5 money lessons I learned after graduation

By Georgie Miller

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 1.7 million students will graduate from college this year. Graduation season is one of my favorite times of year. It reminds me of a time when the future was full of possibility.

However, there are some things about life and money that I wish I had known before entering the "real world."

1. Don't pigeonhole yourself

When I started looking at job ads, I was worried because I didn't see any that specified my major. However, I've been working happily for five years in a job with no explicit connection to my degree.

By Libby Kane, LearnVest

This article comes from our partner LearnVest.

Just before the Enron scandal broke, the company's CEO immediately put his money into annuities—in his wife's name.

Why? Because those assets are creditor-protected, so they can't be seized (in this case, by the government).

This is just one example of many—remember the 14% tax rate Mitt Romney paid on his $13 million income?—illustrating how extremely wealthy people get the most from their money. And most of them do it legally.

Much of their success comes from knowing where to find loopholes in the financial system—"hacks," if you will. While we would never recommend any illegal or dishonest money moves (seriously, don't break the law!), there are a handful of legal personal finance hacks that are available to all of us—like these seven incredibly useful, low-profile tricks.

By Tim Sullivan

According to a 2012 survey by CareerBuilder.com, two in five American households are living paycheck to paycheck. We could blame this on the state of the economy or the scarcity of jobs, but in reality, saving money often has more to do with psychology than it does with external factors.

In order to save money, you have to take in more money than you spend. If you've struggled to save in the past, you must adopt one or both of the startegies below to finally build your savings account to what it should be. Which option will you choose?

1. Cut your spending

Years ago, I started saving because of a banking error. I forgot to endorse a check before putting it in my account. The next day, I went about buying groceries, lunch, and a coffee, not knowing my bank had taken the money out of my account and sent the check back to my address for endorsement. After $105 in overdraft fees ($35 for each purchase), I was cursing the bank. Why didn't they simply reject my card!? After all, I didn't need that coffee.

After I paid the bank off and put my ego back together, I realized that month, I had made $105 available to pay off those overdraft fees.

By Justin Boyle

I was over at the house of some friends a couple of weeks ago when an interesting subject came up: What happens with your credit accounts when you die? Can your unpaid credit card bills affect you or your family once you've departed this mortal coil?

The answer, it turns out, is complicated. It depends on the amount of your debt, the status of your estate, the contracts you have with your credit companies and a few other factors that might surprise you.

Your debt is your own

Typically, your spouse, relatives and descendants cannot be held liable for the debt that you racked up in life, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In other words, your credit history follows you to the grave, and no credit company or collections agency has the right to force your debt on anyone else.

Credit companies do have the right, though, to attempt to recoup what they're owed.

By Jennifer Goforth Gregory

Instead of complaining about the overcast skies and bitter temperatures, I have spent the last week redeeming frequent flier miles and hotel points to plan our family's summer vacation to Hawaii.

While it's satisfying to harvest the perks for our past credit card spending, the best part may be knowing that this year's reward points may help finance our next trip. With a little research and legwork, credit cards can help you get more for your vacation dollar -- especially if you know a few tricks.

Here are four ways to use your credit cards to save money on your getaways.

1. Look for partnership perks

When we were looking for a rental car, my husband checked online and found that one of our credit cards was offering a discount on car rentals from a certain company.

By Tim Sullivan

When a costly emergency strikes, is your first instinct to pull out your credit card? If so, you may want to consider the benefits of building an emergency fund.

Creating an emergency fund is a vital step toward becoming a responsible credit card user. A credit card can be the perfect tool for many financial situations, but confronting large, unanticipated expenses isn't one of them. Even if your interest rate is low, monthly interest charges can still add up quickly. But a well-stocked emergency fund can prevent the need to go into debt when sudden events force you to reach for your wallet.

What is an emergency fund?

An emergency fund consists of easily accessible assets set aside -- typically in a bank account separate from your normal funds -- to be used only in the case of an emergency. It's not for movie tickets, vacations or video games. It's only for vital, unforeseeable expenses that are not part of your normal monthly budget.

What counts as an emergency?

Simply put, it's any unexpected, essential expense that your budget can't handle. Whether it's a sudden job loss or an accident that injures you or a member of your family, your emergency fund is there to help you cope with difficult times.