Personal Finance for Young Professionals

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” –Chinese Proverb

About the Book

Personal Finance for Young Professionals pairs practical advice with psychological insights to create a positively purposeful system. Readers will learn to identify their financial philosophy and develop a strategy that suits their personal preferences and meets their financial needs. The book provides personal finance newbies with fundamental knowledge without overwhelming them while also including interesting tidbits for more advanced readers

Budgeting

Learn how to build and use a fit-for-purpose budget that is appropriate for your lifestyle.

Financial Psychology

Understand your relationship with money and leverage that to make it work for you.

Financial Organization

Figure out all of the accounts that you need to have and how to integrate them into a seamless system.

Debt and Credit

Understand the math behind debt and loans, and learn how to boost your credit score painlessly.

Taxes

Learn tax fundamentals and what to emphasize in your own tax strategy to minimize taxes.

Investing

Fundamentals of investing that minimize taxes and are aligned with your life goals, timeline, and risk tolerance.

Homebuying

How to buy a home 101: includes basic steps, cost of ownership calculations, and general tips

Retirement

Redefines retirement as a number not an age and provides a comprehensive checklist

Who is This Book For?

While this book would be appropriate for anyone who is interested in learning personal finance, young professionals who are in the first 10 years of their career will benefit the most. The book provides you not only with essential knowledge, but also psychological perspective that is important for a young professional who is in the early stages of their financial journey.

Reviews

Be not afraid!

Even if you have a seemingly genetic aversion or allergy to financial planning in all forms, this book is for you. With Personal Finance for Young Professionals, Scott Gong offers a light in the darkness, destigmatizing the daunting processes of money management with humor, intelligence, and the reassurance and encouragement the most skeptical and intimidated among us need. And if you’re already interested and amenable, all the better. This book will take you from novice to pro, dabbler to badass, faster and more accurately than ChatGPT.

— Brit Washburn, editor and author of Notwithstanding, Homing In, and What Is Given

Important life skills

Personal finance is one of the most important life skills that is never taught in schools, and many personal finance books are filled with bad ideas and get-rich-quick schemes. Scott’s thoughtful little book is completely different. From the stock market to retiring, it gives its readers the tools to be confident in their financial future, regardless of political outcomes.

— Zach Kluver, Editor at Quantum Commodity Intelligence

Conversational tone and relatable stories

I really appreciated the conversational tone and relatable stories throughout the book–it felt like sitting down with a friend who’s openly sharing their journey. Scott comes across as deeply human, and his story is a powerful reminder that financial empowerment is within reach for young professionals from all backgrounds.

— Verica Nakeva, licensed realtor

Build a life on your terms

The dog ate my homework has never been a wealth-building strategy. As a young professional, the time is now to develop the discipline to respect your money and build a life on your terms. In an era filled with information overload and the siren songs of doom spending, Personal Finance for Young Professionals cuts through all the noise with key principles, actionable examples, and practical exercises. Scott’s guidance even helped to give me the tools to launch my own business. It’s your call to learn now or forever play catch-up.

— London England, Scott’s former student and colleague