{"id":355840,"date":"2026-01-06T21:22:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T21:22:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/355840\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T21:22:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T21:22:06","slug":"experts-say-these-two-financial-decisions-can-have-a-huge-impact-on-your-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/355840\/","title":{"rendered":"Experts say these two financial decisions can have a huge impact on your career"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/usEveningHeadlines1_1.png\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Evening Headlines\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the US<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/usEveningHeadlines1_1.png\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Evening Headlines\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Some 17 percent of Americans have listed hitting a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/life-style\/9-ways-to-change-or-advance-your-career-in-2024-b2465965.html\">career goal <\/a>or getting a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/us\/money\/jobs-hiring-growth-plans-2026-b2891218.html\">new job<\/a> on their 2026 New Year\u2019s resolutions, according to a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-affiliate=\"true\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/go.redirectingat.com\/?id=44681X1458326&amp;articleId=b2894857&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Ftoday.yougov.com%2Fsociety%2Farticles%2F53789-americans-new-years-resolutions-2026-poll&amp;sref=\/us\/money\/job-career-financial-decisions-b2894857.html\">survey<\/a> of 1,104 adults by polling firm YouGov.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re one of those millions striving for career growth or a job change, the financial decisions you make can have a significant impact on your life beyond the workplace. <\/p>\n<p>The Independent has asked multiple financial experts to answer a critical question: What&#8217;s the one financial decision that could have the biggest impact on your <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/job-market-economy-dating-apps-b2891852.html\">career<\/a>? <\/p>\n<p>Invest in you<\/p>\n<p>Whether you\u2019re looking to advance in your current position or prepare yourself for a new job, several experts emphasized the importance of investing time in professional development. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Be_Well-Loneliness_at_Work_01746.jpg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\u2018Formal education, certifications, or specialized training can dramatically expand your earning potential,\u2019 one expert said\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/><\/p>\n<p>open image in gallery<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Formal education, certifications, or specialized training can dramatically expand your earning potential,\u2019 one expert said (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe most impactful financial decision you can make for your career is deciding how and when to invest in your own continuing education and skill development,\u201d said Derek Brainard, director of financial education at AccessLex Institute, an online resource for law school students. <\/p>\n<p>Bobbi Rebell, a certified financial planner and personal finance expert at credit card site <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/cardrates.com\">CardRates.com<\/a>, also noted that investing in your skills helps keep you nimble in a rapidly changing world.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo many of the careers and jobs that are most in demand these days did not exist a decade or even a few years ago, and while some skills like communication are evergreen, the reality is that being forward-thinking and seeing ahead of time what skills will be in demand is crucial,\u201d Rebell told The Independent in an email. <\/p>\n<p>Be smart about any debt you accrue for your professional development, Brainard also wrote in an email to The Independent. Only borrow what you can realistically pay back based on salary increases tied to your knowledge and skill improvement. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cFormal education, certifications, or specialized training can dramatically expand your earning potential, but only if any debt you take on is aligned with realistic salary outcomes,\u201d he said. \u201cMaking education decisions through a return-on-investment lens can shape your lifetime income just as much as, if not more than, your everyday financial choices.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Give yourself an escape hatch<\/p>\n<p>The prospects of a raise or new job with higher pay can be exciting, but be careful, two experts said. It can be easy to outspend your salary, negating the added income and eliminating the chance of earning a return on extra earnings. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe single biggest financial decision for your career is to live on less than you earn and automatically invest the difference,\u201d said Linda R. Jensen, certified exit planning advisor at Heart Financial Group. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pay_Transparency_04931.jpg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\u2018Making education decisions through a return-on-investment lens can shape your lifetime income just as much as, if not more than, your everyday financial choices,\u2019 one expert said\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/><\/p>\n<p>open image in gallery<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Making education decisions through a return-on-investment lens can shape your lifetime income just as much as, if not more than, your everyday financial choices,\u2019 one expert said (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n<p>Turning extra salary into investment dollars isn\u2019t just about making a return, but creates the freedom to make more career moves due to relatively stable finances. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you consistently save 15\u201320 percent of your income, you buy yourself choices: you can leave a toxic job, take a pay cut for a better role, or start a business without panicking that one paycheck change will sink you,\u201d Jensen told The Independent in an email. <\/p>\n<p>Kyle Paxton, CPA and tax director at accounting firm James Moore &amp; Co., also pointed out the flexibility that measured spending provides. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cKeep lifestyle below income level,\u201d Paxton told The Independent in an email. \u201cHealthy margin gives freedom to say yes to the right opportunities, invest in growth, and avoid feeling trapped by bills.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":355841,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[84,4176,4174,4175,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-355840","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-finance","10":"tag-personal-finance","11":"tag-personalfinance","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=355840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355840\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/355841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=355840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=355840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=355840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}