4 Simple Steps to Kick-Start Your Financial Success
Gaining control of your personal finances can often be thought of as a daunting task; what may be scary and uncertain might lead to financial freedom, security, and success. The main aspects in achieving financial security is budgeting, reducing expenses, eliminating debt, and increasing savings. These four aspects are the building blocks to financial freedom and will help you kick-start your financial success. To optimize your success, we will breakdown each of these simple steps for you.
1. Budgeting
A budget is an often-itemized estimate, of expected income and expenses for a given period in the future. To start budgeting, begin by tracking your spending habits. You can use features from your bank to look at spending trends and even meet with someone from the team for a consult on planning for your future. Once you have visibility into your spending habits and saving goals, plan wisely when making a major purchase, or taking a vacation. Give yourself a big goal and save toward that so you can stay motivated. Some of our customers like to save for trips to see their family in another state. Budgeting can help you with overspending. Using features and apps from your bank, you can quickly see where your money is going each month. Once you put your budgeting plan into motion, you become more disciplined in your spending habits. As a result, you will become more honest about your financial status.
- To start building your budget planning spreadsheet consider including:
- Income/wages
- Loan payments
- Savings/Emergency Funds
- Retirement Savings
- Home/Mortgage
- Utilities (cell phone, internet, electric, water, etc.)
- Activities & Entertainment (Movies, Gym)
- Cars & Transportation (payment, insurance, gas, bus tickets, etc.)
Overall, budgeting is a great way to become more disciplined and intentional with your spending habits and goals.
2. Expenses
The most common expenses are housings, transportation, and food. Cutting expenses is rarely an enjoyable process, but the process is necessary and can be rewarding in the end. While rent, mortgage, and car payments cannot be avoided, there are some quick areas to reduce expenses which include:
- Dining out
- Shopping
- Streaming subscriptions
- Monthly fees for applications or games
To get started, we recommend making gradual changes such as, cutting back on how many times you eat out a week. Start small and slowly increase the amount you save each month. You can even have fun by making your expense cutting a competition with a family member or friend.
3. Debt
If you are not diligent in managing your finances, debt creates problems that manifest and grow quickly. Debt can turn into a burden that you carry the rest of your life. Here are some simple steps to help control your debt:
- Eliminate debt.
- Cut up or lock away credit cards, to avoid adding any new unnecessary debt.
- Develop a repayment plan so you start paying off your total debt each month.
- Pay the exact payment or minimum owed.
As you know, credit cards interest starts to adding up by not paying the full payment. After all expenses are paid, add a few dollars to your debt payments that can help you to pay a lower interest rate in the long-run.
4. Savings
Many people are encouraged to save money at a young age to be prepared for emergencies and, establish good financial saving habits. Budgeting and saving go together. A well-developed budget makes saving easier, because you know exactly what you have left after bills are paid and personal items purchased. This practice will prepare you for later in life since pension plans, 401K, Social Security, and health insurance is not guaranteed. Here are a few tips to help start saving:
- Start with a short-term savings goal, such as saving for a down payment for a car.
- Build an emergency fund.
- Stick with your budget.
The journey to financial freedom is a committed process but having a strong grasp of the importance of your personal finances will help to put your mind at ease. Keeping all these steps and tips in mind will help decrease stress when preparing for your financial future. To learn more about how Wayne Bank can help you kick-start your financial future, call us. To learn more about how Wayne Bank can help you kick-start your financial future, call us at (765) 935-5222.
