Whether you’re trying to get out from under a mountain of debt or want to learn how to save more, financial management can help you. Read on to learn some simple tips and tricks that you can use to improve your financial situation and begin saving more of each paycheck.
If you are planning a major trip, consider opening a new credit card to finance it that offers rewards. Many travel cards are even affiliated with a hotel chain or airline, meaning that you get extra bonuses for using those companies. The rewards you rack up can cover a hotel stay or even an entire domestic flight.
Listen to logic, not emotion; keep calm and avoid making decisions due to panic or excessive excitement. Starting with small accounts can make it easier to keep emotions in check. If you keep your cool when making decisions, you will have an easier time following your initial plan consistently and meeting the goals you set for yourself.
Don’t bother with store credit cards. Store cards have a bad cost/benefit calculation. If you pay on time, it won’t help your credit all that much, but if a store account goes to collections, it will impact your credit history just as much as any other default. Get a major credit card for credit repair instead.
Concentrate your loans into one simple loan to fortify your personal finance goal. Not only can this make keeping track of where all your money is going, but also it gives you the added bonus of not having to pay interest rates to a variety of places. One simple interest rate beats four to five interest rates at other places.
Try to refrain from keeping a lot of money in your checking account. Typically, you will not need to have more than a thousand dollars to pay your bills and expenses. Instead, invest your money so that you can build on the money that you already have in your account.
If you are accustomed to paying your bills by mail, it is optimal to switch to online bill pay. Every bill that you send out by mail will cost you 40-50 cents with postage. Pay online so you do not have to worry about this fee in your daily and weekly expenses.
Get into a real savings habit. The hardest thing about savings is forming the habit of setting aside money — of paying yourself first. Rather than berate yourself each month when you use up all your funds, be sneaky and set up an automatic deduction from your main bank account into a savings account. Set it up so that you never even see the transaction happening, and before you know it, you’ll have the savings you need safely stashed away.
Signing up for direct deposits eliminates the hassle of making a special trip to the bank every payday. It also helps you to avoid lost or stolen paychecks and will reduce impulse purchases that are made between the time your check is cashed and the time that it is deposited into your account.
US savings bonds are always a safe investment to make if you do not mind doubling your money every seven years. Purchasing savings bonds systematically can build up your portfolio rather quickly. Granted the returns are not quite as large as a good year in the stock market. However, they are high yielding, safe investments you can make.
Saving more isn’t just a matter of willpower, as you can see. You have to take the time to look at your finances and decide which changes you want to make. Now that you’ve read this article, you should have a better idea of which changes you should make first, in order to improve your financial situation.