Effective Financial Planning Tips

The better you plan your finances in terms of looking at the future, the more prepared you will be for retirement. Unfortunately, too many people do not take the time or make the effort to improve their financial standing which leaves them working longer or simply not enjoying the retirement that they want.

However, you can change all of that today by adopting effective financial planning into your daily routine. This is because saving up for retirement takes place one day at a time for maximum efficiency. By starting today, you can have enough money to retire comfortably and live well even through changing times. While it pays to consult with a financial planning expert, there are things you can do right now to get started.

Evaluate Where You Stand Today

You cannot start your trip without knowing where your financial status is today. This means that you will need to go over your income, expenses, and debt to see where you stand. This can be a real eye-opening experience, so be sure to evaluate with a fair and open mind your current financial status. From that, you can see what may need to be addressed quickly such as credit card or loan debt and what you have leftover to save for your retirement.

You will need to look at your expenses as well and see where practical cuts can be made. Consider for example that brewing your own coffee costs a fraction compared to buying at coffee shops. Remember, it’s the little bit of savings here and there that can really add up.

Make a Financial Plan

Ideally, you should strive to save 10% to 20% of each paycheck every week, two weeks, or monthly depending on how you get paid. By putting back that amount of money, you’ll have a considerable sum in just a short time.

With the money you have to save, you will need to make a plan on how to effectively save it. The good news is that you can simply start by putting it into a savings account. This will buy you some time before you start investing the money into something that provides a higher interest rate. Plus, you can keep the savings account open for money that can be used for emergencies such as car repair or paying an unexpected bill.

Make a Calendar for your Finances

Keeping your plans inside your head only ensures that they will not be carried out. You will need to make them real by creating a financial calendar that will let you plan what to put back and set goals for you to reach. This will require a little coordination and additional planning, but within a few days you’ll get into the groove of saving more money by cutting some expenses and putting more into your savings account. Keep in mind the change that you take in as well since that can start adding up quickly.

Pay Off High Interest Rate Loans First

By focusing on paying off the high interest rate loans such as credit cards, you can free up a considerable amount of income to save. This will help push your savings up to 20% which should be your goal each and every month. So, pay off your high interest rate credit cards or loans first and then concentrate on the lower interest ones. If you have the credit rating to get a good, low interest personal loan it can help you greatly reduce the interest you pay which will add considerably to your savings.

Increase Your Income

All too often the advice is focused only on saving money when you should also be thinking about increasing your income as well. It’s a lot easier to reach your financial goals when you are making more money on a consistent basis.

Work Two Jobs

You can start by looking around your home and selling items that are no longer needed which helps in the short run. You can use the profits to help set up your own business, getting a second job, or working online to help add to your savings. Working two jobs may be stressful at times, but it’s well worth it financially when you can considerably increase your income level. If you can not do another job, then maybe consider launching a work from home eCommerce business, which will bring in extra money each week. In most cases you will find that your on-line buiness can take off quite quickly meaning yiou may be able to drop your full time working hours from your first job and concentrate on your on-line business, giving you more flexibility and time at home with your family.

Check Transactions Once Per Day

It’s amazing how 60 seconds out of your day can help you save a considerable amount of money. By taking one minute each day to check all of your transactions, you can see where you might be overspending and make the appropriate adjustments. Furthermore, this can help keep you from spending too much in the future knowing that you are going to check the amount at a later time.   

Keep Track of Your Overall Net Worth

This is the difference between what you make and what you owe. The lower your debt, the better off you are financially. Your goal is to reduce your debt as low as it can go so that when you approach retirement age you can get rid of it and enjoy life even more. So, part of your financial calendar should be focused on increasing your net worth. While you may never reduce your debt to zero, bringing it down will pay off in more ways than one.

Go Cash to Avoid Overspending

One sure way to stop overspending is restricting yourself to paying for your daily expenses with cash. While you should keep a credit card in reserve for emergencies, you should be able to save enough money going all-cash that you will build up your bank account considerably. All-cash means that you can set the level of spending within your budget and stick to it.

Set a “Fun” Budget

While it may seem that the advice given is one that only suits miserly people, you can actually still budget money for fun things that you and your family can enjoy. Setting aside a little money so you can splurge occasionally can relieve the tension that comes from living within a more restrictive budget. You can put aside money to purchase the items you want either a little for each day or perhaps once a week. It’s a great way to celebrate your efforts in being thrifty.

However, keep in mind that you will adjust rather quickly to saving more money which in turn brings peace of mind. This is a very good feeling knowing that you are putting back for your retirement.

Find a Financial Planning Professional

When you have successfully implemented all of the above steps, and are now getting ready to start preparing for your retirement, it may be time to enlist the services of a professional financial planner. Browse through the Australian Financial Planners Directory to find an Independent Financial Planning Professional or contact a Financial Planning Institution.