The Graduate's First-Year Money Plan
Your first paycheck line by line, student loans, a starter budget with a worked example, an emergency fund and a 12-month plan.
In Under $15
By Whole Life HQ4 parts · about 4,700 words · printable · read online
Open your copy
You own this. Everything opens straight from here.
OpenWho it's for
New graduates starting a first full-time job who want their first paycheck, student loans and a starter budget made clear.
What you receive
- Your first paycheck and pay stub explained, with a worked example
- A student loan page and a plain guide to repayment
- A starter budget with a filled-in example
- An emergency fund tracker, credit basics and a 12-month plan
4 printable pages, in reading order
- Part 1: Start here
- Part 2: Your first paycheck, line by line
- Part 3: Student loans and a starter budget
- Part 4: Your safety net, credit and the first twelve months
See inside
The first 4 pages, as they print.
Look inside
The first page, word for word. 4 printable pages in total.
Part 1: Start here
A first full-time paycheck is a big moment, and it is usually smaller than you expected. The number in the job offer is not the number in your bank account. Rent, loan payments and a lot of small things show up at the same time. Nobody teaches this in a class, so most people learn it by surprise.
This guide walks a new graduate through the first twelve months of earning: what is on the pay stub, what happens with student loans, how to build a starter budget, and what order to do things in. It is a set of short written guides and printable pages, with a made-up example to follow. It is for graduates of college, trade school or another program, and for anyone starting a first full-time job.
What this guide is and is not
It is a plain-language plan. It is not financial, tax or legal advice, and it does not promise any result. Tax rules, loan rules, interest rates, benefit plans and limits change, and they are different in every state and job. Every number here is a made-up example. For your own situation, use your employer's benefits team, the IRS (irs.gov), studentaid.gov, your loan servicer, and a qualified adviser if you want personal advice.
What is in each part
- Start here
- Your first paycheck, line by line
- Student loans and a starter budget
- Your safety net, credit and the first twelve months
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Downloads included
4 printable pages: see the list
- Part 1: Start here
- Part 2: Your first paycheck, line by line
- Part 3: Student loans and a starter budget
- Part 4: Your safety net, credit and the first twelve months
They open in your library, and you can print them, once they are yours.
Who wrote it
Written by the Whole Life HQ team.
Not yet reviewed by an outside expert.
We plan to ask a finance educator to review it. Until then it is general information, not professional advice.
General education, not financial, tax or legal advice. For decisions about your own money, talk to a qualified professional.
How you get it
- In your libraryAfter you pay, it is in your library straight away.
- Any devicePhone, tablet or computer. Print it if you like paper.
- Yours to keepIt stays in your account, and you can come back any time.
