“The best financial advice I ever got was from my mom when I got my first credit card. She told me to never not pay my bill — to curb my spending however I had to, to avoid paying interest. She put it in terms I could understand — paying interest on a credit card bill was like throwing away a new blouse. The more interest payments, the more outfits I was missing out on.”
— Julia Boorstin, CNBC correspondent, On the Money

2. Get what you’re worth

“Don’t be afraid to ask for the salary or hourly wage you know you deserve. Often we don’t want to be perceived as unladylike, or as rocking the boat. Get those destructive thoughts out of your head. There is nothing unladylike about demanding what you are worth. Men do it every day.… No one calls them unmanly. They call them smart!”
— Debbie Matenopoulos, host of Daily 10 on E! and Instant Beauty Pageant on Style Network

3. Hoard your loose change

“Suze Orman wrote a chapter on saving money in my first book in which she recommends saving all of the loose change in your pockets rather than discarding it carelessly. My husband and I took it to heart, so every six months we bring it to the bank to excitedly convert our change into bills. We take bets on how much it will amount to and then use it to go out for a spectacular dinner somewhere — basically making it an entertainment slush fund. You would be surprised at how much you can save that way!”
— Samantha Ettus, creator of The Experts’ Guide series of books, including The Experts’ Guide to the Baby Years

4. Press your advantages

“Loopholes are government incentives to promote public wealth. Do what the government wants — start a business or invest in real estate and keep good records — and you’ll make more money, pay less tax and sleep at night.”
— Diane Kennedy, certified public accountant and author of The Maui Millionaires

5. Just the facts, please

“The best advice: Don’t take anyone else’s financial advice. Instead, act instinctively and decisively but armed with as many facts as possible before making any financial commitment.”
— Peter Jones, co-creator and executive producer of the ABC reality show American Inventor