给将上大学的女儿的一封信

 　　Dear Lexie,亲爱的莱克西：

　　On your first day of college, let me congratulate you on your well-earned freedom. No more curfews[宵禁]. No more being dragged places you'd rather not be. No more of Dad's teachable[可教的] moments about responsibility, opportunity...life. And no more boring lessons about after-tax income, saving¹, borrowing, compound² returns[回报率] and growth stocks[增长股].

　　在你上大学的第一天，首先祝贺你获得了应得的自由。不再有宵禁，不再被拉去不想去的地方，不用再听爸爸那些关于责任、机遇之类的人生说教，也不用再上税后收入、储蓄、借贷、回报率、增长股等枯燥乏味的课程。

　　While we're on the subject of “no more,” let me gently mention that it applies to the car you've been driving too, and my gas card and your allowance[零用钱]. Freedom, you see, has its price. Sorry, I couldn't resist one more teachable moment.

　　我们正讲到“不用再怎样”，让我稍微提一下，这也包括你开的车，我给你的汽油费和零用钱。你瞧，自由也是有代价的。抱歉，我又情不自禁说教了一回。

　　A Letter to My College-Bound Daughter 给将上大学的女儿的一封信——来自爸爸的“大学理财经”I know that you will study hard and explore all the great things that a university has to offer. You are ready for this and, frankly³, so am I. Your freedom and a degree of mine come wrapped together.

　　我知道你不仅会刻苦学习，还会尝试大学提供的一切美好的事情。你已经为此作好准备，坦白地说，我也一样。在某种程度上，我的自由与你的自由密不可分。

　　Yet I can't help but worry that you may get tripped up[绊倒] with money issues. It's easy to do, especially when you're just starting out. But happily, it's also fairly easy to avoid. So if you'll just indulge[纵容] me one last time, I'd like to offer some parting[离别的] financial wisdom for your first semester⁴ and beyond.

　　可是我担心你有可能陷入财政危机。这极有可能发生，特别是你才刚刚开始独立。但庆幸的是要避免也很容易。因此，如果你再容忍我一次，我想最后告诉你一些在第一学期以及将来的理财秘诀。

　　You are fortunate to have parents that can take care of your biggest bills—tuition[学费], room and board[膳食费], transportation home. But the rest, dear child, is up to you. It would be a shame for you to end up in debt with your modest earning ability right now (the average credit⁵ card balance for college seniors: nearly $3,000). So estimate⁶ all of your expenses over the next 17 weeks and compare that with your available resources. Looking at the whole semester, not just a sample week, makes plain how recurring[反复的] expenses add up—like, say, $4 a day at Starbucks setting⁷ you back nearly $500.

　　你很幸运，因为父母帮你承担了大额的支出——学费、住宿费和伙食费及回家的交通费。但亲爱的孩子，剩下的就要靠你自己了。以你现在有限的赚钱能力，最后负债累累，那将非常丢人（大四学生平均可透支3000美元）。所以估算一下你未来17周的支出，与你现有的可用资金进行权衡。查看整个学期的情况——而不单是一周——明确一再重复的支出加起来是多大一笔费用——比如说，在星巴克一天花4美元买咖啡，累积起来就是500美元。

　　Separate your spending into categories, such as books, laundry, entertainment, food and beverages[饮料] (spare me the details about what kind of beverages). “Keep an envelope for each, and place all of your receipts[收据] in those envelopes so you can go back and count what you spent where,” says Douglas Andrew, author of Millionaire by Thirty. “That way you'll quickly recognize where you may be going overboard[过长].” Make adjustments as needed.

　　将你的支出分门别类，比如课本费、洗衣费、娱乐消费、伙食、饮品（不必告诉我你都喝了些什么）。“为每一类支出准备一个信封，将你所有的收据放到那些信封中，这样你就可以回头看看自己将钱花在哪里，”《三十而富》的作者道格拉斯·安德鲁如是说，“通过这种方法，你可以很快得知自己哪里的支出超出了预算。”如有需要，作一些调整吧。

　　But when you add to one category, be sure you subtract[减] from another. If money runs tight, don't default[默认] to a part-time job unless you'd really enjoy it or it's truly a last option. You worked hard all summer and saved enough to get by. Cut your expenses instead. That's a lifetime skill worth developing now.

　　一项支出增加，另一项就要减少。不要在收支紧张后就只想着去做兼职，除非你真的喜欢或者别无选择。你整个夏天都在努力工作，才勉强熬过来。还不如削减开支呢。这是一项受益终身的技能，值得现在开始培养。

　　I have a confession[供认]: In the past few months I have—without telling you—thrown away at least a dozen credit card offers to you. This bombardment[轰击] will continue when you move to campus⁸. They will not stop the barrage[密集火力进攻], and even without me as your guardian⁹ filter[过滤器], I hope you'll keep throwing the offers away. You need only one—a Visa, a MasterCard or an American Express注. Never charge more than 30 percent of your credit limit and pay in full every month. But just to be safe, authorize[授权] an appropriate automatic¹⁰ monthly¹¹ payment¹² to protect you from late fees[滞纳金] and a credit blemish[污点].

　　我得承认：我在过去的几个月里——之前没有告诉你——帮你扔掉了好些信用卡申请表。即使你搬到学校，这种轰炸还会继续。他们不会停止进攻，即使没有我这个防护过滤器，希望你可以继续扔掉那些申请表。你只需要一张——一张Visa卡、万事达卡或者美国运通卡。不要透支信用卡限额的30%，并且每月都要还清欠款。为了安全起见，设置合适的月度自动还款系统，避免需要缴纳滞纳金或者造成信用不良记录。

　　Even if you don't have to, take at least one economics¹³ and one personal finance¹⁴ course. High schools don't teach much about budgets and credit or supply and demand. These courses will open your eyes to[使某人看清] how much money works¹⁵ in the real world and introduce you to practical skills you'll use the rest of your life. They will also, finally, give you an inkling[略知] of what your dad's been writing about for 25 years.

　　选修至少一门经济学和一门个人理财课程，即使学校没有要求你这样做。中学教育并没有传授太多有关预算和信用，或者供求关系方面的知识。这些课程会让你认识到金钱在现实社会中如何运作，让你学到终身受用的实用技巧，也让你终于对爸爸25年来所写的内容有一个大致的了解。

　　Don't get caught up in talk on campus about which majors are the best stepping stones[垫脚石] to financial success. You'll hear plenty of that from kids who want or may be under pressure to get a quick return from their education. Forget them. Many of those kids will end up disliking their jobs and muddling¹⁶ through[混过去] so-so careers. You can make a great living doing almost anything, as long as you love it. So take risks. Explore. Switch majors. Get your head out of the books and do something surprising. There's time. But find your bliss[幸福] and pursue¹⁷ it. Go ahead and get fluent[流利的] in Spanish and study abroad if that makes your heart sing. Your knowledge and experience will pay off later on, I promise—just as you'll be rewarded for the joy you bring to tasks that excite you.

　　不要相信校园里那些关于什么专业是财富的垫脚石的谈论。你会听到很多这样的谈论，它们都是来自于那些渴望或者急于想从教育中得到快速回报的孩子。不要去理会。那些孩子将来大多不喜欢他们的工作，只是在平淡的职位上混日子。只要你喜欢，你可以做你想做的一切事情。所以去冒险吧，不断探究，转专业。从书本的框框条条中跳出来，做一些令人惊奇的事情。你有足够的时间。发现自己的幸福所在并努力追求。如果你的心为此雀跃，练就一口流利的西班牙语，出国留学吧。我保证，你所学到的知识和经历将会给你带来回报——正如那些让你兴奋的事儿给你带来的快乐一样。

　　So that's it, Lexie. Of course, I'll be available for more advice anytime—for the price of a phone call. Judging by how eagerly you packed your things, though, I recognize that my time would be ill-spent sitting in front of the telephone waiting. That's okay, I won't. We're both ready.

　　就说这么多吧，莱克西。当然，我随时会为你提供建议——只要你付得起话费。不过看到你如此急切地打包行李，我意识到自己可能要在电话机旁边无比煎熬地等待下去。没关系。我不会这样做。我们都准备好了。

　　Love always,Dad永远爱你的爸爸

1 saving   

n.节省，节约；[pl.]储蓄金，存款

参考例句：

• Energy saving is term strategic policy of our country.节约能源是我国长期的战略国策。
• Old-fashioned housewives were usually very saving.旧时的家庭主妇通常都很节俭。

2 compound   

n.化合物；大院；adj.化合的；vt.加重；使化合

参考例句：

• Air is a mixture,not a compound of gases.空气是气体的混合物，不是化合物。
• How many households in the compound?院内有几家住户？

3 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

4 semester   

n.一学期，半学年，六个月的时间

参考例句：

• A student will probably attend four or five courses during each semester.每个学生一学期可能要修四五门课程。
• I had an especially rough time during my first semester.我第一个学期的日子难受极了。

5 credit   

n.信用，荣誉，贷款，学分；v.归功于，赞颂，信任

参考例句：

• I credit him with a certain amount of sense.我认为他有一定的见识。
• He got the credit,and we did the dirty work.他得荣誉，我们做不讨好的工作。

6 estimate   

n.估计，估量；评价，看法；vt.估计，估量

参考例句：

• We estimate the cost to be five thousand dollars.我们估计费用为5000美元。
• The lowest estimate would put the worth of the jewel at ＄200.按最低的评估这块宝石也值200美元。

7 setting   

n.背景

参考例句：

• The play has its setting in Vienna.该剧以维也纳为背景。
• Where and when a story takes place is called the setting.故事发生的地点和时间称为故事背景。

8 campus   

n.大学校园，学校校园；大学　

参考例句：

• They spoke of the old days on the campus.他们谈起昔日的校园生活。
• The campus covers an area of twenty square kilometres.这个校园占地二十平方公里。

9 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

10 automatic   

adj.自动的；不经思考的，习惯性的；当然的

参考例句：

• Breathing is an automatic function of the body.呼吸是身体的一种无意识的功能。
• Modern trains have automatic doors.现代火车装有自动门。

11 monthly   

adj.每月的，持续一个月的，每月发生的；adv.每月，按月； n.月刊；(复数）monthlies:月经

参考例句：

• The rent on his apartment was his biggest monthly expense.他的房租是每个月最大的开支。
• The monthly rent is $15,inclusive of light and water.每月租金15美元，包括水电费在内。

12 payment   

n.付款，支付，偿还，偿还，报应

参考例句：

• I gave ten pounds in payment for the goods I bought.我买那些东西付了10英镑。
• This last payment will wipe out your debt to me.这最后一笔付款将了结你欠我的债务。

13 economics   

n.经济学，经济情况

参考例句：

• He is studying economics,which subject is very important.他正在学习经济学，该学科是很重要的。
• One can't separate politics from economics.不能把政治与经济割裂开来。

14 finance   

n.财务管理，财政，金融，财源，资金

参考例句：

• She is an expert in finance.她是一名财政专家。
• A finance house made a bid to buy up the entire company.一家信贷公司出价买下了整个公司。

15 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

16 muddling   

v.弄乱，弄糟( muddle的现在分词 )；使糊涂；对付，混日子

参考例句：

• Don't do that—you're muddling my papers. 别动—你会弄乱我的文件的。
• In our company you see nobody muddling along. 在咱们公司，看不到混日子的人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 pursue   

vt.继续，从事；追赶，追踪；追求

参考例句：

• He began to pursue an easy and comfortable life.他开始追求安逸舒适的生活。
• This is the path that we shall continue to pursue.这是我们要继续走的道路。