Whitney Hansen – Do Your Own Research to Gain a Basic Understanding

<p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-hansen-91167426/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Whitney Hansen</strong></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">teaches millennials how to pay off debt and gain financial independence. She gives them the tools to have more fun with money while sprinkling in a little silliness. She’s got a Master’s in Business, a Bachelor’s in Accounting, experienced paying off debt ($30,000 in 10 months), and a true “started from the bottom” story.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When she is not writing about money and creating financial plans for others, she can be found taking spontaneous road trips, reading in coffee shops, or mentoring other entrepreneurs. She is also a podcast host for</span> <a href="https://www.themoneynerds.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Money Nerds Podcast</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, where she gets to interview cool people and hear their secrets to financial success.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“Never, ever make any decisions in your financial life until you do your own research and try to get a basic understanding. I think that is rule number one for any financial decision.”</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Whitney Hansen</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p> <h2><strong>Worst investment ever</strong></h2> <h3><strong>Blindly trusting others did not serve her well</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At an early age of 18, Whitney opened up her investing account and hired a big broker firm. As she was looking at her statement one year, she noticed that she was in the hole. Not because her stocks had gone down. They were higher, but because the fees were getting so high, and she didn't even realize that she was paying a 7% fee!</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She admitted that when she first started investing, she had no id