We all need to manage our finances. Otherwise, we can find ourselves experiencing debt and other financial issues. A happy life tends to be a well financially managed life. So, what can you do to get everything in order and make things as simple for yourself as possible? Here are just a few steps that you should take into consideration to get the ball rolling in the right direction!
Creating a Budget
Everyone, no matter how much or how little money you may be earning, needs to stick to a budget. A budget is a tool that we use to determine how much money we’re bringing in, how much money we need to spend and how much money we have leftover to do as we please. Of course, a lot of people don’t have a budget. But this can often lead to overspending and other problems that result in debt. So, if you don’t have a budget yet, follow the steps below to get yourself off to the best start possible.
Work Out Your Total Income After Tax
The first step you need to take towards creating your budget is to work out your total income after tax. All too many people assume that the figure on their salary is the figure they get to take home. But this isn’t the case. If you are employed, your employer will deduct essentials such as tax and national insurance from each pay packet. If you are self employed, you need to deduct this yourself. The amount of tax you have to pay will depend on the tax bracket you fall into. Of course, there are plenty of easy to use and free to use online calculators that will figure out how much of your salary is dedicated to taxes and how much you actually take home.
Covering the Necessities
Once you know how much you take home each month, you need to deduct costs associated with your essential spending. These are amounts of money that you have to pay or are tied into paying. They can include your rent or mortgage payments, council tax, bill payments for energy, bill payments for water, a set amount for food shopping and any payments you may need to put out on contracts, car payments, insurance, and credit card or loan payments.
Disposable Income
The sum you’re left with after all of these payments have been taken out of your monthly payment is what is known as your disposable income. This is the money that you can feel free to spend on whatever you wish. Whether that’s clearing debts faster, putting money into a savings account, booking a holiday, going out for a meal, ordering takeaways, buying clothes, or anything else. Just make sure that you never spend more than your disposable income, as this is when you will find yourself sinking into debt.
Clearing Debts
If you do have debts, it’s important that you work at clearing them. The sooner you clear your debt, the better, as they generally have interest attached, which means you’re wasting money on essentially nothing. Of course, there are various ways to go about clearing debts. But some good steps to take include:
- Taking on extra work to generate extra income
- Balance transferring credit cards to interest-free cards
- Consolidating debts with a low-interest loan
- Reducing nonessential spending and using the money towards debts instead
Planning for the Worst
Of course, we never really want to think about the inevitability of passing away, but for many people, passing away will leave their family and loved ones in difficult financial situations. Everyone should plan for their funeral to relieve others of the financial burden attached to it. You should also make preparations for what will happen with your finances and assets should you pass, as well as taking steps to provide for loved ones financially even when you are gone.
Taking Out Life Insurance
While we all hope to be around for our families until we reach a ripe old age, this is unfortunately not the case for everyone. Some of us can pass before we expected. This is why we should all prepare and take out life insurance if possible. A life insurance policy can help to ensure that anyone who is dependent on us will be completely financially covered until they are able to support themselves. A life insurance policy can also cover the cost of things like a funeral, headstones, and urns from Memorials.com. If you have children, in particular, this is important, as you’re going to want to make sure that they are protected and able to get by should we no longer be able to provide for them. A good life insurance policy will ensure that your dependents receive a payout should you pass away. Of course, there are countless policies out there, so it’s important that you take some time to browse through the different options available to you. It’s highly recommended that you use a price comparison site to make sure that you’re genuinely getting the best deal for your money. You should also make sure to input your details correctly, accurately, and honestly to avoid the policy becoming void. Then, make sure to read the terms and conditions thoroughly and make sure that you always make your payments on time.
Writing a Will
If you’ve spent your whole life working towards building assets, you need to ensure that you know who they will be left to should you pass. Make sure to write a will to ensure that any savings you have, your home and valuable assets like vehicles are left to the people who you want to receive them. This is a legal document, so make sure to receive professional help from qualified will writing services.
These are just a few areas of focus to consider when it comes to managing your finances as best possible. Hopefully, some of the information will come in useful to you and really help you along the line!
