Financially Stable by Age 30 How To

How to be Financially Stable by Age 30

When it comes to money, nobody knows what they’re doing – at least not in their 20’s. Don’t worry – it’s not just you. Most individuals have no clue how to even begin planning for their financial future. But it’s time to start. With a little work, you could stop living paycheck to paycheck and subsisting on ramen by the time you hit 30. Here are six ways to help you move toward financial stability:

1) Pay off Your Debts

Astronomical student loan debts are one of the reasons our generation is having such a hard time getting any kind of financial traction. They’re downright brutal. But getting those in order will save you a lot of money in the long run.

If your student debts are low interest, worry about any high interest loans first. Auto or credit card debts are common snares for 20-somethings. They have high interest rates, so the longer you put off paying those, the worse it’ll be. Any loan with an interest rate over 7%, are the debts you should tackle first.

Bite the bullet and map out a plan for eliminating your debts over the next five years or so, so you can actually start saving for the future. The future – ugh…so ominous.

2) Budget and Spend Within Your Means

Go through your most recent bank statement and categorize all your expenses. Pick out what you can cut back on (did you really need that 3 a.m. Chinese food delivery)? Now comes the hard part: sticking to a monthly budget. Know what you’ll earn and how much you can spend on what and when. Keep track of every penny spent and keep your eye on the prize.

Spending well within your means is the first step towards having extra cash to save like a real grown-up! This personal budget planning spreadsheet is a particularly useful resource.

3) Set Short-Term Goals

This sounds like something vague you’d slap on a vision board or the like, but it’s an incredibly important habit to practice. Setting goals (and writing them down) truly does keep you on track.

Set career goals for yourself:

  • Where do I want to be in a year? Five years? Ten years?
  • How do I plan to get there?
  • How can I hone my skills and assets to make myself more valuable to employers?

Set financial goals:

  • I want to pay off my debt within two years.
  • I want to have a certain amount of money in my savings account by this time next year.
  • I want to be making a salary within a certain range by the time I’m 30.

Set personal goals:

  • I want to finish grad school with no debt.
  • I want to buy a house at 30.
  • I want to be able to start a family in the next ten years.

Whatever your goals, map out a plan to get there and you’ll most likely find yourself achieving them quicker than you expected.

4) Create an Emergency Fund

Rather than draining your savings account (which is a thing you should now have and be actively and consistently contributing to) when somebody rear-ends your car, you should start an emergency fund. Create an emergency account and regularly add money.

When you’re just starting out, it’s always a good idea to have about 3-6 months worth of your income stashed away for a rainy day is . There will be rainy days, and let’s be honest…you currently might not have auto or health insurance. Purchasing insurance is definitely a goal to consider if you want to be a true grown-up.

5) Start Saving for Retirement Now

Nothing says a quarter-life crisis like facing your own mortality! The absolute last thing on your mind is retirement. I recommend that you start putting away at least 5-10% of your earnings into a 401(k) or a Roth IRA.

If your employer matches contributions on a 401(k) plan, go with the maximum amount they’ll match, because that’s just free money, man.

Even if you still have debt, try to regularly contribute to the following:

  • Debt repayments
  • Emergency fund
  • Savings account
  • Retirement fund

It may seem like you’re getting nowhere fast, but that’s normal. As you start making more money, you’ll be able to add more money into each of the aforementioned categories until the debts are finally gone, your emergency fund is where it needs to be, and you’re able to set more long-term goals for your savings and retirement funds.

6) Grow Up

Now is the time in your life to give yourself a good hard kick. If you’re out of school, or will be soon, then it’s time to buckle down and be an adult. Jumping into a life without the structure of parental guidance or the education system can leave you feeling disoriented. However, you know it’s time to become financially independent, as well as financially stable.

Financial stability means planning for the future like a responsible human being, and not blowing all your money on a night out with your friends. Figuring out where you stand financially and where you’d like to be isn’t easy, but it has to be done.

Take a deep breath and set aside a day to do some planning. You’ve got this – you’re a grown-up now, even if you don’t quite feel like it. By the time you’re 30, you’ll feel like a financial ninja master. By 40, you’ll be a full-on money samurai. By retirement, you’ll be rolling in all the money you have worked so hard to save.

How to Use a Credit Card Effectively

Understanding How to Use a Credit Card Responsibly Can Increase Your Credit Score!

The Ideal: Pay Your Credit Card Balance Each Month in Full and On Time

At its core a credit card is simply a means of borrowing money.  It’s also important to understand that a credit card is an exceptionally lousy means of borrowing money if you carry a balance.

Thus any credit card strategy in that doesn’t also involve paying off your balance in full and on time each month is, at best, of limited value and, at worst, downright stupid.  In short, how to use a credit card effectively entails you pay off your credit card balance each month then you can reap significant benefits from making purchases with a credit card.  However, if you consistently carry a balance from month to month then your credit card issuer is the one reaping the benefits (at your expense!).

For example, let’s say that you need to buy a plane ticket that costs $1,000.  You have both a credit card and $1,000 in the bank that you could use to make the purchase.  Should you pay in cash or use your credit card?  If you use the cash then you can purchase the ticket outright without incurring any credit card debt.  Of course that’s good, but if you purchase the same $1,000 ticket with a credit card then you could automatically receive accidental death and dismemberment (“AD&D”) insurance for the flight as well as 1,000 bonus points or flight miles.  Further, when your credit card statement comes the next month you can use the $1,000 you have in the bank to pay it off in full.  So either way you’ll end up with no credit card debt, but if you pay in cash you’ll get no special benefits whereas if you pay with a credit card you’ll get valuable insurance for the flight with credit card bonus points to boot.

Second Prize: Make Purchases With a Credit Card as Long as You are Able to Steadily Reduce Your Debt

While it would of course be great to have your credit card fully paid off, what if you’re not in a position to do that right now?  Does that mean that you should lock your credit card away and only pay for things in cash until it’s fully paid off?  Not necessarily, because you can still benefit from making purchases with a credit card as long as you’re disciplined enough to continue to make meaningful progress towards paying down your credit card debt.  Understanding how to use a credit card effectively may vary from situation to situation.

Danger: How To Use A Credit Card Negatively By Using Rewards & Points as an Excuse to Pile on Unsustainable Debt

While it’s true that paying by credit card offers some unique advantages that paying with a check, a debit card or cash does not, I want to again emphasize that you should never use the benefits you receive from paying with a credit card as a means to rationalize making purchases you can’t afford.  For example, don’t talk yourself into buying a $1,000 plane ticket you can’t afford just because you’re going to get a few credit card bonus points or flight miles. If you choose to go down that road then it won’t take long before the deadly math behind credit card interest threatens to make financial bondage your destination.  The Fidelity credit card has one of my favorite reward programs.

Summary: Credit Cards are Great Financial Tools if Used Correctly

There’s a myth among some that only those who are irresponsible, addicted to spending, or deeply in debt use credit cards on a regular basis.  While there are some who do indeed fall into one or more of those categories, it’s also true that those who understand the benefits of making purchases with credit cards and pay off their balances each month use credit cards to make practically every purchase they can.


Personal Money Management

Why Personal Money Management Is Important

In order to understand why personal money management is so important consider the following questions.

  1. Do you ever worry about money?
  2. Does it ever seem like your money just disappears and you have no idea where it all went?
  3. Are you now on your own (or soon will be) and you have no idea how money really works?
  4. If you’re married, do you and your spouse ever have tense conversations (or flat-out argue) about money?
  5. Would you like to know how much money you can safely spend before your next paycheck and still be okay financially?
  6. Do you have hopes and dreams that are bigger than your bank account and you wonder if you will ever be able to achieve them?
  7. Do you have a tendency to spend money on things that you can’t afford?
  8. Despite big plans, do you always have trouble coming up extra money to save or invest?  Would you like to know what it will take to make that happen?
  9. Does it seem like you never make any headway paying off your debts (or worse, they continue to grow)?
  10. Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the thought of what it would take to get your finances organized?
  11. Does it seem like you’re never getting ahead despite the passage of time and all of your hard work?
  12. Do you sometimes feel tossed about as external events crash upon you, feeling that they are in control of your financial destiny rather than you?

If the answer to any of these questions is “yes” then I would suggest that personal money management is very important to you.  Then you’ve come to the right website.  Keep reading!  We have a number of different articles to help you become financially independent!

Debt Free Living

Steps To Becoming Debt Free

Is Becoming Debt Free Possible For Me?

YES!! There comes a time when most sane people have had enough….Enough stress and embarrassment….Enough collection calls and harassment…. Enough being in debt! Living the lifestyle that you think you have to live simply because others expect you to is foolish. It is time to grow up and to finally start acting like an adult.

No matter what you may hear from the popular newspapers, your debt problems
cannot be traced to anyone but you. The economy did not cause your problems. George Bush did not cause your problems. You did. You signed that stupid car loan at 12% interest. You signed up, and subsequently maxed out, those credit cards. No one else did it for you.

If you are finally tired of the mess that you created, there is a way out. Becoming debt free will allow you to start living the life you have always wanted. All it takes is a plan.

Enter Dave Ramsey!

Dave Ramsey is a well respected, nationally syndicated radio talk show host and TV personality, who is quite simply ‘the’ expert with respect to personal money management. Over the past few years, Dave has helped thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people get their debt under control and changed their lives forever. Additionally, Dave has helped people understand the true power of passive income. I am one of these people.

What I like most about Dave Ramsey is his straight talking, in your face, attitude who will blast apart any objections that you may have. Over the course of dispensing financial advice, he has developed what he calls ‘The Baby Steps’.

What Are The Baby Steps?

Often people get frustrated by all of the possibilities available to them. Information is great, yet information overload can be tragic. In order to help people process what is important, and what is just noise, Dave developed the following plan.

1. Build a Small Emergency Fund of $1,000

The first thing you should do is save $1,000 as fast as you can. Do whatever you have to do to put this money in the bank. Sell some old stuff on eBay or Craigslist. Get a second job bagging groceries at a grocery store. Create your own affiliate marketing empire online. Whatever it takes!

Once you save this money, keep it in the bank for true emergencies. Do not use it for a nice vacation. Do not go out and buy yourself a new set of golf clubs. Becoming debt free requires having this money set aside for true emergencies in the first step. If something does happen, you will not have to use your credit card to pay for it! You can use cash!

2. Start Your Debt Snowball

This is the step where most people begin to understand just how difficult it can be to get rid of debt. It takes a lot of effort, dedication and teamwork to power through this step. For some people, it may take two years to finally complete it. For others, it may only take a few months.  Try our debt snowball calculator.

Here is the basic approach:

* Make a list of all our your debts from the smallest amount to the largest. List ALL of your debts, except for you house (this debt actually is accounted for later on).

* After all of your necessities are paid (food, shelter, transportation and clothing), pay the minimum amounts on all of your debts. As a side note, you should be current on all of your debts before you begin this step. In fact, I think you should be current on all of your debts before you complete your initial emergency fund.

* Any additional money that can be squeezed from your budget should be applied to your debt with the highest interest rate. This is extra money, in addition to the minimum payments that you are already paying. Do not consider interest rates when determining which bill to pay extra on. Pay off your highest interest rate debts first and ignore the mathematics involved.

* Repeat this process until you are debt free living, except for your mortgage.

3. Complete Your Emergency Fund

In step one, you saved $1,000 to cover minor emergencies while you begin to eliminate your debt. In baby step three, you will now complete your emergency fund. A fully funded emergency fund should cover between three to six months of expenses. This is your main security blanket.

How great would it feel to know that even if you lost your job, you would be OK while searching for a new one. Guys, a fully funded emergency fund is the best gift you can give to your wife. She will sleep so much more sounded at night when you have one.

4. Invest 15% of Your Income for Retirement

You have now finally reached the step where you start thinking about your retirement. You have no debt, except for maybe your mortgage, have a fully funded emergency fund and are well on your way to changing your family’s future.

Invest 15% of your gross income, not your take home. Do not cheat yourself out of potential growth. Additionally, if your company has some form of retirement match, do not include it in your calculations. Invest the full amount yourself and consider anything else just icing on the cake.

5. Save for College (if applicable)

According to Dave’s book, The Total Money Makeover, 68% of Americans have saved nothing for their child’s college education. This is a tragic oversight, which is putting thousands of students in debt before they even have a chance.

In this step, begin investing such plans ESA and 529s. If you do not know what these terms mean, simply type them into Google, and do a bit of research. New plans are being creating every day, so it may be best to talk to a qualified financial planner.

6. Pay Off The Mortgage

Who would have thought when you began this process, that you would actually be debt free (except for the mortgage), have a fully funded emergency fund, be saving for your retirement and be saving for your child’s college education? You have come a long way and you should congratulate yourself.

You are not, however, completely done yet. In baby step six, you will now start paying off your mortgage early. Treat this exactly like you treated your other debt in step two and figure out a way to pay more directly to the principle each month.

7. Build Wealth

This is the step most people only dream about. You are now debt free and can truly live free from any debt or burden, free from the stress of being able to pay your monthly bills and free to know that you will have something saved for your retirement.

In this step, build wealth and then…..give it away. Give some to family. Give some to churches, Support something you believe in. Create a lasting legacy for your family.

Conclusion
Being in debt is not the end. It does not have to be part of your life. Becoming debt free just requires the right plan.

How To Manage Debt Effectively

In the current it seems that a lot people are still sinking into debt, even though the loan companies have become very strict on who they lend money to. This article was intended to give you tips on how to manage debt effectively.

We know most people who find themselves in debt will struggle initially to get a handle on things and could end up even deeper in debt if they are not careful. However, there are several ways in which to get debt help to tackle your debt problem.

Top 5 – How To Manage Debt

How to manage debt effectively

Priorities Your Monthly Expenses

No doubt you may have monthly expenses, which you could certainly get rid of. For example get rid of any club/gym memberships, which are not totally necessary. And talking of luxuries you should also eliminate on your takeaways each week. Over the course of a month the cost can really add up. This is why looking for ways to save money can can really help in reducing your debt.

Get A few Quotes

Next time you go to renew your car insurance, home and content insurance etc then it pays to shop around for the lowest price deal. You can save $100’s by getting quotes online when it comes to renewal time.

Pay more each month

If you already own a number of credit and/or store cards you should always pay more each month. A lot of people tend to pay back just the minimum amount and it could take years to finally wipe the debt. By paying a little extra it could shave off a few years of repayments.

Use 0% Balance Transfer Cards

How To Manage DebtIf your credit rating is good and you also have lots of cards it makes sense to move your debts to cards which give you 0% for extended periods. Lots of companies give out 0% on balance transfers from other cards and they do this for anywhere up to 6-12 months. This can save you lots of interest payments each month and should be a high priority in helping to manage or reduce debts. Check out http://www.creditkarma.com/Zero-Intro-APR/CreditCards to find out cards you will qualify for.

Secured Debt Consolidation loans

Lots of loan companies offer this type of loan. The principle is very easy in that you pool all your debts from credit cards etc into one big loan. This then leaves you with one manageable loan, which you pay back each month. Consolidation loans are very popular but are only useful if you also cut up the credit cards that got you into the debt mess initially. The loans are typically secured on your home so the interest rates are very competitive, and certainly less than a standard credit card. As you can see by consolidating your debts it can save you a lot of money each month.

How To Manage Debt? What’s next?

The above are just 5 ways on how to manage debt. By applying all or even a few of the debt management tips will leave you with a much lower debt exposure month on month. All you need to do now is apply the advice given and start clearing your debts from today. Look at Improve Your Credit In 5 Easy Steps