Take this opinion poll and see how your answers compare with others who have taken the poll.
Even though I get a headache when I think about all the different types of financial aid I can apply for, I realize that I have a responsibility to learn about all the options.
My college has a financial aid officer who can help me understand my options.
Everybody is eligible for federally-sponsored student loans
All federally sponsored student loans require that I be able to demonstrate financial need.
Like student loans, scholarships must be repaid.
With thousands of scholarships offered by different organizations, my biggest challenge is to locate those I am eligible for.
When I plan my budget, I focus on my income and expenses, not my financial goals and priorities..
When I live with a partner, we would work on our household budget together.
My health insurance premiums are part of my fixed budgeted expenses.
If I sacrifice for the next two years and watch every penny, I might be able to afford a long-term goal like graduate school. But I'm not sure that the pain is worth it, especially since I could use the money now. It's hard to think long-term when my budget is so tight.
It's okay to go into debt, as long as I can make the minimum monthly payments on my credit cards.
I try to pay for major purchases with cash, instead of credit.
When I get a credit card offer in the mail, I sign up right away, even when I don't need the extra credit.
I pay my credit card bills in full at the end of the billing cycle to avoid high interest charges.
If I were heavily in debt and couldn't meet my payments, I would declare bankruptcy without thinking twice about it.
Whether I borrow to buy a house, finance my education, buy a giant screen TV, or take a vacation, I consider that all debts are the same.
I believe that the stock market will rise every year and that there is little risk in investing.
Some investments are considered high-risk, which means that I can make a great deal of money or lose everything. It makes sense to put all my money in these investments, since I'm still relatively young.
Now that everyone can plug into the Internet to learn about stocks and to buy and sell them, I don't think I need financial advice from trained professionals.
The way I understand it, I can invest in the stock market by buying shares in a stock mutual fund. It doesn't matter what fund I choose, since they all have the same objectives.
Investments consist of more than stocks and bonds. I can also invest in real estate or even collectibles like baseball cards and historic autographs.
Whether I get a loan from a bank, a credit card company, a retail store, or a finance company, all loans cost about the same. It's a waste of time to shop around.
Only people with a lot of money have to think about how they can save money on taxes.
It is smart for people in their teens, twenties, or thirties to put money aside for retirement. Even small amounts - a few dollars a month - will grow significantly by the time I retire in a compound interest account.
I expect to receive enough Social Security to live on when I retire.
