A personal finance columnist’s biggest money mistakes

Personal finance columnist Cameron Huddleston of GoBankingRates writes about her biggest money mistakes.

Huddleston writes, “After working for several years as a journalist writing about a variety of topics, I landed a job in 1999 as a reporter for Dow Jones Newswires. It was there that I got my introduction to the world of business journalism. I realized it was a good field to be in, because the pay was better than other areas of journalism and there was less competition for jobs — most people who go into journalism are more interested in words than numbers.

“I happened to be one of those journalists without a strong background in business or finance. In fact, I hadn’t taken any courses in these subjects in college. So, I decided I needed to advance my knowledge by getting a master’s degree.

“Ironically, one of the key reasons I became a journalist was because it’s a field that doesn’t require an advanced degree. But there I was, applying to American University’s graduate program, which would allow me to specialize in economic journalism.

“Fortunately, I was awarded a fellowship that helped cover the cost of tuition — but only about half of it. Plus, I was in Washington, DC, where the cost of living was — and still is — high. So, I took out federal student loans to fill the gaps — about $56,000 total.”

Read more here.