LATEST POSTS FROM THE BLOG

• How to Start Grad School on the Right Financial Foot
  Starting a PhD program is, professionally and personally, one of the most exciting times of life. You’re meeting people who will be your peers and advisors in the coming years whose research […]
• Fellowship Income Can Trigger the Kiddie Tax
  The Kiddie Tax is an alternate, higher rate of calculating tax due that applies to young people. While it was intended to ensure that wealthy parents paid their full share of tax on their […]
• Where to Report Your PhD Trainee Income on Your Tax Return (Tax Year 2018)
  There are two broad categories of PhD trainee income: compensatory and non-compensatory. Compensatory pay is W-2 pay, whereas non-compensatory is any other regular type of income for a graduate […]
• Why You Should Contribute to Last Year’s Roth IRA
  Good news for you investors: The calendar may say 2019, but you can contribute to your 2018 Roth IRA up until tax day! Why is this good news? Because you can continue to contribute to your Roth IRA […]
• How to Successfully Plan for Retirement Before and After Obtaining Your PhD
  In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. Brandon Renfro, a finance professor and financial advisor. Brandon shares the tortuous path that led him to his current faculty position at East Texas Baptist […]
• How to Financially Manage Your NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
  Congratulations on being awarded the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) (or a similar remunerative, competitive, national fellowship)! Whether you’re a […]
• The Complete Guide to Quarterly Estimated Tax for Fellowship Recipients
  If you’re reading this article, you’ve already done the hard part: You know (or suspect) that you’re supposed to pay quarterly estimated tax on your fellowship using Form 1040-ES. […]
• How To Launch A Side Hustle in Grad School
  Side hustles are all the rage these days. Everyone seems to have one, and some even translate into big money! However, in my experience, few grad students are aware of (or understand how) to get one […]
• Where to Find Completely Free Help for Your Tax Return
  It’s incredible that in the US we are expected to prepare our own tax returns! Even a simple return can prove quite challenging for someone new to preparing one, so it’s natural to turn […]
• Making Ends Meet on a Graduate Student Stipend in Los Angeles
  In this episode, Emily interviews Adriana Sperlea, a PhD student in computational biology at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Living in Los Angeles is financially challenging to […]