A new year will soon be starting and most people have gone broke over the holidays. Then comes that realization that we've never really saved during the past years and the year before that. This time around, we can start to make it right and here are some suggestion how we can start to really save on cash.
Furing an interview with Elite Daily, Kristen Robinson, the SVP of Women and Young Investors of Fidelity Investments, and here is what she has to say:
Make a 50/15/5 rule and follow it.
On your next salary, she suggests that 50% of it is for the non-negotiables. Bills, insurances, food and anything that you really need out of everyday life.
15% goes to your retirement fund. As a young working individual, you might think that well, you're too young enough to even be thinking about old age, but trust the experts, before you know it it's too late. After all this one comes with a company match.
The standard amount for emergency fund is 3-6 month worth of your salary, so keep the 5% for savings. If it isn't too big, don't fret and just keep building it overtime until you can reach your certain amount of emergency fund. Nobody knows when accidents may happen, so better be ready.
Build a budget.
In order to set up a budget, Kristin said, "You need to know, what's coming in, what's going out, what you want to allocate, so whether you're paying down debt, whether you have a savings goal or want to backpack through Europe, and then the last number that is really important is, what do you have left?"
Once you know your numbers you're good to go. You can use technology like apps that can help you keep track of you spending.
Learn about investing
Don't be afraid of it. One doesn't have to start big, really; start with small. Kristin Said it's just like thinking about it as a regular bill that comes to you every month but it's really for your retirement. If you're investing you'll feel that you may be paying a lot of bills now but, you will thank your future self you did it.
One of the classic movie 'Fiddler on the Roof, ' has one of the characters saying that "Money is the world's curse!" It could also be a blessing depending on how it is being used, spent, saved or invested, especially now that the holidays just passed us by. If we don't know how to take care of money, it will simply go away just like a busted bubble gone in the air.