Staying on top of your personal finances may be a hard thing for you to do. Keeping thorough records of what you are spending your money on can help you avoid financial difficulties down the road. Newer tools and technologies like online banking make streamlining matters very simple, but there is no substitute for mental vigilance.
When using a broker, it is very important that you choose someone that you can really trust. Verify their references and be certain that they are candid when discussing your finances. Being a beginner means you’ll have to take extra care to find a broker who understands your personal needs.
Keeping a written notebook on your daily expenses can be a real eye-opener into where your money is going. Having said that, it is useless to write this down into a small notebook that you usually keep out of your sight. Purchase a big whiteboard and place it in a visible spot. Write down everything you spend on that. By seeing it frequently, it will stay fresh in your mind.
Always know when it’s time to file taxes on your income with the IRS. If you anticipate a refund and want your money from a refund faster, you need to file your taxes as early as possible. However, you should wait until April to file if you plan on owing taxes.
Use from two to four credit cards to gain a good credit score. Using one card can take a while to improve your credit, while using over four cards can represent a lack of being able to manage finances effectively. Use two cards to start, then add new cards as needed to build your credit.
Always have a small envelope on your person. Tuck receipts and any cards you pick up from businesses you like into the envelope. If you ever need to refer to them for future reference, you’ll know immediately where they are. Although, the chance is small that you’ll be double charged, having the receipts will make it easier to see on your credit card statement.
Health Insurance
Get health insurance to secure you and your family’s future. Everyone, at some point in life, will get sick. Start with a good health insurance that corresponds to your needs. Doctor, hospital and prescription medication costs can total thousands upon thousands of dollars. If you don’t have good insurance, you could be left drowning in debt.
Watch out for heavy investors’ fees. There are fees associated with long term investment brokers. These fees will reduce your total profit. Avoid brokers who retain large commissions. You should also try to sidestep funds that entail unreasonably high management costs.
Instead of charging things to a card that’s almost maxed out, use multiple credit cards. If you go over your limit, you will be paying a larger amount in charges than the fees on smaller amounts on two or more cards. And besides, this will not damage your credit score as much, and even help you build it if you can manage wisely your two credit cards.
Pay yourself first by making a savings deposit from each check your receive, before you spend any of that money. If you try to save the money after the month has gone by, you will find that you do not have any money left. Knowing the money is already unavailable makes budgeting easier and avoids the problem of forgetting to save the money or the huge temptation to find something else to spend it on.
You should give careful thought to exactly when you want to send your income tax return to the IRS. If you are getting a refund, file early to receive your money quickly. However, you should wait until April to file if you plan on owing taxes.
Credit Cards
Credit cards are a fantastic alternative to using a debit card. You can use your credit cards on daily purchases, like food or gas. Usually, when you have a credit card, you will earn rewards, which will result in cash back for these items.
It is definitely possible to see a drop in your credit score while working to fix your credit. This can happen without any errors on your part. Simply continue to add positive activity to your credit record, be persistent and you will definitely see improvement in your score.
Do not take large amounts of loans unless you know that you could pay it back. Private schools can be very costly to pay off.
Credit Card
Have periodic yard or garage sales to get rid of unused items and earn some additional money. If you want, you can also charge your neighbors a fee to sell their stuff at your sale as well. You can get as creative as you would like with a garage sale.
One surefire way to keep your finances in order is to avoid racking up credit card debt. Before you opt to pay for a purchase with your credit card, carefully think through your decision. Try to figure out how much time it will be to pay in full. If it will take you in excess of one month to fully pay and the item is something you can live without anyway, leave it in the store.
Take advantage of automated online alerts that your bank can offer you. Many banks will notify you when changes are made to your account, often through text or email messages. Finding out if your balance is low or a large amount of money has been withdrawn from your account can be a lifesaver.
Don’t waste money on lottery tickets; invest it wisely instead. That way, you are certain to grow your money rather than flushing it down the toilet.
You may find it helpful to discuss your personal finances with someone who has experience in the financial industry. If there aren’t any family members that have finance experience, close friends are also a good choice to turn to.
When you control your finances you ensure that you have a well-controlled property. Also, be sure to track all of the money that you make and review your property costs at the end of each month. Make sure to have your budget in control at the end of the month and use it as a guide for future months.
Be sure that utility bills get paid on time each and every month. If you pay these bills late, your credit score could drop. Not only this, but a lot of places will make you pay more. When you pay your bills late, it causes a lot of problems and complications; therefore, it’s best to pay your bills in a timely manner.
To make saving money as easy as possible, consider having money automatically transferred from your checking account into a savings account. This may take some getting used to, but soon, you will look at it like any other bill you pay on time and the increase in your savings will be well worth it.
Rule #1 of good personal finance is “income must exceed expenditures.” By spending money the minute it is received, it is almost impossible to gradually build wealth. Find out what you make and spend far less than what you bring in.
Know the value of things you save or have around the house. People often have things of great value that they think are not worth anything, and they throw it out. For example, selling a valuable piece of furniture is a definite personal finance benefit, compared to throwing it in the trash.
Flexible spending accounts are a wise choice for most people. FSAs function as tax shelters, so you will save money on your tax bill.
Student Loans
Do you always find change in your pocket? Start putting it aside and saving it. Avoid making impulse purchases on unnecessary items like magazines and lottery tickets.
There are debts that are bad, but there are also good debts. For example, a current mortgage will improve your credit score. This is a good debt. Homes and commercial real estate can gain value and you can write off as a tax deduction some of the interest paid on the loan you used to finance their purchase. Student loans from college can be looked at as a good debt as well. Student loans typically offer lower interest rates and don’t have to be repaid until students are done with school.
When you keep track of your spending, you can avoid many overdraft fees, and will be able to tell ahead of time if you are going to run out. You can feel better about your financial situation by monitoring your current financial standings on your own instead of relying on a bank to do it for you.
One way to be sure you pay your bills on time is to set automatic payments which can be done at your bank. Even if you cannot pay credit cards off completely, paying them on time establishes a positive payment history. Setting up automatic payments is an easy way to ensure that you make every payment on time.
