Financial New Year – Getting Your Financial House and Life in Order
The New Year is a time many people talk about starting over. Usually it’s lose weight, exercise and spend more time with the kids.
How about your money, the coin, your personal financial health?
Planning is key to reach any goal. Here is a quick list of places to start for you to begin to get your life with money in order.
- Review What You Did Right!
Instead of looking to make total sweeping changes, step back and take a look at what you did right. Then look for ways to improve in those areas. - Get Financial Information Organized
January 1, is the perfect time to get started keeping your financial records in order. Get yourself a good, easy to use financial accounting program like Quicken, set up you accounts and start the year off by keeping expenses catagorized and up to date. - Improve At Work
If the job market tightens or the economy takes a turn for the worse, make sure your job performance is noticed within your company in a positive way. - Multiple Income Streams
Look for additional ways you can bring in income. Ebay, internet marketing, computer repair or setup, local handyman, shopper or child care. Beware of going for the buck. Do something you like and are good at or you will soon grow tired of the task. Make the process of a second income fun! - Start An Emergency Fund!
Begin a cash fund to cover those emergencies. Having the money already set aside makes those emergencies only bumps in the road and not mountains. - Develop a Plan
Without a plan you are destined to be at the same place you are now. Make a plan with dates to accomplish the plan. Then break it down into small steps to make the plan work. - Back Up Your Computer
Computers crash! Make sure you have a back up of the data on your hard drive. Store the data at another location. There are several online places to store data. - Organize Important Papers
- Even in today’s digital world you will still have paper for insurance policies, warranties, legal documents. Keep them all in a save place, organized so you can get to them quickly in case of an emergency.
- Check Your Credit / Clean Up Your Credit
As lenders deal with the mortgage slowdown, take the time to check your personal credit and make sure it is as clean as possible. Pay bills on time, even if you need to maintain a balance. Get a free credit report from www.annualcreditreport.com. - Grow Your Knowledge
Continue to learn! The most important asset you have is your brain! Feed it regularly by learning more. - Enjoy Life
The hectic pace of today can slowly grind away at people. Take and make time to enjoy your life each day.
Related Articles
Identity Theft – Stealing More Than CreditCredit reporting bureaus are allowing consumers to fight back in the war on identity theft by letting them “freeze” their credit histories. According to ID Watchdog a service which monitors identity theft, “freezing” credit history is a good first step but not an end all solution. The victims of ID theft has risen from about [...]
Financial Health – Budgeting and Saving Are KeyMany consumers close the holiday season and ring in the New Year with credit cards maxed out, and bills they hope will have a less shocking smaller balance. The holiday rush of unplanned and unwise spending will be haunting them for months and months. When the bills are finally opened a true reality check with [...]
Pregnant Jamie Lynn Spears Needs An Emergency Fund!The news of a pregnant Jamie Lynn Spears and her need for any kind of an emergency fund probably does not bother you. If she needs a few bucks I’m sure her sister Britney can help her in any financial crisis.
Debt Consolidation – Does It Really Save Money?When someone “saves money” I interpret the phrase to mean they have taken the money and put it away in a saving account or invested the difference. When someone “saves money” I interpret the phrase to mean they have taken the money and put it away in a saving account or invested the difference.
Small Business Credit Scores Just Like PersonalCredit scores and ratings are not for only personal credit but business as well as small business owners are finding out. Entrepreneurs need know of the credit rating of their company before seeking loans, contracts or purchasing materials even without loans and self financing their start up. Small business owners may be surprised with the [...]
Personal Finance Budgeting – Developing a Family BudgetPersonal finance and family budgets in particular fail for a number of reasons. The most common factor for the family budget failing comes down to people not wanting to change their lifestyle or better said they way they live and how they handle their finances.
Credit Cards Easy Identity TheftI was reading a post over at SecurityManor.com on Identiy theft and they shared an aspect on losing your identity I had not thought off and wanted to point it out. Recently, I had my credit card number lifted with "some identy theft purchases" made. Fortunately, the charges were caught and the outcome was the [...]
Christian Debt ManagementChristian debt management I find to be a strange term. Why you may ask? Let me first state that I am a Christian and believe Jesus Christ died for my sins. Of course, what in the world does that have do with debt? It’s taken me a long time to get to the point where [...]
Consumer Rights and Debt CollectorsAs a consumer you have rights! Debt collection agencies must work within certain parameters. If you have ever missed a few payments and fallen behind you’ve probably experienced the horrors of dealing with creditors. Sometimes creditors make you feel about 1 inch tall. However, it does not need to be that way. Ignorance is no [...]