Cash check: Gregory Steimann, 22, Long Lake

Annual earnings: About $14,000

Education: I am working on my bachelor's degree.

Job: I work as a security officer and also do office work on the side.

Dream job: Honestly, I would like to be a particle physicist and work at the CERN lab in Switzerland.

What are your living arrangements? I live with my two best friends in a townhouse in Long Lake.

Last major purchase: I spent a lot of money on Christmas presents.

Next major purchase: I have to buy ferret medication for two of my ferrets that have diseases. I will be paying about $110 a month for it.

Smart money: I recently started to put away 5 percent of every paycheck into a savings account.

Stupid money: Basically everything. I don't do repairs to my car that may potentially save me money in the long run.

Thrifty tricks: I do group dinners. My roommates and I share food together.

Best advice you have for others: Repair things that are draining your finances, such as your car.

Best financial/career advice you've received from someone else and who: My dad said to me that although you may get thousands of dollars in debt from school, an education is something that no one can ever take away from you.

Financial and/or career goals: My goal is to get a career in something that will make me happy and be financially independent from my parents.

If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money? Probably pay off all my debts and buy a new hybrid car. I would invest the rest.

What kinds of things do you spend money on frivolously? Energy drinks. They help me stay awake.

Money or love? Love, it lasts in your memory a lot longer.

When it comes to school ... It's the most important step for me right now.

My generation is ... not forward-thinking. We often don't see the consequences of our actions.

YELENA KIBASOVA