Looking for personal finance tips to improve your financial positions and to avoid cash issues ? “What are you planning on doing with your tax refund?” asks Asks financial advisor Zaino. “If you’re like most Americans, the world of instant gratification is beckoning. It could be extremely damaging to your retirement account, however, especially given the time value of money and what Albert Einstein called ‘The eighth wonder of the world”—compound interest. “Based on last year’s data, the average refund should be about $2,800. Let’s say you save your money in a vehicle that earns you 6 percent annual interest and you have the discipline to continue to deposit $2,800 every year for the next 30 years. That would yield $250,726. At 7 percent, you’d have $304,319. That’s an EXTRA quarter-million dollars in YOUR retirement account—just for being disciplined and not blowing your refund.” Don’t miss the smartest way to spend your tax refund.
Understanding your credit scores and credit report is another important personal finance tip for beginners. Credit Sesame is free and doesn’t hurt your score to look at your reports. But, this can help you catch mistakes, overdue bills, info about your loans, and just overall how your score is doing. If your score is really low, start work on improving this number. It can affect you getting future car loans, mortgages, apartments, and affects what kind of interest rate you might get. I’m not necessarily a fan of how credit report companies operate, but it’s still good to have a score above 700. Read extra info on Money Management.
It sounds simplistic, but many people struggle with this first basic rule. Make sure you know what your job is worth in the marketplace, by conducting an evaluation of your skills, productivity, job tasks, contribution to the company, and the going rate, both inside and outside the company, for what you do. Being underpaid even a thousand dollars a year can have a significant cumulative effect over the course of your working life. No matter how much or how little you’re paid, you’ll never get ahead if you spend more than you earn. Often it’s easier to spend less than it is to earn more, and a little cost-cutting effort in a number of areas can result in big savings. It doesn’t always have to involve making big sacrifices.
A Credit Card is Not Free Money: A credit card is a useful tool in your finance toolkit, but it’s not free money. When you purchase something with your credit card, you are borrowing money from the bank. If you don’t give that money back in time, the bank is going to start charging interest on your balance. This debt can build up and become a monster if you don’t pay off your balance every month. However, if you use a credit card responsibly and pay off the balance every month, it’s a good way to start building credit. Most credit cards also have other benefits such as rewards points, cash back, or travel points. So, should you have a credit card? Well, it depends. If you’re capable of paying off the balance in full every month, then you should have no problem managing a credit card and staying out of debt. PS: If you are going to use a credit card, you should monitor your credit score & credit report regularly with a free tool like Credit Sesame (or Borrowell if you’re in Canada). One last tip: Treat your credit card as a debit card. Pay it off in full every day if you have to. I try to pay off my balance every couple of weeks so that I don’t forget. I also use Trim to remind me when payment is due. Visit: http://aspiretomoney.com/.