Ryan Elantri - How To Create A Personal Budget

Ryan Elantri is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Economics at The Pennsylvania State University, and aspires to enter the financial sector following his graduation. While most people will never receive formal training in this subject, everyone struggles with issues related to finance from time to time. This is particularly true when it comes to money management and handling personal budgets, so keep these tips in mind to stay in control.

Track Your Expenses

Before you can start determining what you can do with your income, you need to understand where your money currently goes. Create a list of expenses over the course of a month and then separate them by highlighting the ones that are essential. You can then consider what to do with those that aren’t.

Start Saving

There is no reason to wait to start saving money, because even a small amount put away each month is a step in the right direction. Try to have a goal in mind for the amount you want to save and what the money will be put towards. Consider automating the process via direct debit into a savings account, which will help you to consider your monthly savings as an essential expense.

Be Honest

Don’t ignore credit card debt or other loans, because this often leads to interest building up. Instead, be honest with yourself about what you owe; this is the first step towards creating a plan to gain financial independence.

Ryan Elantri is currently majoring in Economics at The Pennsylvania State University

Ryan Elantri - How to Manage Your Finances While Traveling

Ryan Elantri is an economics and Mandarin Chinese major at Penn State University. He has already studied in China, plans to pursue a career in international business and finance following graduation, and hopes to work with companies and investors from around the world. It’s important to keep a good handle on your finances all the time, but it is never more important than when you are traveling. Here are some tips to make sure you keep things in check, no matter where you are in the world.

• Make the best use of your smartphone. There are many apps that will allow you to see the balances in your accounts and on your cards. This is really important, because one of the biggest reasons that people overspend is because they think they have more in their account than they actually do. 

• Keep your money as safe as possible. This means that you should make sure not to carry all of it on you when you go out, and if you can, have both cards and cash available. That way, if you are robbed, you won’t be completely penniless in a foreign country. 

• Set a daily and weekly budget, and break it down into categories if you can. Give yourself allotments for food, shopping, toiletries, transit, and any other necessities you think you will be spending money on. Breaking things down can make it much easier for you to manage your money.

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Ryan Elantri - Tips for Mastering A Second Language

Pennsylvania State University senior Ryan Elantri has a unique skill set: he’s mastered Mandarin Chinese, and he’s currently minoring in Arabic. Elantri has always seen the value of learning foreign languages, which is why he began pursuing Chinese in the third grade. Mastering a second language can open up tons of new opportunities for you, and it’s never too late to start. Here are some tips to make learning a new language a little bit easier. 

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- If you have a commute, listen to podcasts or audiobooks in the language you are learning. It’s an easy way to fit just a little bit of practice into your day. You can access a huge amount of audio content in foreign language for free online. 

- When you are watching a movie on Netflix, see if you can add subtitles in the language you’re learning, or for an extra challenge, switch the audio into that language. Learning a language from pop culture is often more effective and fun than learning from books. 

- See if you can find an online community where you can practice speaking and writing with others who are learning foreign languages. too. The best way to really test your skills is to interact with another person, and in this environment, you won’t feel judged or overwhelmed. 

- Make a habit of learning a few new vocabulary words every day. Even if you don’t have time to do any other practice, you’ll still be maximizing your vocabulary, which is something that is important in every language.

Ryan Elantri has mastered foreign languages with lots of dedicated practice.

Ryan Elantri - Emerging Economic Markets to Watch

Ryan Elantri is a rising senior at Penn State University, where is majoring in economics. He expects to graduate in spring 2017, and is looking forward to pursuing a career in international business and finance. To prepare for the future, Elantri has interned with a finance firm in Shanghai, China, worked with student finance and investment groups, and remains informed about the current state of the global economy. Here are some of the biggest markets that are poised for growth in 2016/17 (source: Bloomberg).

                                             

-China has been a market to watch for the past several years, and it just continues to grow and boom. With many huge cities and manufacturing centers, China is becoming one of the world’s biggest trade hubs. 

-South Korea is another Asian market that is poised for significant growth in the near future. Seoul is one of the biggest cultural hubs in Asia, and attracts business and investors from all over the world. 

-Asia isn’t the only continent that’s experiencing growth; Latin America has some of the world’s biggest emerging markets as well. Peru, for example, has had a 27 percent GDP growth over the last four years. The Peruvian government is also very dedicated to fostering economic growth in the region. 

-The Czech Republic is a big emerging market in Europe, as this region moves away from former Soviet rule and comes into its own. Investors are attracted to the range of opportunities here and can’t wait to see what comes next. 

Ryan Elantri will continue to follow major and emerging markets.

Ryan Elantri - When and How to Invest

The future is uncertain. And as an Economics major at Pennsylvania State University, Ryan Elantri understands the need for wise (and early) investing as a form of risk mitigation. He is a member of the Penn State Investment Association, a club that helps students understand the various avenues available to them for investing.

Learning how to invest effectively is an important skill to cultivate. One of the ways to do so is by immersing yourself in the fundamentals of finance. Whether it’s through Bloomberg News or The Wall Street Journal, there is always a competitive edge to be gained through disciplined research. Understanding how various valuation techniques for your investments are affected by the current state of the market is key for deciding which investment strategy to pursue. If the Greek economy is on the verge of default, one might look to German investment-grade bonds as a safe investment in Europe.
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Ryan Elantri - The Benefits of Reading

Currently enrolled at Pennsylvania State University and pursuing degrees in Economics (B.S.) and Mandarin Chinese (B.A.), Ryan Elantri has often found it necessary to go beyond his coursework material and read books that add value to his education. In addition to reading The Wall Street Journal and The Economist on a regular basis to keep up with current events, he reads books that link financial news to the material he learns in his classes. Among his favorite books are Lords of Finance, Freakonomics and Too Big to Fail.

Reading, writing and speaking are imperative in any profession. Ryan knows this firsthand: he has researched, written about, and pitched financial institutions to potential investors.

Ryan Elantri has published articles on seekingalpha.com and has lifetime access to its database contributor page.

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Ryan Elantri - Making a Good Career Choice

Making a career choice is not always an easy decision when you are a young adult. It often comes down to knowing yourself and understanding your skills and talents.

                                             
Ryan Elantri had a passion for Chinese from a young age. He pursued this passion throughout his elementary and secondary school years, and it formed part of his course work at the university level. He likes learning new things, especially languages, and in addition to majoring in Chinese, he is minoring in Arabic along with Business and Middle Eastern Studies Ryan plans to incorporate this varied skill set into a career in the financial services sector.

Many young people don’t know where to start when they contemplate a career, but it doesn’t have to be hard. Choosing a career should start with an assessment of skills and talents. People who are analytical might consider careers in business, science, research and finance. Liberal arts majors can hone their communication and problem-solving skills that are also crucially important in the work world.

Ryan Elantri - How Macroeconomics Affect Everyday Life

As an undergraduate at Penn State, Ryan Elantri has studied macroeconomics. It is an important topic that any student in the areas of finance, business or economics has to understand. If you are coming across the term for the first time, this post will provide a brief primer on what it entails.

When making everyday financial decisions, we may not necessarily think about macroeconomics. In brief, macroeconomics is the study of the economy’s behavior. This is quite different from microeconomics, which tends to focus more on individual behavior in economic decision-making. Regardless, the macro-economy is important because it helps consumers reach better conclusions on issues that impact their daily lives.

Perceptions on the state of the economy may affect how you make certain decisions. For example, in a period of low-interest rates, you will likely consider taking out a mortgage or loan because it’s cheaper to do so. However, high unemployment rates or a slow economy may make a student decide to stay in school and work on getting a degree. In such a scenario, it makes sense to spend three to four years pursuing a degree rather than jumping into a poor job market.

When prices of commodities are high, consumers are likely to think twice about making purchases. Inflation, or the rate at which prices increase, is a big factor that individuals take into account on an almost daily basis.

The economy’s performance affects every individual. By studying the macroeconomic factors that affect it, Ryan Elantri is looking to make better financial decisions.