Ready to make some big adult purchases but not sure where to start?

In this episode of Personally Speaking, we dive into the challenges and life lessons of buying a car and leasing an apartment as young professionals. From navigating negotiations to dealing with unexpected costs, we share our personal stories and offer practical tips to help you make smarter decisions on these major purchases.

We also talk about the fun side of adulthood—investing in hobbies, setting up your workspace, and upgrading your lifestyle. Whether you’re eyeing a new car or dreaming of the perfect apartment, we emphasize the importance of budgeting, planning, and staying informed as you take these next steps in your journey.

00:28 Navigating Apartment Leasing

07:03 Setting a Budget for Renting

11:26 Avoiding Leasing Scams and Hidden Fees

17:50 Fun Adult Purchases

25:53 Reflections on Adulting

29:26 Conclusion and Community Engagement

Ready to make some big purchases but not sure where to start?

In this episode of Personally Speaking, we dive into the challenges and life lessons of buying a car and leasing an apartment as young professionals. From navigating negotiations to dealing with unexpected costs, we share our personal stories and offer practical tips to help you make smarter decisions on these major purchases.

We also talk about the fun side of adulthood—investing in hobbies, setting up your workspace, and upgrading your lifestyle. Whether you’re eyeing a new car or dreaming of the perfect apartment, we emphasize the importance of budgeting, planning, and staying informed as you take these next steps in your journey.

Shownotes:

00:28 First Adult Purchases: Cars

01:08 The Car Naming Debate

02:06 Buying a Car: Personal Stories

05:25 Car Buying Tips and Strategies

11:27 Negotiation Tactics

17:40 Unexpected Car Expenses

20:06 Insurance and Maintenance Insights

Are you making your money work for you, or is it just sitting there?

In this episode of Personally Speaking, we break down the basics of investing and share our own journeys—wins, mistakes, and everything in between. We explore key concepts like compound interest, inflation, and the power of starting early. From 401(k)s and index funds to ETFs, we cover different investment vehicles and how they fit into a solid financial plan.

But investing isn’t just about numbers—it’s also about mindset. We discuss the psychology of investing, the dangers of trying to ‘time the market,’ and how to stay focused on long-term growth without letting emotions take over. Building wealth doesn’t have to be intimidating—it just takes the right strategy and a bit of patience.

How many Stanford grads does it take to start a podcast?!

 This is our series on 10 lessons that Stanford taught us. We're gonna be talking through all the insider details, fun stories, and also spilling the details on what it's really like to graduate from Stanford.

In this episode, we will be talking about our origin story: how this trio came to be, how we met, and our first impressions of Stanford.

Where did all my money go?

In this episode of Personally Speaking, we dive into the realities of budgeting and lifestyle creep. We share our personal struggles with managing expenses and even confess some of our most recent frivolous purchases - because let’s be honest, budgeting is personal! 

From high-level tracking methods to hands-on manual processes, we explore different ways to stay on top of our finances while still enjoying life. We also discuss how to balance long-term savings with short-term splurges, handle unexpected expenses, and most importantly, avoid letting budgeting become a burden.

New Job, New Benefit Enrollment – Help!

In this episode of Personally Speaking, we dive into the overwhelming world of new job benefit enrollment - from 401(k) choices to navigating financial decisions no one warned us about. We share how clueless we felt during our first job orientations, what we’ve learned since, and the strategies we use today, like traditional vs. Roth 401(k) and even the Mega Backdoor Roth.

We also talk about the stress of making big financial decisions in your first 30 days, how we found support through friends, Slack channels, and company-provided advisors, and why flexibility and cash flow matter just as much as maxing out contributions. If you’ve ever stared at a benefits portal and panicked, this one’s for you.

Ready to make some big adult purchases but not sure where to start?

In this episode of Personally Speaking, we dive into the challenges and life lessons of buying a car and leasing an apartment as young professionals. From navigating negotiations to dealing with unexpected costs, we share our personal stories and offer practical tips to help you make smarter decisions on these major purchases.

We also talk about the fun side of adulthood - investing in hobbies, setting up your workspace, and upgrading your lifestyle. Whether you’re eyeing a new car or dreaming of the perfect apartment, we emphasize the importance of budgeting, planning, and staying informed as you take these next steps in your journey.