 TITLE: Celebrities, Recent Graduates Weigh in on Personal Finances CONTENT: Celebs and Influencers on What They Wish They'd Known About Money\n-----------------------------------------------------------------\nTo add context to our survey results, Experian reached out to several celebrities and influencers to see what was important to them when they graduated from college and what they wished they knew as they ventured out on their own.\n### Mario Lopez, Actor\/Host\n**What was your most important \"first\" that you looked forward to when you first went out on your own or graduated from college?**\n**_Mario Lopez_****_:_** _First \"adult\" apartment\/house_\n**What do you wish you knew about finances when you left your parents' home and went out on your own?**\n**_Mario Lopez: \"_**_I wish I knew how to budget accordingly. When you're young, you feel like you have time on your side. That time should be used in having your money work for you. They say that youth is wasted on the young, but so is money.\"_\n### Diggy Simmons, Actor\/Recording Artist\n**What was your most important \"first\" that you looked forward to when you first went out on your own or graduated from college?**\n**_Diggy Simmons_****_:_** _First \"adult\" job_\n**What do you wish you knew about finances when you left your parents' home and went out on your own?**\n**_Diggy Simmons:_** _\"I wish I had a better understanding of how money works and the importance of having great credit. Since then, I have learned how important it is to pay your bills on time and_ _build your credit__.\"_\n### Taylor Price, Financial Educator\/Activist\n**What was your most important \"first\" that you looked forward to when you first went out on your own or graduated from college?**\n**_Taylor Price_****_:_** _Feeling independent_\n**What do you wish you knew about finances when you left your parents' home and went out on your own?**\n**_Taylor Price:_** _\"I wish I knew the true value of a dollar, how much work it takes to make that dollar, and how to grow that dollar into a passive money tree. I wish the conversation of_ _passive\/active_ _happened earlier in life.\"_\n### Teala Dunn, Actress\n**What was your most important \"first\" that you looked forward to when you first went out on your own or graduated from college?**\n**_Teala Dunn_****_:_** _First \"adult\" apartment\/house_\n**What do you wish you knew about finances when you left your parents' home and went out on your own?**\n**_Teala Dunn:_** _\"I really wish I knew more about utility bills, gas, water and power, and that they are all separate bills.\"_\n### Sara Finance, Financial Social Media Influencer\n**What was your most important \"first\" that you looked forward to when you first went out on your own or graduated from college?**\n**_Sara Finance_****_:_** _Feeling independent_\n**What do you wish you knew about finances when you left your parents' home and went out on your own?**\n**_Sara Finance:_** **_\"_**_I wish I knew about the importance of having an_ _emergency fund__. Ideally, having savings to cover six months of expenses is a must, especially because no job income is guaranteed.\"_\n### Isabella Gomez, Actress\n**What was your most important \"first\" that you looked forward to when you first went out on your own or graduated from college?**\n**_Isabella Gomez_****_:_** _Feeling independent_\n**What do you wish you knew about finances when you left your parents' home and went out on your own?**\n**_Isabella Gomez:_** **_\"_**_I wish I had learned more about hidden costs and all the unexpected expenses that come with being an adult, like living on your own. Saving for that is important!\"_ END