Measuring the health of your personal finances can be as simple as evaluating four simple parts about your personal finances including the way that your money is spent and the methods that you are employing to prepare yourself for the future. Use these aspects to take an evaluation of your personal finance situations and begin to learn the techniques required to up the health of your personal finances.
How Much do you Owe?
It is important to determine how much money that you owe in debts. The importance of the total number is sometimes surpassed by the interest rates and terms at which the debt has been accumulated. Are you facing a cycle of debt living paycheck to paycheck and using additional sources of credit to repay outstanding debts? It is important to take a plan to get out of the cycle of debt; if you have found yourself becoming overwhelmed.
Establishing a solid repayment plan that includes fifteen percent of the income, every single month to the debts in the order of most expensive to least expensive is techniques that all debtors should take into account.
Are You Living Paycheck to Paycheck?
Are you unable to find room within the budget to establish a savings account and find all of your money being spent before it reaches your pocketbook? If so, than you are more than likely one of the thousands of consumers that are living paycheck to paycheck – and this is an unhealthy indicator of your finances.
Attack your debt with a solid plan and find ways to increase your income to establish a savings account to increase the health of your finances. Use strict budgeting skills for at least one month to establish a little wiggle room in the personal financial situation and get out of the trap of living paycheck to paycheck.
Are You Spending More than You Earn?
Living outside or above your means can often be an indicator that sometime in the future the finances will be in jeopardy. When a consumer spends more than they make, this money must come from somewhere. Many people use credit to cover the shortfalls in income, which can lead to drastic mistakes being made in the finances and debt being accumulated faster than the consumer realizes. One day, many consumers wake up and realize that they are shocked to living within their means as they have run out of credit.
Go over your finances and create a budget that allows you to spend less than you earn to increase your financial health.
Have you Established a Savings Account?
An emergency fund or savings account is an essential part of the health of your finances as it in part determines the security of your future.
A savings account should be established with at least ten percent of the income every single month, which should be deposited into a high interest savings account. This money can provide an alternative to credit card use and earn money rather than charging the consumer money through the use of expensive credit cards.
Experts recommend that individuals and families have three to six months of expenses saved within the emergency fund to become truly financially healthy. Does this inspire to you start saving?
