4 Tips for Your Financial Health

According to a Fidelity Investment survey, one-third of Americans made a resolution around money. If you were one of those people and haven’t quite kept up with it, here are some easy tips to get you back on the right path.

1. Pay off credit card debt. Interest from keeping a credit card balance can add up fast. The average APR is 15%, meaning you could be paying more in interest than what you would make if your money was invested elsewhere. Look at your budget and see what you can cut and put the savings toward your credit card debt.
2. Create a detailed budget. Know more than just when your money comes out and what bills you pay. Your budget should take into account necessities you need to live and provide a blueprint to help reach your savings goals. It may help to look at your spending over the past few months to see how it matches up to what you think you should be spending.
3. Prioritize needs vs. wants.  It can be a challenge to decide between a need and a want—especially in today’s society with the rapid advancement of technology. The latest TVs and iPhones always seem so much better than the ones we already own, making it easy to think you “need” to buy it, when in reality it’s just a want. Save up for the “wants” without emptying your emergency fund and buy the “needs” as part of your budget.
4. Visualize your goals. Figure out where you want to be in three, five, and ten years. Then create a plan on how you can get there. Visualization is a motivational technique that has proven very effective. Don’t just focus on a short-term to-do list with your finances. Create a detailed plan around the outcome you want. When you focus on this over a long period of time, it will be a total attitude shift that will help you reach your goal.

It isn’t too late to get back on track with your New Year’s resolution! What are some financial tips that you follow?

Sources

https://www.fidelity.com/bin-public/060_www_fidelity_com/documents/PR/2017-Resolutions-Study-Fact-Sheet-112316.pdf

http://business.time.com/2012/05/24/10-ways-to-improve-your-financial-health-even-if-you-only-do-one/slide/2-pay-off-credit-card-debt/