Taylor Price’s Money Tips Aim to Help Gen Z-ers Improve Their Financial Health (EXCLUSIVE)
Taylor Price, a 21-year-old TikTok star, has garnered more than 1 million followers across social media by sharing her money tips.
April 14 2022, Published 10:57 a.m. ET
TikTok influencer Taylor Price isn’t your average 21-year-old. Sure, she enjoys a boba tea and a shopping trip to Ulta Beauty here and there, but she particularly likes learning about personal finance. Learning about everything from the stock market to Roth IRAs, Price has become an expert in stretching her money and making sound financial decisions.
In an exclusive interview with Market Realist, the 21-year-old shared tips for her fellow Gen Z-ers on how to lead healthier financial lives. Read on for Price’s opinions on everything, from student loans to the stock market to NFTs.
1. If you’re taking out student loans, set a budget
Many young adults can attend college without having to take out a student loan. Sadly, there are also plenty of students who depend on student loans to get them through college. If you’re someone who needs student loans, Price recommends “planning to have a budget and keeping that in mind.”
As a rule of thumb, never take out more than needed, as you’ll likely be required to pay it back. And when that time comes, Price suggests looking into repayment plans after you graduate. “[Whenever] you're taking out federal student loans, there is potentially the opportunity for student loan forgiveness,” says Price.
2. Use your credit card more often (and wisely), as they can carry many perks
According to Price, “Not many people are [spending with their credit cards] because they're taught by people like Dave Ramsey that credit is bad. They’re told, 'they shouldn't utilize it and to stay away from it." The truth is, however, that credit cards carry many perks when used correctly.
For instance, the Discover It credit card for students can not only help you build your credit but also provide you with incentives. Price shared with us that if “you get good grades, you can submit your GPA to Discover It and they will give you [a] credit [toward] your statement balance.”
3. You don’t have to be “old” and “rich” to invest in the stock market
When we asked Price about what she thought was the biggest misconception of the stock market, she replied, “You have to be rich, number one, [and] you have to be old, number two. You don't have to be either.”
Although being wealthy and educated can certainly benefit you when investing in the stock market, they aren’t necessary to get started. Price has used Public.com in the past, and other platforms, such as TD Ameritrade, Robinhood, E*Trade, and Charles Schwab, can also help you get started with investing in the stock market.
4. You don’t need thousands to become an investor
“A lot of people think that they need to invest thousands of dollars, but the magic doesn't happen today. It happens years down the line when the avalanche of compounding starts to take effect,” Price shared with Market Realist.
Investing takes time, and even if you were to put $5 per pay period toward a particular stock, you can still win big. The point is not to wait until you’ve built up savings, but to begin investing now. Price commended Warren Buffett or being “a great investor because he started at 10 years old investing in the stock market” and, as a result, watched his return grow year by year.
5. Your age and financial background should be considered before investing
Before you jump into investing, take a moment to consider your financial background, including whether you have an emergency fund already established and your age. According to Price, younger people can “take on more risk” because they aren’t nearing retirement and often don't have family they have to provide for.
Additionally, the Gen Z financial guru noted that things like index funds and ETFs are a good way to begin investing (as opposed to investing in a single company). The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) is one Price acknowledged for “consistently providing a return over the years, [of around] 8 to 12 percent.”
6. There are plenty of resources that can help you budget, so use them!
Before Price began relying on apps to help with budgeting, she said that she used an Excel spreadsheet to keep her finances in order. The social media influencer would divide the Excel sheet into three categories: “'needs' number one, 'wants' number two, 'savings and investments' number three.” After getting a paycheck, “[she would] split it into those three categories.”
7. Everyone is capable of building a financial portfolio
There are hundreds of investment opportunities out there for you to take advantage of—you just need to dedicate time and research to choose which ones you want to get started with. After Price learned the ropes of investing, she managed to not only grow her portfolio but also add "angel investor" to her résumé.
Price says, “I am young. And I have a profound interest in startups and entrepreneurs in the founder journey, specifically FinTech tools that can help my community.” The social media influencer shared with Market Realist that she's an angel investor for Copy AI, a tool that aids in the development of great copy, and Oxygen, a modern digital banking platform.
The TikToker added that she hasn't yet given in to the NFT craze, simply because of the "scams and rug pulls" we've seen happening. Instead, Price told us she'd rather just "avoid [NFTs] right now until there's other opportunities that are a little bit safer."
8. Although learning how to manage your money or becoming an investor might seem like difficult concepts, they really aren't
If there's one thing we've learned from Taylor Price, it's that managing money and making sound investments isn't as difficult as most make it out to be. With the right tools and information, anyone can give their financial health a boost.