How To Make Financial New Year’s Resolutions A Reality

If you didn’t buy champagne for New Years because you barely have enough spare cash for a six-pack of cheap beer, you know that you need to get your finances in order. Being pennywise is a trait that comes from concentration and focus. Here are some ways to make financial New Year’s resolutions a reality?

Be Specific

Is your New Year’s resolution to be better with your money? You need to think harder. Being vague about your goals in any capacity is going to cause you problems. Instead, you need to think about what kind of financial goals are achievable. Maybe you have a certain amount of credit card debt you need to eradicate. You might not be able to get rid of it in one fell swoop. However, you can certainly take the appropriate measures to reduce it at a reasonable pace.

Start Saving

People find themselves in financial binds for many reasons. One of the biggest is spending when they should be saving. If you’re kicking yourself for making purchases when you should’ve been socking money away, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, you should resolve to start saving consistently. If this experience is new to you, it’s important to start slowly. Open a savings account and begin by putting away about one per cent of your paycheck every week. This can gradually increase to the point that you’re putting away ten per cent every week. With interest accumulating, you’ll see why it’s so important to be saving money.

However, before you do all these, it is necessary to decide why you want to save money. There could be several reasons. Maybe you are thinking long-term and want to save for your retirement so that you can have the money to opt for an assisted living centre like Chelsea Senior Living (you can learn more about Chelsea Senior Living by checking out their website). Or perhaps you want to save money for an event in the near future like your marriage.

Whatever, be it reason, think it through and then set aside some money in your savings account every month.

Erase Debt

You can’t erase debt the same way you would erase pencil markings. It requires a whole lot more planning and expertise. Fortunately, you can make personal financial strides in 2018 by addressing your debt. When you receive your paycheck, consider how it can be used for debt. Put as much towards credit cards, student loans, mortgages or whatever else you owe. This can go with another important financial resolution: boosting your credit score.

Make Sound Investments

Investing in stocks is a terrific way to increase your net worth. It’s certainly not a foolproof system, however. In order to reap benefits from the stock market, you need to know what you’re doing. Don’t dive in blind. Instead, you should consider your investments as carefully as possible and work with advisers who have proven success in this area. Should they tell you to sell off shares of a stock that they fear will drop in value, you should heed their advice. The further you go, the more knowledge about these matters you’ll gain, and the more you’ll be able to help others.

Take Loans Out Carefully

Having to borrow money does not mean you’re financially irresponsible. The responsibility lies in knowing whether or not you’ll be able to pay it off. Whenever taking out loans, such as a Tampa title loan, you need to be thinking ahead. Ask yourself, “Will I be able to pay this off reasonably soon or will interest accumulate quickly and put me further in debt?” It’s crucial to be as honest with yourself in these situations as possible.

Keep Track of Finances

It’s incredible how quickly things can go awry when you’re not paying attention. This is especially true when it comes to money matters. Make sure that you are keeping a close eye on your spending habits and credit score. You owe to yourself to know exactly where your money is going.

Colin Shaw
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Written by Colin Shaw

Colin has been in the finance market for over 20 years and specialises in best business practice to make an organisation profitable. The only man for the job when it comes to numbers and accounts with a keen talent for simplifying finance for the wider market.