If you were to ask a thousand people what they would most want to change in their lives, the majority of answers will have something to do with personal finance. Money does not buy love or happiness but it does so much for your ability to enjoy life with greater ease and less stress. Read on for great advice on how to improve the personal finances of your own life.
Keep a daily checklist. Reward yourself when you’ve completed everything on the list for the week. Sometimes it’s easier to see what you have to do, than to rely on your memory. Whether it’s planning your meals for the week, prepping your snacks or simply making your bed, put it on your list.
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.
When you are investing in the Forex market watch the trends. You want to buy low then sell high so always keep yourself informed. Don’t sell on a downswing or an upswing ever. You must be very clear in your goals when you do not ride a trend out completely.
Balance your checkbook with a friend. Just as in all things, accountability can have its perks. You are less likely to overspend or make rash purchases you can’t really afford if you have to explain that purchase to someone else later. Make a pact with a friend to keep each other accountable and watch your savings grow.
If your bank is suddenly adding fees for things that were previously free, like charging a monthly fee to have an ATM card, it might be time to investigate other options. Shop around to find a bank that wants you as a customer. Regional banks might offer better options than large national banks and if you are eligible to join a credit union, add them to your comparison shopping, too.
To improve your personal finance habits, maintain a target amount that you put each week or month towards your goal. Be sure that your target amount is a quantity you can afford to save on a regular basis. Disciplined saving is what will allow you to save the money for your dream vacation or retirement.
Do not buy anything unless you really need it and can afford it. This way you will save your money for essentials and you will not wind up in debt. If you are discerning regarding what you purchase, and use cash to buy only what you need (and at the lowest possible price) you will not have to worry about being in debt.
Protection from identity theft is something that you should insure yourself against, especially if you do a lot of work on your computer. Make sure that all of your information is password protected and that you have a solid anti-virus protection program. This will reduce hacking and protect your financial information.
One of the best ways to get the best bang for your buck is to reuse items that are not perishable. When you bring your lunch to work, use the same container over and over. This will reduce the amount of brown bags that you have to buy, while still keeping your food secured and fresh.
Eliminate unnecessary credit cards. You do not need to have a multitude of credit cards open on your credit report. This costs you a lot of money in interest fees and drags down your credit score if you have them all above 20% of the available maximum balance. Write the creditors a letter and pay off the balance.
As tempting as it may be to invest in a credit repair program, spend some time online to find one that is free. They are all over the web and many times cover the same steps for credit repair as the ones that you pay for do. Save yourself some money by looking for the ones that are not going to cost you.
Get yourself a credit card that pays rewards. If you pay your credit cards off each month, a rewards credit card is ideal for you. Run all of your monthly expenses, including groceries, gas and your daily Starbucks, through the card. Bankrate.com can help you find the card that pays the highest rewards for the types of spending that fits your lifestyle.
Accurate information is key to developing and implementing any good strategy. Given the above advice you should be a bit more prepared to go after your personal finance goals and attain some peace of mind. Having control over your personal finances takes some training and discipline but in the long run you will find it very rewarding, in more ways than you can imagine!
