Tips on how to save money and start managing your finances, including home insurance and life insurance.
Helpful Tips For Managing Your Money
Saving money by managing one's finances often seems like one of those lofty,
out of reach dreams and can easily cause one to break out in a nervous sweat. If you are ignoring your finances and hoping for the problems to go away, you are not doing yourself any favors. You can take charge of these financial areas and begin saving money with a few simple steps.
Make sure you pay your utility bills and house payments on time, every month. These are top priority payments to make and you will avoid late fees by making a payment by the due date. Utility companies are also known to report late payments to credit reporting agencies, which can affect your credit.
Tip: Energy management is a great way to save your family money during the year. By making some simple changes you will find a good bit of savings on your utility bill each month. The quickest, easiest and most affordable way to start saving is by replacing your light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs.
Home Insurance
Make sure that you are only paying for the amount of home insurance you need. You cannot file a claim for more than the value of your house and it's contents, so having high insurance coverage could mean you're paying for something you can't even use. Do an inventory of your house and get a rough estimate of what you would claim, then speak to your insurance agent to make sure that your coverage matches that amount.
Life Insurance
Find out what your credit score is. It will cost you money to get your credit score from the big three agencies but the knowledge is invaluable. Knowing your credit score will save you money in buying a car, refinancing your home, finding affordable auto insurance and even when buying life insurance. Make sure to take advantage of free credit reports offered yearly, such as those found on freecreditreport.com; staying on top of your credit score can help you to avoid and repair any issues immediately.
Retirement
Set a goal of paying yourself first, ideally at least 10% of your take home pay. Saving for the future is smart for many reasons. It provides you with both an emergency and retirement fund. It also gives you money to invest so that you can increase your net worth. Always make it a priority.
If you have not begun contributing to your retirement, you need to start. If you have already started, look for ways to step it up a notch. Maximize your contributions, and if there is any way possible, completely max out your contributions. This will help you immensely when preparing for retirement.
Private vs. Public Education
You and your children should consider public schools for college over private universities. There are many highly prestigious state schools that will cost you a fraction of what you would pay at a private school. Also consider attending community college for your AA degree for a more affordable education.
By reading acting on these tips, you should feel more prepared to face any financial difficulties that you may be having. Of course, many financial problems will take some time to overcome, but the first step is looking at them with open eyes. You should now feel much more confident to start tackling these issues!
