Challenge: Open Your First IRA
Facilitated by
Dr. Emily Roberts
Dr. Emily Roberts
You know you should open an IRA...
But you're feeling overwhelmed by the process.
But you're feeling overwhelmed by the process.
You Are Not Alone!
An Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA) is the best investment vehicle for your long-term future when you don't have retirement benefits through your university/institute.
Upside: You have complete control over where to house your IRA and what investments to put inside it.
Downside: Too many options result in analysis paralysis!
This is the most common financial issue that graduate students and PhDs email me about!
So I set a "Challenge" within the Personal Finance for PhDs Community to help you accomplish it.
Why You Should Take the Challenge
With every year, month, week, and day that goes by without you being invested, you are missing out on the power of compound interest to grow your money.
It's not about timing the market; it's about time in the market.
It's not about timing the market; it's about time in the market.
It is absolutely within your ability to open an IRA without participating in this Challenge...
But have you??
For how long has this been an outstanding goal?
Join the Challenge to check this goal off this month!
But have you??
For how long has this been an outstanding goal?
Join the Challenge to check this goal off this month!
The Challenge provides you with the support you need to open an IRA.
It points you to additional educational resources to learn exactly what you need to complete each step.
You can also pose questions and receive quick answers within the Challenge threads or come to the next live Q&A call.
It points you to additional educational resources to learn exactly what you need to complete each step.
You can also pose questions and receive quick answers within the Challenge threads or come to the next live Q&A call.
The most rare resource that this Challenge provides is accountability.
Once you comment on Step 1 that you are joining, you will have people following along with your journey, cheering you on and expecting you to finish!
Accountability might just be the key element you need to accomplish this goal.
Once you comment on Step 1 that you are joining, you will have people following along with your journey, cheering you on and expecting you to finish!
Accountability might just be the key element you need to accomplish this goal.
What Is the Challenge, Exactly?
The Challenge is a 7-step process written out in the Community Conversations Forum within the Personal Finance for PhDs Community.
- The 7 steps are each clearly stated, discrete, and accomplishable. Each is in its own thread within the Forum section.
- Each step points to, as needed, additional resources inside and outside the Community to help you make the relevant decisions.
- As you work through the Challenge, you will comment on each step. Ask any question you need to there to receive quick answers, and ultimately report that you have accomplished the step!
Once you have finished with each of the 7 steps, you will have an IRA open and funded!
Who Facilitates the Challenge?
I'm Emily Roberts, the founder of Personal Finance for PhDs and creator of this workshop.
I started out on the PhD track just like you are. I completed my PhD in biomedical engineering at Duke University in 2014 after living for seven years on a stipend—contributing to an IRA the whole time.
During grad school, my passion for personal finance grew and grew, as did my desire to serve my own community.
I founded my business, Personal Finance for PhDs, after I defended. Over the years, I've found many avenues to assist PhDs with their personal finances, including speaking engagements at universities, individual and group financial coaching, webinars and workshops, ebooks, and my podcast.
I started out on the PhD track just like you are. I completed my PhD in biomedical engineering at Duke University in 2014 after living for seven years on a stipend—contributing to an IRA the whole time.
During grad school, my passion for personal finance grew and grew, as did my desire to serve my own community.
I founded my business, Personal Finance for PhDs, after I defended. Over the years, I've found many avenues to assist PhDs with their personal finances, including speaking engagements at universities, individual and group financial coaching, webinars and workshops, ebooks, and my podcast.
What Do You Get When You Join the Community?
When you join the Personal Finance for PhDs Community, you will receive immediate access to:
- The Open Your First IRA Challenge in the Community Conversations Forum, where you can interact with other Community members and Challengers
- Investing for Early-Career PhDs, an 8-part webinar series presented by Dr. Emily Roberts
- The Wealthy PhD, an ebook by Dr. Emily Roberts, which includes a chapter on investing
- The April 2021 Book Club discussions of The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins in the Community Conversations Forum
- The link to the next live Q&A and discussion call (once per month)
- Everything else in the Community—find more details on this page!
Why Join Now?
Did you know that you can still open and contribute to a 2022 IRA up until Tax Day (April 18, 2023)?
It's advantageous to contribute as much as you can to last year's IRA before using any contribution room in this year's IRA.
Jump into the Challenge now to beat the 4/17/2023 deadline!
It's advantageous to contribute as much as you can to last year's IRA before using any contribution room in this year's IRA.
Jump into the Challenge now to beat the 4/17/2023 deadline!
Get off the sidelines and fund that 2022 IRA now!
What Is the Cost?
The monthly subscription price for the Personal Finance for PhDs Community is $29.
Thank you for allowing me to assist you in getting compound interest to work for you!