This year in march i did an interview with @pfforphds.bsky.social and gave my insight on how to navigate graduate school financially. You can listen to the podcast episode here- pfforphds.com/increasing-i...

I was interviewed by @pfforphds.bsky.social. I had a great time chatting to Emily and mentioned my regrets for some of the negotiations I have made. That is why I enjoy providing my workshops on how to successfully negotiate so that you don't make the mistakes I did! www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN8T...

Kinda weird question but is there such a thing as a publicist for academia? Not a publicist for academics but for people like me who serve people within academia. I'm interested in raising my profile in different ways than I've done in the past, e.g., contributing articles, media.

I'm signing into my National Postdoctoral Association SmartSkills webinar now! Join if you're a member and want to set an optimal financial goal!

I just received my first workshop booking for the 2025-2026 academic year—during Postdoc Appreciation Week! (I'm VERY relieved that some of my clients are able to continue working with me.)

Today, NSF added another 500 GRFP awardees, bringing this year’s total to 1500 www.research.gov/grfp/Awardee...

What's your favorite 'grad school guide' from a university/scholarly press? e.g., Grad School Life: Surviving and Thriving Beyond Coursework and Research by Jacqueline M. Kory-Westlund

Enter for a chance to win the money book I WISH I had read in grad school (it's about way more than money). pfforphds.com/BookGiveaway/

Last day to enter this giveaway! The 2nd edition of this book was just released, and JL Collins has been all over the podcast circuit. :) This is my top recommendation for new or underconfident investors. PFforPhDs.com/BookGiveaway/

Oooh, I just noticed I have one free 30-min financial coaching spot open TOMORROW and a couple next week! (Only for PhDs and PhDs-to-be who are living in the US.) Register for my mailing list to get the sign-up link: pfforphds.com/Giveaway/ My Giveaway Spring initiative ends in a few weeks!

Glad to hear another financial educator (Tori Dunlap) is giving the same guidance that I am right now: If you don't currently have a 3-month emergency fund, eliminate discretionary spending until you have saved enough. herfirst100k.com/financial-fe...

Excellent explainer on quarterly estimated tax from Student Loan Planner: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/q... Not just for high earners or the self-employed! Great general info. This is relevant for grad students and postdocs who are not having income tax withheld from their #fellowship paychecks.

New webinars just added to my running list! These ones are for PhDs preparing for or engaging in a job search. Subscribe to my mailing list to immediately receive an email with all the giveaways and free events. pfforphds.com/Giveaway/

SAVE borrowers - You are not in default of your loans just because you are on the SAVE income driven payment plan. So… The news that the Department of education will begin collecting payments from borrowers who are in default on May 5th does not directly affect you. 1/2

Major additions to Giveaway Spring! I'm delivering a free pilot workshop on weathering financial emergencies for PhDs and PhDs-to-be this coming Friday. Sign up below to get a list of allll the free resources, including a link to register for Friday's workshop. pfforphds.com/Giveaway/

I added new free resources from the Graduate Career Consortium to my running list for Giveaway Spring—check it out! pfforphds.com/Giveaway/

In this economy, I did not expect any PhD stipend raises. Big shout-out to Texas Tech University which has gone from paying $15,984 to $21,500! and big thanks to @mossmatters.bsky.social for keeping our database up-to-date! rhettrautsaw.app/shiny/Biolog...

I spoke with a rising PhD student yesterday who committed to a program with a 5+-year funding guarantee—all other offers were rescinded. They are happy with where they ended up, even though there ultimately weren't other options. Now that Decision Day has passed, how did everyone else end up?

New book giveaway! This is my top recommendation for grad students and PhDs who want to start investing. Great for turbulent market times as well. pfforphds.com/bookgiveaway/

Submitted my own tax return at 10pm last night! Tax season is over and my mind is free to work on other financial education topics!

Free 1:1 coaching spots have opened up and the people on my mailing list haven't snapped them up yet... 👀 Join the list for access to the scheduling link! (Coaching sessions are only for funded grad students and PhDs in the US.) pfforphds.com/Giveaway/

What to do if you can't finish and submit your tax return today (start at ~14:00): www.sunlighttax.com/blog/2025/4/... Your tax PAYMENT (an estimate) is still due today, but you can take up to 6 more months to finalize the paperwork through an extension.

Each of the half dozen people who attended my live tax return Q&A call yesterday receives #fellowship income, and half of them found out for the first time during the call that they are responsible for paying their Q1 estimated tax TODAY. Not a good surprised. TALK WITH YOUR PEERS about taxes!

If your fall 2024 #stipend / salary as a #gradstudent, #postdoc, or #postbac (US citizen/resident in the US) was reported on anything OTHER than a Form W-2... Make sure you Google "estimated tax" + fellowship this weekend. You may need to make a payment by 4/15 toward your 2025 tax bill!

If you haven't yet submitted your tax return as a funded grad student in the US (citizen/resident)... You need my "cheat sheet!" pfforphds.com/GStaxcheatsh... Good luck!

I'm offering FREE live 1-hr Q&A calls on personal finance — this spring only! I did one earlier today and it was so gratifying and energizing to me and very much appreciated by the attendees. The audience must be cross-institutional, composed primarily of PhDs and PhDs-to-be, and accepting of my

Some good news from NIH - they have restarted the intramural training programs for postbacs and postdocs. www.training.nih.gov/research-tra...

If you're one of the VERY fortunate 1,000 who were awarded the #NSFGRFP, congratulations! You are in a truly powerful position right now. If you were rejected from any programs that are still of interest to you, now is the time to re-approach with your great news. You may very well be able to turn

🚨 Not a drill: NSF GRFP results are NOW OUT!!!!! But...good news and bad news. 👍 I'm *thrilled* for the grad students for whom getting this award will be life-changing, esp now. 👎 # of fellowships went down by 51% (1000 this year vs. 2036 last year) See here: www.research.gov/grfp/Awardee...

If you're thinking of purchasing a home in the near or far future as a grad student, postdoc, or PhD... Get your questions answered in tomorrow's AMA with a knowledgable mortgage originator! We'll discuss fellowships, student loans, down payments, anything you like. pfforphds.com/mortgage/

I'm giving away one copy of The Entrepreneurial Scholar: A New Mindset for Success in Academia and Beyond by Ilana Horwitz this spring. Join my mailing list to enter the lottery—closing soon! pfforphds.com/bookgiveaway/

🧪 NSF GRFP update! New graduate NSF fellowships will likely be announced this week for the GRFP (see bottom of 🧵 for why). First off, I'm *very* glad to hear of those going forward, given the otherwise bleak year so far for graduate training. Some observations... 1/12

📣 I am excited to share the cover of my forthcoming book 'Thriving As An International Scientist' (@ucpress.bsky.social ess.bsky.social) which hits the shelf in Fall 2025. I sincerely love this cover and feel it captures the essence of this book. What does this cover remind you of?

Question from a grad student during the live Q&A call earlier today in my tax return preparation workshop: "Do I have to pay income tax on the money that pays my health insurance premium? The scholarship is in Box 5 of my Form 1098-T but the charge isn't in Box 1."

I'm giving away my time and other resources in a major way this spring. Sign up for my mailing list for an email with the current offerings, and stay tuned to the mailing list for new items! pfforphds.com/Giveaway/

Another day, another PhD trainee blindsided by a large tax bill because their university didn't notify them that income tax withholding ceased when they switched funding sources. If you are on fellowship in the 2024-2025 academic year, be aware of TWO bills you might need to pay by 4/15—your

Download my most popular free resource, an income tax "cheat sheet" for funded PhD students in the US (citizens/residents): pfforphds.com/GStaxcheatsh... Much needed at this time of year!

The whole episode from Money with Katie on macroeconomics in our current moment is great and I recommend a full listen, but this part was a frank discussion of what to do right now personal finance-wise: "It’s not that there is some secretive magical financial strategy you should be enacting right

I'm giving away one copy of The Entrepreneurial Scholar by Ilana Horwitz this spring, register here! pfforphds.com/BookGiveaway/

🚨 Attention NIH & NSF grantees! AAAS is hosting a rapid response webinar this Friday, 12-1 pm ET, on responding to federal research grant terminations. NIH and NSF will be case examples. Register here: aaas.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Really great podcast episode from Sunlight Tax today on the TRIPLE tax deadline coming on 4/15. Although Hannah's audience is self-employed people, this episode fully applies to PhDs on fellowship (non-W-2) income as well. www.sunlighttax.com/blog/2025/3/...

I just added a new free professional development series to my list for Giveaway Spring! Subscribe to get all the freebies: pfforphds.com/Giveaway/

Do you want to receive a copy of The Entrepreneurial Scholar: A New Mindset for Success in Academia and Beyond by Ilana Horwitz? Enter the giveaway: pfforphds.com/BookGiveaway/ (I'm giving my time, my templates, and other people's books to my mailing list over the next 10 weeks... Don't miss out!)

If you have a federal grant, I *highly* recommend going to this Friday's webinar on responding to grant terminations. Lisa Brown, former general counsel at Dept of Ed, will present along with other lawyers. Friday, March 21, 2-3 pm. More info & register here: www.linkedin.com/pulse/regist...

I'm brainstorming what I can give to my mailing list subscribers starting in the next couple of weeks so if you're not yet on the list sign up now! pfforphds.com/advice/ My ideas so far: 1:1 coaching sessions, group Q&A sessions, downloadables I've made, (other people's) books...

This has been posed to me a few times this tax season: Q: By using qualified education expenses (e.g., tuition, required fees/books/supplies) to make fellowship/scholarship income tax-free, am I "itemizing my deductions" or am I still able to take the standard deduction?

My recommended books for uncertain times in academia/research: The Entrepreneurial Scholar by Ilana Horwitz (our interview: pfforphds.com/how-and-why-...) Leaving Academia by Christopher Caterine (our interview: pfforphds.com/the-financia...) What would you recommend?

If you are willing to chat about the personal financial implications of everything that's going on right now in academia and research, please sign up for an upcoming listening session with me: app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php... Be sure to sign up for the session for your career stage (next):

In the past few weeks, I've recorded podcast interviews with a grad student who ate only one meal per day and a grad student whose peers lived without running water due to how low their stipends were. 😬 And that happened BEFORE the current funding chaos.

If you are confused about your #stipend income as a funded #gradstudent or wondering how your tuition bill helps you minimize your tax... Download my tax "cheat sheet" (my most popular resource!) for clarity: pfforphds.com/GStaxcheatsh...