Tips On What To Do With Your Money

By Harold Thomas


Personal finance can be easy to manage with the use of tools, such as excel or other personal banking software. The best practice is to make sure that you pay your monthly bills at the beginning of the month. This assures that you will not forget a bill and end up with late payment fees. Managing your personal finances by utilizing a tool to keep track of what has been paid and how much yo have spent, also allows you to refer back and see past years' finances and compare how you are doing today, compared to the past.

Spend your income smartly. Getting a tax return or a profit from your investments can be exciting, but you should have a plan to spend this money or to invest it again. Put a small sum aside to buy yourself a treat, but keep in mind that most of this money should be used for things you really need.

Stick to your goals. When you see the money start pouring in, or the money flying away, it can be hard to stay the course and stick with what you originally planned. Before making changes, keep in mind what you really want and what you can really afford; and you'll save yourself money.

Learn to be selective in what you want to spend money on. Obviously, if you spend money on something, you will have less to spend on other things. It may help to carry a copy of your budget with you. You can do this on most cell phones. Taking a quick look at your budget can save you from splurging on unimportant items. It helps you become disciplined in how you spend your limited resources.

Here is some helpful info for improving your personal finances! Pay down loans with high interest rates first. Many people make the mistake of borrowing loans at very high interest rates. The payments for these loans, however, can be almost 100% interest if you just make the minimum payment. Play it safe by paying these high interest loans down first.

If you are saving for your retirement it is recommended that you save 10-15% of your annual income when your are just starting out. Obviously, if you are older you will need to save more. You also need to save more if you will not retire with an mortgage free home. The sooner you get started the more you will have when you need it most.

If you can afford it, try making an extra payment on your mortgage every month. The extra payment will apply directly to the principal of your loan. Every extra payment you make will shorten the life of your loan a little. That means you can pay off your loan faster, saving potentially thousands of dollars in interest payments.

If you are trading to make your mortgage, you are trading for the wrong reasons. The volatility of the exchange is too great to gamble your needed finances on. Always use safe money as opposed to your real world dollars that must support your day to day life. This is about building profits, not about playing the lottery.

Personal finance also includes setting goals for yourself and your money. This includes both short and long term goals like paying off your car and figuring out how much you should put away each month towards your retirement. It is helpful to have some goals that work together, for example, how much extra should you pay each month towards your mortgage so that your house is paid off when you retire.

In addition to the other funds that you need to have available to purchase a home, plan for an emergency savings fund. This should contain money that will take care of three to six months of your living expenses in the event that you have difficulty paying your bills. The fund is a great way to make sure that you don't fall behind on your mortgage in the event of an emergency.

To be sure you are on top of things, you should use a tool to keep track of what has been paid and what is still outstanding. Make sure that you either, choose a point in time to manage this or refer to it frequently, in order to verify that you have not left out any important bills that require payment during that time period.




About the Author: