Saturday, December 31, 2022

The Advantages of Saving Money

 




The ability to save for all the things you need will put you in a much better financial situation in the long-term. It will mean you pay less for whatever you are buying and places you in a less stressful situation. Mind you some borrowers just don't care that they are in debt as long as they are able to pay it back.

The crunch comes when there is a job loss, or some health issue arises and there is no money in the kitty to pay the bills.

A person who has set up their finances properly will factor in these types of emergencies in making their financial plan.

Saving money is a no-brainer; here are the five main reasons for not borrowing.

1 NO DEBT

Borrowing money for the things you need or want puts you in debt. It means that you are indebted to someone else. Sooner or later it all has to be paid back along with the interest. The debt is not going away until it is paid off so there is no point in burying your head in the sand if you are indebted to your creditors. Creditors have every right to expect repayment of their money whether they are the bank or other lending institution or a family member.

2 COSTS OF BORROWING

There is a cost attached to borrowing money and that cost is interest which is sometimes referred to as "Dead Money." Paying interest on the stuff you buy on credit adds to the cost of the item. The habit of purchasing goods on credit adds up to a massive amount over the course of your lifetime. That interest money could have been used to build a nest egg. Commercial debt is the worst type of credit spending because the item which has been bought on credit loses its value as time goes by. Another name for commercial debt is dumb debt.

3 READY MONEY FOR EMERGENCIES

Emergencies crop up from time to time. The car breaks down, the washing machine needs repairing, you suffer a tooth ache and need to go to the dentist, you need a new pair of spectacles. There could be anyone for a number of reasons for financial emergency. If you have money set aside for these then you can tend to these emergencies without worrying about whether you have the money to pay for them. Every responsible person has an emergency fund on hand to cushion them against financial shocks which can occur from time to time.

4 A NEST EGG FOR THE FUTURE

Saving money means you are able to build up a nest egg for the future. If you are a responsible person, you will have a retirement scheme of some kind where a portion of your pay goes into the fund. In New Zealand it is called Kiwisaver. I cannot stress enough how important it is to be enrolled in Kiwisaver if you are from New Zealand. The government incentives make this scheme a no-brainer. Your country will have its own scheme with it's benefits.

5 TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SPECIALS

If you have no money, then you will not be able to take advantage of specials. That does not mean you should spend money on something for no other reason than it is special. Your own common sense and self-control should be employed here.

6 A DOLLAR SAVED IS A DOLLAR MADE

There is a saying that a dollar saved is a dollar made. The truth is a dollar saved is better than a dollar made because you do not pay tax on a dollar saved which is not the case when you make a dollar. Every dollar which you save can be working hard for you in whatever investment you place it in.

A competent money manager will not have any room in their vocabulary for such words as debt, credit, credit card, loan, lay-by, or hire purchase. In fact, these are all dirty words to the person who wants to get financially ahead.

Having said all of this, there can be times when borrowing money can be worthwhile.

But...

And it is very big but.

You have to be absolutely sure that the payoff is worth your while.

Take a student loan for example; You need to be absolutely sure that the type of job which the course qualifications assist you with is something that you really want to do, otherwise the whole course will be a waste of time and money.

Feel free to share this article. You may also use this article as content for your website or eBook or do anything you wish with it. Check out my other articles on http://www.robertastewart.com

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Robert_Alan_Stewart/2287449



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Friday, December 30, 2022

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟓 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐘𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐

 

Will Something Like The Warren Buffet Retirement Plan Work For You?




Warren Buffet has said "put 10% of your cash in short-term government bonds and 90% in very low- cost S&P 500 index fund". He thinks the long- term results of such a plan will be better [meaning make more money] then investments in pension funds, or other investments.

First of all, what is an index fund? An index fund is a kind of mutual fund grouping where your money gets pooled together with others and invested in certain stocks and bonds.

Buffet suggests the S&P 500 index that tracks the stock of 500 large cap companies. S&P stands for Standard and Poor. The S&P 500 had an average 10-year annual return of 13.9% as if Jan 7, 2022.

You can't invest in the S&P 500, but you can copy its performance by buying stocks that are on the S&P 500 index

Government bonds offer safety with low interest rates while index funds offer a chance to grow your investment. 

Critics of Buffet's plan say it is too risky for those close to retirement. It is suggested we need to have a balance of stocks and bonds, with other investments such as mutual funds or pension funds.

To view the Warren Buffet plan, go to WB Retirement Plan.

Other retirement gurus suggest that you take all your monthly expenses, multiply by 3 and have this amount in ready cash. Let's say this amount is $3K. Multiply by 3 and that's $9K.

After you have done that, take the next $9K and invest in very safe stocks that yield 2-5% annually. The next $9K in stocks that have a record of paying 4-8%, and so on.  Don't get into the riskier stuff till you have secured several levels in bonds, or low paying, but solid performing stocks.


Thursday, December 1, 2022

The Way to Financial Freedom and Independence

Everyone wants to be financially free and independent. But such does not just happen. There are things you need to do intentionally. Maybe you may say it is too late to start on such. But it is never too late to start on something that leads to freedom.

This article is about the steps to that financial freedom and independence. It shall cover; putting in place a savings plan, dealing with debt, and using your savings to invest. Let us now look at the steps:

1. Put in place a savings plan.

Financial saving is about putting some funds aside for future needs. It is the starting point for those who do not have a good financial background to their financial freedom and independence.

This is paying yourself first. It is unfair to oneself to start paying everyone else after getting a salary or earning money except oneself. How do you do that? You start by paying rent, tithes, paying debts, utilities and other things until your monthly earnings are depleted. So, saving at least 10% on every income you get is a great starting point. This is affordable for everyone since it is proportionate to your income. There can be no excuse.

What are you waiting for? Start right away. Open a savings account by joining a savings and credit cooperative or use a bank. Avoid withdrawing those funds until a certain given period.

2. Deal with debt

We all want to use debt at a given period. However, there is good and bad debt. I term bad debt as that, which does not generate income for you. Good debt is that which is used for productive purposes like starting some income generating projects.

Bad debt adds liability to you. Note that I am not using these terms as per the accounting terminology. So, an asset that is a liability is one like a car or house for personal residence. Why term these items like this since they are known as assets? They are a liability because they take cash out of your pocket.

Over indebtedness should be avoided at all costs. If possible, reduce and do away with debt. The savings plan mentioned above shall take you to financial freedom and independence when followed consistently.

3. Use your savings to invest.

Investment is better than savings. However, you need to first have some funds before you can invest. Unfortunately, that is where most of us must start from. There are several ways in which you can invest your funds. The ways may include, business, buying financial assets, investing in financial stocks, property, etc.

Investing helps you build your wealth, thus giving you your financial freedom and independence. It is a way of growing your finances.

The above three steps shall help you start on your journey to financial freedom. Just follow them. Start by setting up a savings plan and follow it consistently. Do not wait long because there will never be a favourable time. Work on your debt by following a repayment plan. Then invest your funds so you can grow your finances. Those three steps shall indeed put you on the right track to financial freedom and independence.

Visit https://freedomhub.biz// for more information. Hire Me as Your Life Coach. I will assist you achieve the goals of your life in any area- Finances, Career, Marriage, Relationships, etc.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Elphas_Sipho_Mdluli/580836



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