Ask the Experts

I own a small business that I started from my college dorm room. The business revolves around an app that I built, and the target market is other college students and high school students who are about to start college. I started it for fun and to practice writing some code. However, the business has really taken off, and the app has gotten amazing feedback from my user base. What I am looking to do now is to expand outside of my university, but I don’t know much about marketing or advertising. How do you think I can promote an app that targets college students?

It’s almost time for me to say goodbye to this place! I’m excited to move on, but I’m also a little nervous. I want to make sure that I start off on the right foot as I enter to the “real” world. One way I want to do that is by cutting down a bit on the amount of stuff I have. It seems that I’ve been around here long enough to accumulate a bunch of clutter that I don’t need. So, I’m trying to consider ways to use my move to cut down on the excess. Experts, what sorts of tips do you have for someone trying to live with less?

My girlfriend is a wonderful person, and we share a lot of the same values. However, there’s one thing that has come between us. She has expensive taste, especially when it comes to jewelry. She likes diamonds in particular, which I find really crazy. A diamond is just a pretty rock that happens to be rare. Isn’t it true that they’re only rare because of the diamond companies, anyway? To me, it seems like a huge waste of money to buy a diamond. Experts, can you either help back me up in this discussion with my girlfriend, or else change my mind?

I graduate next year, so the time is fast approaching when I will have to start “adulting” a little better. I know that a big part of that is going to be taking care of my personal finances. I’ve had a summer job since high school, so I know a little bit about working and saving money, but I don’t know everything that I think I should. One that that bewilders me is investing. It makes me nervous, to be honest. When I see the stock ticker things on the news, it all looks very complicated to me. I don’t like the idea of trusting my money to some complex system after I’ve worked so hard for it. I know you can make more money by investing than you can by just saving, but I’m tempted to put what I save into a saving account instead of investments. Is that such a big mistake? Do all adults invest, or is it more of an optional thing?

I could use some quick tips. I recently joined a talent acquisition firm that uses its own proprietary platform to streamline the recruitment process. My own background is in advertising and sales, which is why I’m looking for some guidance.

I could use some guidance. I’m a senior graduating soon with a degree in business management. I plan to take a job as a regional manager trainee soon after graduation. The job is all the way across the country, in Michigan.

After I graduate, I’m going to need a car. However, I won’t have much money early on after graduation, because I’ll just be getting my first job and moving out on my own and all of that stuff. So, I figure that I’ll probably need a loan if I’m going to buy a car.

When I talk to my parents about personal finance, they sometimes refer to big expensive things they own as “assets.” I understand that, generally speaking, assets are something we consider to count toward someone’s “net worth.” But I’m not sure I understand why. If you buy an engagement ring or a car or something, that money is gone--you’re not going to just sell that stuff off again to buy a new TV or whatever, so it’s not really cash, right? What’s the point of having “assets,” and what makes a house an asset in the way that a 4K TV is not?

Here’s a very specific question: let’s say that you have to get between two medium-sized cities, and they’re a few hours apart. And let’s say you’re trying to take the trip with your two or three friends, who can be very indecisive. And, finally, let’s say that there’s a big debate raging about what the most affordable way to get back and forth between these two cities is. What would you say to help bring everyone to a decision? And before you ask, yes, this is exactly what I’m dealing with right now!

My parents are always lamenting the disappearance of their favorite shops and stores in my hometown. They grew up in the same town, and they often mention little mom-and-pop shops that, they say, used to flourish and are now gone. They blame the big box stores that have popped up in the area: Walmart, Target, and Best Buy, to name just a few.

I could use some quick guidance. I’m a sophomore who recently changed majors from biology to behavioral psychology. I declared biology as my original major, because of the advice that was given to me by my guidance counselor in high school.

My grandfather recently turned 85 years old. That’s amazing to me! So I had to ask him that stereotypical question that people always ask older folks--what he credited his long lifespan to. I got a pretty straightforward answer: luck!

I consider myself to be a pretty frugal person, but I also believe that I’m pretty reasonable. I’m not super stingy about most things, and I would like to think that I’m generous when it counts. However, lately, I’ve been having trouble getting along with my longtime girlfriend because of my attitude regarding jewelry, especially engagement rings, which is a subject that comes up more and more often.

My parents are always lamenting the disappearance of their favorite shops and stores in my hometown. They grew up in the same town, and they often mention little mom-and-pop shops that, they say, used to flourish and are now gone. They blame the big box stores that have popped up in the area: Walmart, Target, and Best Buy, to name just a few.

Lately, I’ve been very stressed out by my career plans. Or, more accurately, my lack of direction. I’m not a freshman anymore, and I still don’t know exactly what I want to do with my life. My parents are pressuring me to make a decision and choose a lucrative career, and all my friends already seem to know what it is they want to do.

I’m looking for a way to get in shape, but nothing I do seems to stick. I eat reasonably healthy (I’m trying to get better), but I’m just awful about exercising. I’ve tried jogging and trips to the gym, but I just can’t get excited about those. After the first few days, they feel like chores. I lose interest, I get tired, and I start skipping workouts.

I’m really intrigued by 3-D printing. It seems like such a cool and futuristic type of technology. I can imagine myself living in the future and having this awesome 3-D printer in my space. I see myself typing something up on a tablet or smartwatch (or some other futuristic device), and telling my 3-D printer to print… something. This is where my imagination fails me: I don’t know what the heck we’re going to use 3-D printers for. I get that they’re the wave of the future, but why? Why are we all so convinced that 3-D printers will be a big deal in the future? What will we actually use them for?

I’d like to spruce up my space. I live in a small place, obviously--I’m a college student, after all--and, lately, I feel like it’s stressing me out. After a long day of studying or a long night of socializing, I find it tough to come back to my tiny spot, which just doesn’t feel comfortable or beautiful in the way that I want it to.