Get Your Finances In Order With These Simple Tips
Article written by-Noel Juul
Many people choose the beginning of the year to make a resolution to improve their financial situation. The truth is, improving the situation you are in financially, is a good thing to do at any time of the year. Regardless of when you begin, it is important to begin, in order to improve your finances for the future.
If you are planning a major trip, consider opening a new credit card to finance it that offers rewards. Many travel cards are even affiliated with a hotel chain or airline, meaning that you get extra bonuses for using those companies. The rewards you rack up can cover a hotel stay or even an entire domestic flight.
Never use your credit card for a cash advance. Just because your card offers it doesn't mean you should use it. The interest rates on cash advances are extremely high and utilizing a cash advance will hurt your credit score. Just say no to the cash advance.
Keep an eye on your personal finance by watching your credit reports closely. Not only will this empower you with valuable information, but also it can also help you to ensure that no one else has compromised your personal information and is committing fraud in your name. Usually checking it once or twice a year is sufficient.
Make sure that your checking account is free. Look at getting an account with a credit union or a local bank; you may also want to check out online banks.
Open a flexible spending account and use it. Flexible spending accounts are perfect for people with medical deductibles, daycare expenses and who purchase over-the-counter medication. Use these accounts to put pretax money aside for medical or similar expenses. Speak with a tax pro to see what kind of conditions are involved.
To improve your personal finance habits, make different categories for your various expenses. For instance, put fixed expenses such as rent or mortgage payments in one category. Variable expenditure, such as eating out, shopping, and credit card payments should be placed in a different category. This will help you prioritize expenses.
A metal detector can be a fun and exciting way to get some extra valuables and contribute to your personal finances. A local beach can often be the best place for someone with a rented or owned metal detector, to find old coins or even valuable jewelery, that other people have lost.
If your employer offers a 401(k) with matching funds, take the maximum deduction from your paycheck. Your company's matching funds are like an automatic return on your money, on top of the returns from your 401(k) investment choices. Not taking full advantage of the match is like refusing free money.
If you have not started putting away any money for retirement, no matter how old you are, now is the time to start. If you have already started, try boosting up your contributions. Every year people find that they are having to support themselves more in retirement as social security goes down, and may one day disappear.
Before you sign any loan, always talk to someone that knows about loans and lending. You can check with a lawyer or someone else you trust so they can look over all of the paperwork. It is best to know what you are signing so you can avoid surprises.
Save a little money where you can. Look for substitute goods. For example, this week at my grocery store, I could have bought a pound of beef for stew, precut into neat little cubes from the scrap trimmed off of beef round, for 3.50. On find more information , I could have chopped it myself from the beef round roast for $2.50.
If you live in an area that gets a lot of sun, use solar panels to save on your energy bill. When you install solar panels, your electricity meter actually runs backward during the day, as it adds power to the grid. Most solar panels will pay for themselves in 7-10 years of use. Watch out for nasty HOA restrictions on solar panels, though.
Don't fall for the refund anticipation loan scam. Refund anticipation loans are marketed by tax preparers and loan a person money for the approximately two-week period between e-filing and receiving a tax refund. The "gotcha" here is the huge fee the tax preparer charges for this service, which can represent an effective interest rate of 50% or more.
If you are upside down on your home, think about "strategic default." This is the practice of intentionally defaulting on a loan because the asset the loan is paying for has dropped in value. This is an especially good idea if your financial situation is such that you will probably face foreclosure in the future anyway.
If you have credit cards, make sure you're paying off as much as you can every month. The longer it takes for you to pay off your credit cards, the more interest the company will charge you. That means it'll end up costing you more money to pay them off. Source Webpage to pay off your cards quickly rather than dragging it out.
When going through bankruptcy, don't let creditors harass you. When you file for bankruptcy, an "automatic stay" goes into effect. This means that creditors can take no action on outstanding debts, including calling you and filing lawsuits. Part of the bankruptcy process is a meeting of creditors, where creditors will have their chance to get as much money from you as your assets allow.
To reduce unnecessary waste and keep your credit cards a positive thing, never make just the minimum payment. Remember that paying the minimum payment also means paying the maximum interest. If you stretch out your credit card debt for years, then you end up paying far more for items than you would have had you paid with cash.
Now that you have a deeper insight on the things you want to do to handle your personal finances, you should start forming strategies that are going to help you change your lifestyle. Remember to be on the lookout for new information and implement it whenever possible. If you do this, success should come before you know it.
