For recent college graduate Christina Gramling, moving to a new city and saving for an apartment and furniture posed new financial challenges. How would she create a financial safety net? How much money did she need to pay off her college loans each month? What would her budget look like in Washington, D.C.?

Christina asked herself important financial questions largely due to the important financial lessons she learned as a teenager at the Boys & Girls Club. Originally from Ridgefield, Connecticut, Christina participated in the Money Matters Make It Count program and was awarded a scholarship from Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Charles Schwab Foundation.

“I learned to spend 80 percent of my paycheck on expenses and save 20 percent as disposable income,” Christina says. “And I learned the difference between spending on wants versus needs.”

She applied her financial literacy skills throughout college, earning a Bachelor’s degree from Bryant University in 2018. Christiana feels like she is in good financial standing, and she’s careful not to let that slip away as she starts a new career.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Charles Schwab Foundation believe every Club alumnus should get off on a good financial foot like Christina. To help recent graduates and young adults prepare for the next steps in their education and career, Charles Schwab created a handy guide with financial essentials that will keep you on the path to financial wellness long after leaving the Club.

Download this important guide now.