Your First Step—Making a Financial Plan

While money doesn’t grow on trees, it can grow when you save and invest wisely. Knowing how to secure your financial well-being is one of the most important things you’ll ever need in life. You don’t have to be a genius to do it. You just need to know a few basics, form a plan, and be ready to stick to it. No matter how much or little money you have, the important thing is to educate yourself about your opportunities.

Making a Financial Plan

What are the things you want to save and invest for?

• a home
• a car
• an education
• a comfortable retirement
• your children
• periods of unemployment
• caring for parents

Make your own list and then think about which goals are the most important to you. List your most important goals first. Decide how many years you have to meet each specific goal, because when you save or invest you’ll need to find a savings or investment option that fits your time frame for meeting each goal. Many tools exist to help you put your financial plan together.

KNOW YOUR CURRENT FINANCIAL SITUATION

The next step is to keep track of your income and your expenses for every month. Write down what you and others in your family earn, and then your monthly expenses.

PAY YOURSELF OR YOUR FAMILY FIRST

Include a category for savings and investing. What are you paying yourself every month? Many people get into the habit of saving and investing by following this advice: always pay yourself or your family first. Many people find it easier to pay themselves first if they allow their bank to automatically remove money from their paycheck and deposit it into a savings or investment account. Likely even better, for tax purposes, is to participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan such as a 401(k), 403(b), or 457(b). These plans will typically not only automatically deduct money from your paycheck, but will immediately reduce the taxes you are paying. Additionally, in many plans the employer matches some or all of your contribution. When your employer does that, it’s offering “free money.” Any time you have automatic deductions made from your paycheck or bank account, you’ll increase the chances of being able to stick to your plan and to realize your goals.

FINDING MONEY TO SAVE OR INVEST

If you are spending all your income, and never have money to save or invest, you’ll need to look for ways to cut back on your expenses. When you watch where you spend your money, you will be surprised how small everyday expenses that you can do without add up over a year.

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