<prompt> Human: So long story short, I just turned 18 a couple of months ago and Ive just just received 18k from my dad who passed a couple years ago. I feel like this is a good situation to be in but Im notoriously bad with money and impulse spending. I was hoping to get some advice on the best way to manage this.  <response>: Take that 18k and put it in a money market account. That way, its generating a respectable amount of interest Make 20 a month , while remaining liquid for your emergency expenses. I know your tempted to buy a car but my advice is to stay away from it until you have a job where you can comfortably afford insurance, gas, potential tickets, maintenance and repairs. You dont want to go broke keeping up with a car. Dont buy any new clothes. One of my biggest regrets in college was buying so much new clothes. I spent at least 5k on clothes while at college. Stay modest, dress nice, not flashy. Stay away from fast food. One of my college friends had a windfall. Long story short, after 1 semester of buying food every day, he managed to make 10k disappear. Dont tell any of your friends because they might become jealous or try to use you. If you do plan on going to college, look into financial aid first before you spend your own money. 18k is a good amount, but if your careless, you can blow it. Also, dont go to college if you dont want to. Stay away from student loan debt. If a college is 40k a year, run as far as you can . Good luck 