When it comes to understanding how to manage our finances, most of us are in the dark. Student loan payments and credit scores, mortgages and 401ks – there’s so much information, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and give up.

Bedford-based financial educator Peter Bielagus aims to change all of that. For the past seven years, he’s given presentations throughout the world, using humor and real-life examples to break down the complex concepts of money management for a variety of audiences. Learn more about his work at www.peterbielagus.com.

Between speaking engagements, Bielagus took the time to share why it’s important to be financially educated, how to achieve security in a difficult economy and a crucial piece of advice you won’t find in any personal finance books.

Here’s part of the conversation:

Q: What led to your decision to become a financial educator?

A: When I was a freshman in college, I got into a lot of financial trouble. I started to read books on personal finance. After just a few books, I realized two things: how much financial potential a young person had if they started early, and how many other students, just like me, had no idea this was true. I realized there was an opportunity in helping younger Americans with their financial futures.

Q: What kind of educational and professional background do you have?

A: People always think my degree is in finance. It’s not. I have a degree in communication, because that is what I spend my time doing. I had my financial planning license in New Hampshire, but realized that what my market needed was not advice, but education. I also worked for a major tax franchise for several years, doing close to 500 tax returns and eventually teaching for that company. I’ve published two books on personal finance and entrepreneurship and just completed my third book, a self-published venture, last month.

Q: Why is it important for people to be financially educated?

A: The recent housing bubble couldn’t be a better example. While many people were flat-out swindled, I think a larger problem was financial ignorance. Financial education would have helped people to understand how their loans worked (or how their loan payments may not go up but their taxes and insurance payments can). The same problem occurred several years earlier with the dot-com bubble, when people were buying stocks simply because everyone else as buying stocks. We may not be able to cure greed, but we can cure ignorance.

Q: What topics do you touch on during your speaking engagements?

A: I am often speaking to individuals with modest incomes – students, service members and young professionals, so I focus on quick, simple and affordable steps they can take to change their financial lives. I talk a lot about credit reports and credit scores, the importance of compound interest and little changes anyone can make in their shopping habits. I also discuss our feelings about money. Why do we buy what we buy? Is it because we want it or because we want other people to see that we have it?

Q: What are the most common questions people have for you at your speaking engagements?

A: I get a lot of questions about credit scores and how they work, how young people can build credit, and in my college speeches, I am starting to get an alarming number of questions about student loans.

Q: What’s the one piece of financial advice you wish you had known when you were younger?

A: There are two, one of which I was lucky enough to discover myself, and that is start early. Don’t worry about how much money you have (or don’t have). Just get started.

The second piece of advice, you will not find in any personal finance book, including mine. And that is, save money for other people’s weddings. Young people spend a small fortune simply to attend weddings. It is an expense that takes us all by surprise.

Q: What do you consider the biggest financial challenge facing young people today?

A: For college students, I think it is balancing student loan payments against a difficult job market. I don’t have too much of a problem if a student borrows money to go to school. I had to, and millions of students are just like me. But I walked into a red hot job market. Students need to know not only how much money they have borrowed, but also what the monthly payments are. Knowing that will assist them in planning all their other life decisions, like where to live and what to drive.

Q: Do you have any tips on handling the increasing costs associated with college?

A: The best tip is to plan out all four (or five) years in advance. It is now too expensive to go to a four-year private college to find yourself. Not that I am knocking finding yourself – just do it cheaply. This may involve two years at a community college before transferring to your school of choice. If you do have to borrow money, know what the monthly payment is, not just the total amount.

Finally, don’t be fooled into taking a semester off to work at the mall and save up. Chances are this will be more costly. Sometimes plowing through college, even if that means more borrowing, is the cheapest way to do it.

Q: Do military personnel face any unique financial challenges?

A: Yes. Service members are twice as likely to be approached by predatory lenders. What’s more those on deployment “save” a lot of money simply because there is nothing to buy. When they return home, it appears as if they have a limitless amount of money. Add in the unfathomable stress our warriors undergo, and the guilt of being away from loved ones, and this combination can inspire reckless spending in a short period of time.

Service members need to set themselves up to win, by saving money automatically, perhaps through their TSP (the military version of the 401k). In addition, they have access to free financial counselors, so they should visit with them at least twice a year.

Q: What is one of the biggest financial mistakes people make?

A: Simply put, not having a plan. Too many people live under the illusion that tomorrow is a better day to change your financial life. They want to wait until they get married, get that raise, graduate or get a job. The truth is, there is never a good time to get started on your financial life, so you might as well start today.

Q: What can people do to achieve financial security in such a difficult economy?

A: Start by making three lists. The first is a list of what you want. You could call this your goal sheet. The second is a list of what you don’t want. Write down everything in your life that is not important to you. Everything from the house you live in to the brand of fabric softener you use. And the third list is a list of what you are actually doing with your time and money. Take the next month of your life and write down everything you spend your money on and where you spend your time. Now compare all three lists. Do they match up? If you wrote down “trip to Europe” on list one, does “put money into Europe trip fund” also appear on list three? If not, you need to make some adjustments.

Q: Can you tell me about your most recent book?

A: My most recent book is about what to do when you don’t know what to do. It’s for all the folks out there who don’t want to check their credit because they know their foreclosure ruined it. It’s for the folks who don’t even open their brokerage statements anymore. It’s for the college students who are consider dropping out because they worry they won’t be able to make their loan payments. The full title is “Why Bother? How The Worst Pickup Line Of My Life Changed My Financial Future and How It Can Change Yours Too.” It is not yet available in stores but can be bought on my website at www.peterbielagus.com.

Just what was the pickup line? You’ll have to read the book!