Getting my first credit card proved confusing and tricky. I graduated from college and felt ready for the responsibility of a credit card but my non-existent credit history couldn’t back me up as a strong candidate. And to be honest, I didn’t even fully grasp the ins and outs of what having a credit card meant.

Lucky for me, my parents could co-sign on to my first credit card. I remember feeling so nervous about forgetting my balance and incurring penalty fees that I logged online to pay off my credit card every week just in case. Fast forward ten years later to when I have mastered the credit card world, building up a perfect credit score. Not to mention I relish in the points game. I even snagged a free flight to Zanzibar this summer because of the miles I had accumulated on my Chase card. #winning

As an adult, I continue to grow in my financial education. I wish though that I didn’t have such a rough start. Not to mention that feeling of cluelessness. If only there were required financial classes in college. That’s where CollegeVested comes in.

My goal is to create a space where we can break down very real questions that students face when it comes to finance such as:

• Filling out a FASFA form
• Managing student loans
• Getting a first credit card
• Choosing auto insurance

On CollegeVested, our student journalists who are just like you, feeling lost in a sea of information around money, go out and investigate what it means to be smart about your finances. Then they break it down into words that make sense.

You don’t have to be a business student or a finance major to make money, save money, invest your money and live a financially sound life. You can just read and heed the advice of CollegeVested.

Let’s get started!