. Finance) about how to decide if you’re ready to get your first credit card.  

Think you’re financially inclined? Dig deeper into credit cards.

• Compare credit card features with NerdWallet 
• Learn more about building credit history with this guide from Investopedia
• Check out related Marketplace stories here
• Are you in an educational setting? Here’s a handy listening guide

This podcast is presented in partnership with Greenlight: the money app for teens — with investing. For a limited time, our listeners can earn $10 when they sign up today for a Greenlight account at http://ww.greenlight.com/inclined.

Buying your first car can be intimidating. There are so many options! Do you go to a dealership? Should you find a used car on Craigslist? Should you get a car loan through a bank or credit union? Journalist and car expert Matt Hardigree breaks it all down in this episode. His first tip: make sure you get something that you absolutely love.

Think you’re financially inclined? Check out these car-shopping tools:

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  1. Look into some car reliability ratings from Consumer Reports

  
  

  2. Find a car’s value with Kelley Blue Book

  
  

  3. Are you in an educational setting? Check out this listening guide

  
  
  
  
  

This podcast is presented in partnership with Greenlight: the money app for teens — with investing. For a limited time, our listeners can earn $10 when they sign up today for a Greenlight account at http://ww.greenlight.com/inclined.

Maybe you’ve got a little cash from that babysitting gig, a part-time job or even some birthday money. Now would be a great time to have a budget, which is basically a plan for how you want to spend (or save) your money. This week, Yanely Espinal talks with Berna Anat, the internet’s Financial Hype Woman (yes, that’s her job title) about some easy and practical ways to budget (spoiler alert: Astrology is involved).

Think you’re financially inclined? Give budgeting a try:

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  1. Make a monthly 50/30/20 budget with this calculator from NerdWallet

  
  
  
  
  

• Check out this zero-based budget guide from Best Wallet Hacks
  
  

• Watch an example of the cash envelope method on TikTok
  
  

• Take a look at Berna Anat’s new book, “Money Out Loud”
  
  

Are you in an educational setting? Check out this listening guide and this worksheet.

This podcast is presented in partnership with Greenlight: the money app for teens — with investing. For a limited time, our listeners can earn $10 when they sign up today for a Greenlight account at http://ww.greenlight.com/inclined.

“Financially Inclined” is all about money lessons for living life your own way. Every week, financial literacy advocate Yanely Espinal makes learning about money simple, so you can make the most of your life. Because while money can’t buy you happiness, it definitely can’t hurt. This show was created by Marketplace in collaboration with Next Gen Personal Finance.

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight, the money app for teens — with investing.