FEBRUARY 2017
5 blogs giving away great financial advice
In just a week or two, you should receive your copy of March Contour. The focus of the issue is money and how to become financially savvy while still in school. Even though you might not have much money to manage right now, the financial habits you learn as a young adult can shape your future. As a practice owner, an employer, a homeowner, you'll want to develop good spending and saving habits. Now is the time to start.
  1. Mr. Money Mustache is a blog on how to live the life you want by saving a lot and spending in moderation.
  2. I Will Teach You to Be Rich is by a best-selling author who wrote a book on managing money after he grew tired of explaining it to his college-aged friends.
  3. ASDA's blog, Mouthing Off, features financial content once a month in the Money Monday section. Here you'll find financial content tailored to the dental student experience.
  4. Acorns, an app that rounds up the change on purchases and lets you invest that money, has a free online magazine called Grow. You'll find articles on topics such as paying off debt to preparing your taxes to advice from financial gurus.
  5. Daily Worth is a personal finance site tailored specifically to women. This website's goal is for "all women [to] see money not as a source of stress and anxiety, but as one of freedom and empowerment."
BONUS: If you're set on budgeting and saving in dental school but you still can't get enough financial information, check out NPR's Planet Money podcast. This podcast explains the economy with a lighthearted approach that will leave you informed as well as entertained.
From ASDA
Lock in your upsets for the ASDA Bracket Challenge. The ASDA Bracket Challenge is a predental recruitment tournament for all eligible ASDA predoctoral chapters. The tournament will last six weeks, from March 13 to April 23, and each week, chapters will face off against their opponent to see who can recruit the most predentals. The most successful chapter will be crowned the National ASDA Champion. All new and renewing predental members recruited before March 13 count towards your Round 1 score. Start recruiting now!

4 misconceptions about ASDA's stance on licensure reform. ASDA released a white paper on licensure reform in October of 2016. If you haven't read the paper yet, it's worth your time. Immediate Past President Dr. Christian Piers, MFA, took to the pages of February Contour to answer some common questions on ASDA's stance. For instance, why doesn't ASDA support a PGY-1 model? And why doesn't ASDA support the Buffalo model? Find out here.

Sweet dreams - March wellness challenge. Maybe it feels like you won't get a full night's sleep again until after you graduate from dental school. But getting enough sleep is vital to your physical and emotional well-being. Next month's challenge is about making small changes so that even if you can't get the prescribed 7-9 hours per night, you'll improve the quality of your rest. Learn more and #BeWellASDA.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 

Aubrey Beeler, Michigan '19 

What or who inspired you to become a dentist?
I have wanted to be a dentist since I was four years old. At my first dental appointment, I sat in the chair and instantly became fascinated with the shiny tools beside it. When the dentist appeared, he set a typodont in my right hand, an oversized toothbrush in my left hand and asked if I knew what to do with them. Confidently, I began brushing those teeth and when I looked up at the dentist, he was smiling. Still brushing, I watched his smile burst into laughter and I began to laugh too! In that moment, a fire ignited within me, and I knew that I wanted to be a dentist. A career based on making smiles and bringing joy to people while also taking care of their health and well-being is a task I genuinely want to undertake. I am motivated every day when I make people smile and laugh. 

Aubrey serves as her chapter's predental liaison, and she's originally from Shelbyville, Mich. Read more about what she wishes she'd known before dental school and her favorite place she's ever traveled.
Noteworthy
25 of the most inspiring books everyone should read. Inc. surveyed CEOs, founders and leaders to get their picks for the best reads. Check out this list for your next beach read or spring break book. Also check out ASDA's Amazon Store filled with inspiring leadership books.

Financial Tip of the Month: Create a financial calendar. You might not want every bill on autopay, and that's where calendar reminders are a lifesaver. Set recurring reminders for credit card due dates (monthly), utility bills (monthly), pulling your credit report (quarterly) and preparing your taxes (annually). If you're working while in dental school, you can also set reminders for when you get paid. Extra credit for setting reminders to check in on your student loan balance and reviewing insurance policies.

Brush up on history at Pacific's Virtual Dental Museum. The University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry hosts a virtual dental museum. You'll find exhibits on toothbrushes, Victorian business cards and more. Click here to make a visit to this virtual museum.
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