FINANCIAL FRESHMAN #079
TL;DR → In 2025 we’ve published a blog post every Sunday, covering a wide variety of topics. In 2026, we’ll move away from weekly blog posts in lieu of improvements to the Financial Freshman brand, website, and experience.
So Long to 2025!
It’s been a great year on Financial Freshman.
52 Sundays means that we’ve published 52 articles this year, and I’m proud of all of the ground we’ve been able to cover together.
This week, I want to look back at some of the biggest lessons from the past year and highlight a few stand-out topics that were especially meaningful. From there, I will pull back the curtain a bit and share what you can expect from Financial Freshman in 2026 and beyond, including how I plan to make this resource even more helpful.
2025 in Review
I considered putting this together in a “Spotify Wrapped” format, but I think you and I have seen enough of those copy-cats already (I got one from Sam’s Club?).
This year, we’ve covered everything from the Federal Reserve to the FIRE Movement, and from Compound Interest to Buy Now, Pay Later services. When I think about the year holistically, these are the top 5 posts that I think warrant a re-read (or a first-time read, if you missed them):
- This post about HYSAs: If there were a chart mapping “how much this helps you financially” against “how much work it takes,” opening a high-yield savings account would sit right in the sweet spot: high reward, almost no effort.
- This post about budgeting: Building and following a zero-based budget is one of the most effective financial disciplines you can build as an adult. Understanding the structure of how they work is step 1 towards building that discipline.
- This post about BNPL: “Buy Now, Pay Later” services like Affirm and Klarna get more popular every day. Which is…not good.
- This post about getting a job: You’ve invested in your higher education because you know it will increase your marketability to employers after graduation. Your tuition and fees also directly fund services that exist to help you get a job…so use them.
- This post about financial news: Learning to keep your head down and continue investing in the wake of bleak financial news will be one of the keys to your financial success in adulthood.
With 52 posts in the books for 2025, these posts are only a drop in the ocean. If you want a more holistic view, feel free to check out our blog page and search for a topic you’d like to learn about.
Forward to 2026
It’s kind of funny; when writing these blog posts, I find that I jump back and forth between two completely conflicting opinions:
- “Man, I’m running out of post ideas. I’ve covered so much, what am I going to do when I can’t think of anything else to write about?”
- “There’s SO much to write about, and so little time. I could publish a blog post every Sunday until 2100, and never run out of ideas.”
To me, both of those feelings are true at the same time, and that points to an important conclusion. I’ve focused solely on publishing content this year, and not so much on the greater Financial Freshman website, brand, and experience. I’ve been cutting down trees, and I haven’t stopped to sharpen the saw. I’ve been building, and I haven’t stopped to check the blueprints. You get it.
Along the way, I have accumulated an impressively long to-do list of ideas to improve the website to make it more beneficial to college students everywhere. When it comes to things you care about a great deal, I know that there will always be more good ideas than there is capacity to execute on them.
Because of this, my plan is to tone down the blog post frequency a fair amount. I’m not sure where I’ll land, but it certainly won’t be weekly. This will unlock time for me to do this saw sharpening that I’m alluding to. That will start with digesting my aforementioned giant to-do list, and understanding where the right place is to begin.
Regardless of where we start, know that everything will be motivated by the same mission: positioning college students to graduate and start their careers on strong financial footing. Unlocking some additional unstructured time will ensure that what comes next is even more helpful, more thoughtful, and more intentional towards that mission.
Final Thoughts
More than anything, I am proud of how this community has grown. Each post represents time spent learning, reflecting, and taking one more step toward a healthier financial future. If you read along this year, applied an idea, shared a post, or even simply thought differently about money because of something here, then this project is doing exactly what it is meant to do.
One thing that remains true is that I love hearing from each of you. If you have a question, idea, or comment, please reach out using our contact page. Your feedback and engagement truly shape where we go next.
I hope you have a safe and enjoyable New Year, and I wish you a prosperous and fulfilling 2026.
