Financial planning is essential. Most of us spend the most critical years of our life working for money but do not even spend some time managing it well to work for us. Retirement planning can add a much-needed sense of financial security in our lives, and it is essential to work on it from time to time. Working on your personal finance to plan and achieve your financial goals is something you should put on your monthly calendar.
Let us look at ten tips that you can use for a financial cleanse.
- Track Your Expenses - Keeping track of your expenses is the first step you should take on your finance journey. You can only manage your money if you know where it’s going. You can use the wizely app to track and analyze your expenses efficiently.
- Review Your Budget - Once you get in control of your finances, it is now time to budget for the future. Decide how much you wish to save each month and put that money aside as soon as your salary arrives. Plan clearly how much you want to spend on your needs and how much you wish to spend on your wants.
- Do a No-Spend Challenge - Taking up a no-spend challenge during your financial cleanse period has the potential to take you closer to your financial goals much faster.
- Manage Debt - If you are currently under obligation, make a plan to repay it. Begin with the debts with the highest interest rates and make an exact and timed plan to pay it all off as soon as possible. You must also put a hold on any investing until you pay off all your debt.
- Refinance Your Loans - If you have a house loan, you might want to check the currently prevailing interest rates and check if refinancing your house can save you some money.
- Pay Credit Card Bills - If you use a credit card, you should make it a point not to use more than 30% of your credit limit. If you practice this habit, then it will reflect well on your credit score. Also, always pay your credit card bills on time; the idea is to earn interest on savings and not pay interest on expenses.
- Check Your Paperwork - You should always make sure that all your bank documents and processes are up to date. If you need to update any details like your address, phone number, etc., on any of the documents, make sure it is complete.
- Check Your Credit Score - Maintaining a good credit score is a sound financial practice. If you ever wish to take a loan or a credit card, the financial institution will look at your credit score to decide your interest rate. Check your credit score and work on improving it.
- Review Your Portfolio - Review your portfolio and ensure that the riskiness is in sync with your current financial goals. You might even need to rebalance it depending on the returns you have been getting.
- Learn About Acceptable Financial Practices - You can also use this time to read and learn about acceptable personal finance practices. Financial literacy is a subject that you can learn about as much as you want.
