Credit Cards

Arguably one of the most important sections here as credit will make or break you. You should have somewhat of a credit score established because I made you an authorized used on my card (sorry I couldn't bestow a higher score unto you but at least you don't have to wait 6+ months to have ANY credit). Credit is needed for an unnecessary amount of things in life. Want to rent a car? You need a credit score. Want to rent an apartment? Need credit. A loan? Need credit. You get the idea. But it isn't as simple as just going and getting a credit card. There are a lot of different options for cards down the line. The first card you'll have will most likely be the Discover student card. That's what I started with and you don't need a credit score to qualify for it. It offers pretty good cashback on purchases, I earned around $170 in cashback rewards in the first year. I'll list some typical tips:

• Keep your utilization under 30%. So if you have a credit limit of $1000, don't spend more than $300 on it.

• Pay it off in full at the end of every month. Carrying a balance means you'll be paying interest.

• It takes time for your credit score to increase so be patient.

Not all cards are equal:

Some credit cards are definitely better than others. I was lucky and got offered a Chase Sapphire Preferred card since I have a different credit card with them. This is a great card, especially for travel. Credit cards often have really helpful perks. If you want to take advantage of the travel perks, do all of your spending on your credit card and then pay it off at the end of the month. Note* this is only if you know that you are responsible enough and have the self control for this. Definitely don't do it unless you're confident that you'll pay it off every month.

What to use your card for:

Aside from just general spending, your credit card will usually offer benefits and protections for certain things. Make sure to read the fine print about your card to see what it covers. For example, one of my cards offers protection on devices. If I were to buy a phone with my credit card and something happened to it, Chase would offer to repair or replace it. Or if I booked a flight with my credit card and it got canceled, Chase would reimburse me for it in the event that the airline won't.

Here is a beginners guide to credit cards that you can read up on.