5/12/2015 – For new college grads, financial 101 advice (MarketWatch)

According to the College Board, among those graduating in 2012-13 with a bachelor’s degree from the college they started their studies at, 60% had education loans, with the amount averaging $27,300.Despite often hefty debts, college graduates are arguably wealthy, thanks to their expected lifetime income. Figured in today’s dollars, those earnings might range from an average $3.5 million for engineering majors to $1.8 million for education majors, calculates the Census Bureau. Economists refer to this income-earning ability as your “human capital.” Your overriding financial goal: Every year, put aside 12% to 15% of your earnings for retirement, so by your 60s you no longer need the income generated by your human capital.

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