Money Friendship Month - Chapter 1

April is the month to make friends with your money. Why? you ask... Well, because it is my deepest desire to see people prospering and making their dreams come true. And if you are buying into the myth "money doesn't buy happiness", you are missing out on a lot of things that money will buy that can bring you happiness: great vacations with loved ones, comfort for yourself and your family, being able to make a difference in someone's life through the charity of your choice, etc.

I chose April to share some tips on how to build better relationships with your money because of the famous "April showers" - in Romania rain is a sign of prosperity because it brings life to the land. So this seemed the perfect time to share some money lessons that I learned throughout my life, by living in 2 different countries, through communism, then democracy and then a different kind of democracy.

While you read my tips and tricks, please take into account that they were developed based on my personal experiences, and the reason why they worked for me comes down to my feelings and ideas about money. You may not share those same feelings, and that is OK. Take it all in, and then adapt it to your own money story, to based on your own feelings about money.

Saving...? Yes, please! 

The reason why most people don’t save is because they decide to save the money they have left after paying the bills and spending on both needs and wants. Most months, they don’t have anything left after spending on things they want – even though sometimes they mask wants as needs. The cliche about "running out of money before one runs out of month" rings true for a lot of people, unfortunately. In this case, even the best intentions are not powerful enough to turn into action.

Most financial gurus will advise to “pay yourself first” and put 10% of the money you get paid into savings before directing money towards anything else; and then live on the rest, to cover both needs and wants. They are correct in explaining that everyone saving by this method will figure out ways for the money to be enough. One hurdle in applying this method is the fact that sometimes people are intimidated by the 10% amount - it sounds scary and then leads to analysis paralysis while people try to talk themselves into it. So, for most people, it may be a better idea to start with a lower amount than 10%, and then increase it every couple of month while getting used to less money available every month.

Depending on how you get the income, you can have an automatic deposit straight from the paycheck, or an automatic transfer from the checking account on preset days. If you get commissions you may consider a percentage of income; whereas, if you get a fixed salary, you may want to designate a set amount. If you are an entrepreneur or an independent contractor and rely solely on commission, it is easier to set up the transfer the day after the commission gets deposited into your account - or better yet, see if your company can direct deposit a certain percentage to another bank account.

The number one thing to remember is that saving takes discipline and you need to build up your discipline muscle if you depend on yourself, and not an employer that forces your saving into a retirement plan, for example.

The strategies that always worked for me were to have a savings account at a bank a little out of the way, where I don’t go very often, or to use an online bank – again one that I don’t use on a regular basis. The one trick that has always helped me to keep the money in savings, is to not look at the money too often. Out of sight, out of mind concept at its best!

Money Mondays episode 1

 

https://www.spreaker.com/show/money-mondays

This is the premiere episode of a new show where we break down the money lingo, so we all can achieve Financial Serenity. Learn about SMART goals and how to achieve Financial Serenity.

The Financial Reset Button





 Where are you with your New Year's Resolution for your Financial Goals?

 

As the end of the first month of the new year approaches, it becomes important to keep your promises to become more financially sound and always develop your action plan to increase your net worth.

In order for your plan to be effective you must be ready to be honest about your spending habits, create realistic goals, and remember to not make any excuses for yourself. Now is the perfect time to reflect on past spending and saving habits and be ready to be a part of the Un-Broke Women around the world! Here are a few tips to help you create successful personal financial goals for 2016.

1) Review 2015 spending habits

An effective method for setting your 2016 goals is to reflect on ​what you spent your money on last year. Derek Coburn, a partner at Washington Financial Group, recommends taking a look at your 2015 credit card and bank statements and identifying the three purchases that you feel best about and the three purchases that you regret most. According to Coburn, this exercise helps people make better decisions on future purchases and set more realistic financial goals. Coburn adds: “In hindsight, hardly anyone ever feels good about the money they spent on material goods and physical things. They almost always feel good about the experiences they purchased.”

2) Create a 2016 personal budget

Once you have reviewed your 2015 spending habits, creating your budget for this year will be easier. According to financial adviser Tahir Johnson, “Many people avoid creating a budget because they think its only purpose is to limit spending, but that is not the case. By keeping tabs on your income and expenses (both essential and discretionary), you not only gain a better understanding of where your money is going but it also helps you to formulate a plan on how you can save and invest in the future.”

3) Stay organized

One of the most effective ways to maintain your personal finance goals is to stay on top of your expenses, spending and taxes throughout the year. Organize your expenses by using apps such as Mint ​and Level Money or more traditional tools such as Excel or a spending notebook to create budgets, manage money and pay bills all in one place. For any income you plan to earn this year from a side job, such as freelance consulting, driving an Uber or hosting on Airbnb, set aside a portion to meet your income tax obligations. Apps such as Hurdlr automatically manage this for you and help minimize these monetary commitments.

4) Create a vision

Developing an annual budget and tracking monthly expenses is only half of your financial equation. You also want to look at the larger picture and create financial goals that are in line with your long-term vision. Creating a financial vision board is an easy, effective method to lay out your short-term priorities and uncover your larger financial goals. All you need is a poster board, scissors, magazines and glue. You could cut out phrases and pictures that represent your short- and long-term financial goals (i.e. pictures of a new house or your dream vacation destination, phrases such as “no debt,” specific numbers that you are trying to reach) and paste these images onto your poster board. After you have created your vision board, you may need to alter your budget to save toward your long-term vision, or you may find the extra motivation to stick to your budget in order to achieve that long-term financial dream.

5) Set specific milestones

Many of us will make lofty goals for the new year, but few of us will actually stick to them as the year progresses. It is not enough to create a budget or a financial vision — you have to follow it through! Set goals for specific milestones throughout the year so that you have a way to measure how you are progressing against your plan. For example, if your goal is to build up an emergency fund, decide how much money you want to have saved by three, six and nine months. Then check in at each of these points in time to confirm that you have hit your target savings and adjust accordingly to reach your ultimate goal.
Use the above tips to set your financial goals, write these goals down, and refer to these goals and your vision board often throughout the year.

Do you need assistance, or someone to help you with your financial overview? Send me an email and let's achieve your financial goals together!  

Research provided by Anjali Varma of the Washington Post.