07/14/2026
Life Lesson: A little financial education can save a lot of money.
As I was helping my daughter with her college enrollment, we started talking about tuition, student loans, credit, and what interest can really cost over time.
I originally put these illustrations together to make those conversations easier to understand, and I thought they were worth sharing.
The numbers can be eye-opening:
🎓 In this simplified example, borrowing $80,000 for college and allowing interest to accrue for several years before repayment begins could result in total payments of approximately $181,400.
🚗 On the same $40,000 vehicle, a borrower with a low credit score could pay about $15,653 more over five years than a borrower with excellent credit.
These are only illustrative examples, but the lesson is important: small financial decisions can have a major long-term impact.
In my meetings with clients over the years, I’ve found that financial education and financial wellness are really the foundation of effective tax planning and long-term tax savings.
Tax planning is not only about deductions or what happens at filing time. It is also about understanding how borrowing, credit, cash flow, saving, and financial decisions today can affect your opportunities in the future.
Hopefully, these graphics help start an important conversation in your household too.
