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Building a Firm Financial Foundation

May 30th, 2017 Posted in financial education, learning about money, Money Tips
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Effectively administering your personal finances encompasses broad responsibilities, ranging from everyday budgeting to long-range concerns, such as retirement planning and preparing for a child’s higher education expenses.  For the best results finding security and stability, individual money managers start with solid footing, building upon each favorable financial outcome.  Without a consistent base, on the other hand, individual finances are vulnerable to damage and distress.

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Building a sturdy financial base begins early in life, as young adults transition from dependency, carving-out their own financial territories.  And the process continues for a lifetime, calling on effective money managers to remain proactive shaping positive financial outcomes.  Consider the following concerns, at the heart of your financial stability:

Use Strong Credit References to Support Your Financial Health

From your first financial interactions, your behavior handling money lays the groundwork for credit references, which follow you for a lifetime.  By setting-off on the right foot, you not only establish short-term credit references, but early success also puts building blocks in place on which to raise a strong financial structure.

Although it is a representation of your actual credit behavior, your credit score ultimately takes on a life of its own.  Beginning with your first credit card, car note, or revolving store account, credit reporting agencies monitor your behavior making good on debts and managing money matters.  Successful financial outcomes boost your score, while inconsistencies reduce your strength of credit.  Each circumstance is judged according to its particulars, so it is hard to generalize about the impact of credit mistakes.  Suffice to say, however, it doesn’t take many missteps to undermine your credit strength, resulting in an uphill battle correcting deficiencies.  In addition to responsible use of credit opportunities, adopt these strategies to maintain credit integrity:

  • Always pay on time
  • Utilize various forms of credit
  • Close unused accounts
  • Check your credit score annually

Select the Right Financing for the Job

Various types of financing serve non-commercial borrowers, helping people fund everything from routine daily purchases to major, big-ticket buys.  Matching the correct loan or revolving account to your funding need can save money on the cost of purchases and reinforce your financial foundation.  Using equity financing to carry-off home improvements, for example, is a sensible approach to renovation.  While relying on a high-interest credit card to pay for residential upgrades may not be prudent.

Fortunately it is easier than ever to evaluate lender rates and terms, using online resources to compare and contrast borrowing alternatives.  Your credit history, income and employment status are important considerations when vetting financing alternatives, leading you to the most cost-effective solution for each funding need.

Build a Strong Financial IQ

When it comes to money matters, knowledge is empowering – in more ways than one.  Not only does financial understanding give you peace of mind, ensuring you are making the right moves, but a well-rounded financial IQ can also have a direct impact on your bottom line.  Building and reinforcing financial savvy protects your monetary interests and  whether or not you are mathematically inclined, general accounting principles are important tools for making the most of your financial resources.  Understanding how to balance your budget, for instance, is essential for long-term financial success, resulting in a sustainable flow of cash through your home.  And knowledge of fundamentals such as depreciation, dollar-cost averaging, and APR weigh heavily on your ability to effectively manage money.  For the most consistent financial outcomes possible, use your commitment to financial understanding to make informed decisions, without leaving money on the table.

Your financial security relies on a sturdy base and ongoing discipline managing money matters.  From a high credit score to a strong financial IQ, it is up to you to use all the tools at your disposal, building and preserving a solid financial foundation.

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Financial Faculty: An Education In Money

May 25th, 2017 Posted in learning about money
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Money. It’s amazing that something which is, in reality, completely fabricated can be so difficult to understand and control. No one finds this task easy. And, no one has mastered the art entirely. But, there are still those out there that are better at managing their money than the rest of us. For the lucky few in this position, money will be on their mind a lot; without having to consciously force themselves to be careful. This sort of attitude isn’t something you are born with, though, it’s something that is learned. To help you out with this, this post will be going through three of the biggest areas of finance. And, the ways that you can start working to take control. This sort of effort will make life much easier for you; so, it’s worth giving it a shot.

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  • Budgeting And Saving

Like any good financial guide; this has to start with budgeting. Without the ability to budget, it’s impossible to make improvements elsewhere. The best way to start something like this is by limiting your spending to the bare essentials. After doing this for several weeks, you will have a good idea of the money you have spare each week. This effort will get you nice and far into proper savings; if you use the money, you have left over correctly. Of course, it is also very helpful to make some actual plans for your budget. Knowing how much you’re allowed to spend each week before the week even starts, is a great way to ensure that you don’t end up in trouble. Nearly no school teaches kids to budget; so, this is something you learn by yourself. But, it’s very much worth it.

With a good budget in place, you should find it nice and easy to start working on your savings. A lot of people think that they have plenty of time to start saving. And, they will put off for a long time. But, with anything like this, it’s always best to start as early as you possibly can. This gives you more time to put money away; giving you the chance to save more during your time in work. Plus, being young doesn’t make you immune to the woes of money troubles. So, to protect your financial future, you should always have savings. Experts recommend that you save at least enough to live for three months out of work. This gives you the chance to get into another role; if you have trouble at work. And, it gives you a good reserve to help you in dire times.

There are loads of services out there to help you with an area like this. In fact, this is one of the biggest areas of finances. There are loads of different mobile apps and other tools which can be used to monitor your money and budget accordingly. This sort of resource can be great while you’re learning the ropes. And, to save, you should be using a dedicated savings account. Bonds will be too far; as you won’t be able to access your money when you want to. So, instead, you need to find the best instant-access account you can. Most banks have more than one. And, they don’t have strict requirements to be able to use them. Have a look at some comparison sites to find the account with the highest return.

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  • Loans And Borrowing

Borrowing money is often seen as a negative way to handle your finances. But, this isn’t always the case. Loans can be a great way to afford something you otherwise couldn’t; as long as you choose the right loan. In most cases, payday and short term loans are best to avoid. They are expensive and hard to settle if you have further money issues. And, they will hammer your credit rating; if you fail to pay them on time. Your credit score is one of the most important aspects of your finances. It’s dictated by your financial history and is usually the deciding factor when it comes to companies giving you a loan or other agreement. Using websites like Experian is a great way to monitor this part of your money. They can give you the advice to make improvements. And, they don’t charge a huge amount for the service. But, this is only one side of the coin. Now, it’s time to get back to borrowing.

Financial experts talk about strategic borrowing all the time. And, it’s something that makes a lot of sense; when you understand it. This practice involves planning your loans to have as little impact on your money as possible. It’s designed to help people get money through loans without having to change their life massively. Of course, though, like anything like this, it takes loads of work to get started. A great example of this can be seen in consolidating loans into one bigger one. By moving loans from here to there, and having them all in one place at the end, you will make them much easier to manage. And, they will be cheaper, too. The same sort of idea can be applied to getting a long-term loan instead of several shorter one; you just have to plan ahead.

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  • Investment, Passive Income, And Career

Now, it’s time to look at how you can make some money; not just how to save or give it away. Investment is one of the best ways to make money, in the modern world. Investment enables you to make extra out of the money you already have; without having to do much more work. For people new to this game, it’s best to start off small. Look into peer-lending and share options which will make you some decent money in a short time; but, have a decent amount of risk. Then, consider some longer options, like government bonds, too. This will give you a good range of choices. So, now, you just have to think about what would be best for you. To get some extra help here, it could be worth talking to a professional investment advisor. These people have loads of experience in this field and can help you make the most of your money.

But, what are the benefits of investing? You have to put in an awful lot of work into something like this. But, when you think about the results; it’s worth it. Over time, your investments will grow and start to generate a decent amount of passive income for you. When you’ve got enough invested; this could cover things like your mortgage or rent each month. And, this is a great benefit. Along with the income benefits, you also benefit from having money saved by inaccessible. This means that you have assets and wealth; but, you can’t waste in on a whim. This gives you the security of a savings account, with the financial gains of a low hours job.

Of course, you can’t just think about the money you make passively, though. You also have to consider the money that you make through your work. As you work on your career, you should always be aiming to make your future brighter. This means that you should never stay in a job for more than a few years without making any progression. It’s essential that you climb the ladder as early as you can. Otherwise, it will be hard for you to find another job which can get you somewhere. Of course, one of the best ways to skip this step is by starting your own business. But, this will be hard in itself.

Hopefully, this will give you a good idea of what needs to be done; if you want to start working harder on your finances. Most people don’t bother with this sort of effort. And, most people haven’t been taught how to handle it. But, it’s easy to make sure that you’re handling your money well. It just takes some work.

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Important Steps In Getting Your Loan Approved

May 19th, 2017 Posted in learning about money, Money Tips
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Getting approved for a loan certainly isn’t the easiest process in the world. With Brexit pushing the future of the nation’s economy into uncertainty, lenders are less strict than they were during the recession of the noughties, but more strict than they have been in the past. Bottom line: it’s still very important to present a great package if you want your loan to be approved. Here are some important steps to getting your loan approved…

Review your Personal Preferences

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Before you head straight to your bank and start asking questions, spend some time researching the market, and seeing what your alternatives are. This is an essential step to ensuring you can get your hands on some of the best offers on the market. This means thinking about the type of loan you’re looking for, the terms that you can reasonably afford, and how you’re going to pay off the loan in the shortest period of time possible. When you’re looking for a specific type of loan, such as a personal loan, auto loan, or a mortgage, scouring the market and avoiding impulsively jumping at any of the offers that arrive in your email inbox, is absolutely essential to coming out on top.

Know your Limits

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When you’re pursuing a loan, it’s important to be aware of your current credit score and your history. All good lenders will tell you the bracket of credit scores required for approval for a certain loan. You can prepare in advance by requesting a copy of your credit and history a few weeks prior to your actual application. Start reviewing your history for accuracy, and make sure you have enough time for correcting any kind of errors in your history. These days, lenders put a lot of emphasis on how you’ve used credit in the past. If there are any mistakes left in your report, you may wind up with a much lower score, which can obviously hurt your chances of being approved. Always consider your personal finances when you’re planning to pursue a loan, and target deals based on your limits, and realistic ability to make repayments which you can comfortably afford.

Manage your Expectations

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We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: rushing through the process of applying for a loan is never a good idea. Loan officers have very strict protocol to follow when they’re approving loans and getting the money to applicants. Through the entire process, you should be discussing the sequence of your events so that you’ll know what to expect moving forward. While some loans can be pre-approved right out of the gate, you may not know all the specifics until a number of weeks have passed. Ask the experts when it comes to following up. Your overarching goal should be securing a loan that you definitely have the means to repay. Getting turned down for loans can be frustrating, but it’s important to understand your situation thoroughly and manage your expectations, and not to ruin your credit by applying for loan after loan.

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Uncovering The Links Between Poor Health & Debt

May 11th, 2017 Posted in learning about money, Money Tips
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The vast majority of people out there have some form of debt. It might be a home loan, for example, a credit card, or maybe just a monthly prescription you pay for services received. But, whereas debt seems to be entirely normal these days, bad debts are a huge issue – not just to people’s finances, but also to their health and wellbeing. And if you are looking for reasons to teach your kids about the importance of sound financial knowledge, the fact that bad debts will harm them in the future should be all you need to start educating them right now. Let’s take a look at some of the links between bad debts and poor health – and see how we can all make sure our children never suffer from either.

High blood pressure levels

Having bad debts means that your lenders will, to all intents and purposes, be after you. Phone calls, letters, emails – your creditors will be trying their damnedest to get their money back by almost any means necessary. Unsurprisingly, this can lead to stressful health issues such as high blood pressure. A study in Norway found that adults with high debt-to-asset ratios suffered from higher blood pressure than others, and also suffered from poor health in many other areas. And it’s also important to note that those adults studied were in their prime, too; between the ages of 24-32. It’s important to bear this in mind for your children, as it could only be a decade or so before bad debts could start impacting their lives – and blood pressure. Don’t’ forget, developing a higher blood pressure means people will be more at risk of heart attack or stroke – it’s that serious.

Lowers immunity

Chronic stress doesn’t just affect your blood pressure – most researchers and scientists understand that stress can also suppress your immune system. So, the more down the dangerous debt spiral you go, the more your blood pressure rises, and more at risk your body will be to general illnesses. Being in debt also has a tendency to keep you awake at night with worry so you won’t be sleeping well. And, as every doctor will tell you, sleep is vital for giving your body a chance to recover and recuperate, as well as fighting off any infections.

Feelings of anxiety

It’s not much of a surprise to hear that the more debt you are in, the more anxious you will become. Anxiety is a symptom of stress, and owing a lot of money is obviously an incredibly stressful experience. Feelings of anxiety can seep into all kinds of different areas in your life. You might struggle to be sociable, for example, and withdraw from your friends and family networks. It can impact on your productivity at work, too – meaning you are more likely to have to take time off or maybe even lose your job. And anxiety is also an indicator of high blood pressure, which, as we mentioned above, can lead to heart problems and stroke.

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Depression

When you owe a lot of money and can’t afford to pay it back, you tend to feel helpless. And the impact of those feelings can be dramatic on your psychological makeup. Unhappiness can quickly lead to depression, and the feeling for many people in debt is that they are underwater and incapable of helping themselves, which exacerbates those depressive feelings even further. And while many people discount depression as not a serious issue, the simple fact is that it has a terrible impact on people and those that love them. Families can break up, people can lose their jobs and find themselves unable to work, which increases the debt spiral further. As a parent, one of the worst things you can face is your beloved child developing depression, and feeling like there is nothing you can do to help them.

Doctor’s visits

When you owe a lot of money, some things in life that you deem unnecessary will often take a hit. That might mean paying fewer visits to your doctor, even when you are sick. There is a direct link between those who have high levels of credit card and medical debt and those who are less likely to visit their doctor for regular checkups. And the simple truth is that when you tie in the many health problems debt can cause and fail to see a doctor, there is more chance of serious issues arising.

Severe injuries

You can be leading a perfectly sensible lifestyle one minute. But a serious injury or accident can change everything in a single moment. Not only will you have to consider quitting your job, but you might also have to find tens of thousands – possibly hundreds – to pay for medical care. Health insurance can help, of course, as can finding a personal injury lawyer to claim for compensation. But there are no guarantees that your insurance company will pay out, or that you will win your case. The reality for many people who suffer serious injuries is that their finances will take a hit, their lifestyle opportunities will dramatically reduce, while their debt levels will increase. You can’t teach your child to avoid accidents, of course. But you can teach them how to prepare for the worst.

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Aches and pains

Nasty letters from debt collectors and angry lenders can even lead to you developing physical symptoms such as headaches, pains, and muscular tensions. In fact, researchers have found almost one in every two of those who were in bad debt also reported frequent migraines, headaches, and digestive problems. So, if you want your child to grow up physically healthy, it’s worth teaching them the benefits of financial security.

Eating habits

When you are in the midst of a severe debt problem, it’s not unusual to stop being mindful of what you are eating. Stress levels can keep your hunger at bay, and when you eventually crash, you will often reach out for quick fixes such as sugary snacks and fast food. And make no mistake about it, when you are eating too much garbage, it is going to have a grave impact on your body’s ability to fight other issues. Your stress levels will rise, too, as you aren’t getting enough nutrients, and feelings of depression are also likely to follow because you end up not taking care of yourself. Again, it’s being in debt that can lock you into a vicious cycle of ailments that can lead to others – and increases the damage they cause.

Exercise

As surprising as it might be to hear, research suggests that more than sixty percent of people with bad debts don’t take enough exercise every week. While the reasons for the link are not clear, it is an alarming statistic, given that exercise is part of the key to a healthy and long-lasting life. Exercise releases endorphins in the brain, which can protect you against depression and stress, both of which can arise due to having bad debts. For parents with growing children, it’s important to realise the positive impacts of exercise on their futures. And it’s also vital to understand that if they do have bad debts, it might even protect them against some of the many health issues that being in debt can cause.

As you can see, there is a broad range of links between poor health and bad debts. The pressures and strains of being in debt can take a toll on anyone’ s mind and body – and it’s something you need to prepare your children for in the future. We have been recommended this comprehensive guide about what action you can take when feeling blue and how a mental health diagnosis can be empowering.

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Ways to Save for a Mortgage Deposit

May 10th, 2017 Posted in learning about money
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Buying your first home is a big step, and if you want to avoid falling into the trap of forever renting, there are several things you can do which will speed up the saving process. Here is a quick guide to get out of rented accommodation and to saving for a house deposit.

Whether you are looking to buy a luxury Meriton apartment or a simple two-storey home, it is likely that you won’t be able to save much money if you are renting. If you feel that you can sacrifice your personal space so that you can save, there are a few options for you.

One option is to move back in with your parents for a little while. However, only do this if you get on well with your parents and live close to them. If moving in with them will add another hour or so to your work commute, it’s hardly worth it more the extra travel expenses. Talk to them about how much you will stay, what you will contribute towards rent and how you will help out around the house.

It is also possible to sub-let your spare room and get a lodger. This will help subsidize the cost of your home and allow you to gain control of your finances and save for a deposit. Before you start searching for a new flatmate to move in, you will need to talk to your current landlord and see if they are happy with what you are planning. They may agree to either of the following options:

  • Advertise commercially for a new housemate and reduce your rent
  • Allow you to advertise and sub-let the spare room in your rented accommodation

Either way, you will be saving money on your rent and able to put more away. Be strong, and remember that this extra cash isn’t supposed to be for extra fun and set up a direct debit to go straight into your savings.

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If neither of the above are options for you, it’s probably time for you to look for a cheaper place to live. Ask around and see if any of your friends have a spare room that they are willing to rent out for a few months – remember to talk to them about rent, bills and what you will do around the house before agreeing to anything. If you have no friends with a spare room, then there are loads of websites available which advertise rooms in shared houses, such as:

A house share will be much cheaper than renting a house or apartment all by yourself, as you will be splitting the cost of the house between several people. This should enable you the wiggle room to save more money and, eventually, put a deposit down for your own home!

It can be difficult moving into someone else’s space and living with them, especially if they are family or close friends and you are used to living alone. Remember that they are probably feeling the tension too, so do your best to help around the house and not make a mess!

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