The first step towards becoming financially secure is by setting short-term and long-term goals. Without fixed goals, you will probably be sending beyond your means and living in an endless spiral of debt. This will leave you incapable of meeting your essential financial needs, and it will leave you no room for emergencies.
While no one can prepare for every circumstance possible, financial planning still goes a long way to securing you in times of crisis. Financial planning is an ongoing process that becomes a part of your life. It helps set your goals and also adds discipline so you can successfully work towards those goals.
We talked to financial experts, who have shared their tips on how you can work towards your financial goals successfully.
Make sure you’re not the only one in your family who is concerned about money. You’re fighting a losing battle if you’re working hard to save money, yet your partner is spending you into debt. Sit down with your partner and devise a strategy for determining how much money each of you should have. Then, once a week, check in to see how you’re doing.
If everyone in the family is responsible for the budget, everyone can make a small sacrifice and make a large difference. It should not be necessary for one person to bear the entire weight on their own.
If you have credit card debt, you may believe that paying it off will take an eternity. However, you may pull ahead by picking one credit card, ideally the one with the highest interest rate, and paying as much as you can on it each month.
Pay the minimum balance on any other cards you have until you’ve paid off the first. Then pick the next card and pay more on it while paying the minimum on the others. You’ll be spending a lot more in interest than you realize if you merely pay the minimums on all of your cards.
Gerrid Smith, CEO & Founder of Property Tax Loan Pros
A really great tip to know when using a budget to meet financial goals is that you should jot down in detail all income and expenses and use this data to identify your problem areas. This could be in your income not being enough or with categories of your expenses illustrating that you’re spending too much in some instances.
Use these conclusions to work on your problem areas, create small, medium, and long-term goals, and progress slowly.
Scott Nelson, CEO of MoneyNerd Limited
By setting up several savings accounts, it allows you to keep track of your individual savings goals. When you go into your online banking account, you can also create a nickname for your account. For example, you can label it a Mexico Trip or New Phone for $1000. That way, you won’t feel tempted to spend your money on frivolous things because you can clearly see how much you have saved up and how much more you need to reach your goal.
Another tip is to look into how much contribution room you have for your retirement accounts, such as your IRA or 401(k). You can take a portion of your paycheck and direct it towards your retirement accounts. Remember it is important to pay yourself first and set this money aside for a rainy day. Then you choose which investment vehicles will help you to achieve your goals within your timeframe.
Sandy Yong, Author, Investor, Speaker The Money Master Company
Budgeting is an essential skill for any adult’s financial literacy and overall habits, but especially if you have an important financial goal. The best example I can give you is paying off a loan. Most people think they cannot afford the monthly or weekly installments for loan repayment, but the trick is to prioritize it.
Whether we’re talking about paying off a loan or saving money for a down payment or a designer purse, the strategy is the same. At the start of the month, the first thing you do is set aside that amount of money from your budget. That ensures that you will be able to afford it no matter what. Then you can allocate the rest of your budget however you please.
The other smart strategy is to set an amount you’re allowed to spend per month and then divide that into different categories. This is known as the envelope method. You put $500, for example, in an envelope for bills, one for fun, and one for miscellaneous costs.
You have to work with just the money you have in the envelope because when it’s gone, it’s gone. You don’t get more. That’ll help you learn to stay under a certain amount and form healthy financial habits. You’ll be able to reach your financial goals without difficulty.
Sam Spratt, Chief Executive Officer at BlueChip
