It does not matter if you are a layman when you are doing your own finance planning.But you should read this post carefully.

     The most common situations, which call for financial planning for the average middle class person, are:

     Retirement: For any salaried individual, retirement is an eventuality. While many countries provide social security to retired people, the real income that one earns from such schemes may be severely hit by inflationary trends. For example, over a ten year period considering an average inflation rate of 4%, $1225 would fetch the same value as $1000, provided the growth in prices of all commodities remain fixed at 4%. Thus, a person who subsists on an amount of $10000 today would need to earn at least $12254 to maintain his current living standard ten years hence. In other words, if a person retires with a capital of say $100000 and earns 10% on this capital through investment in bonds, etc, he/she would require a capital of $122540 to earn the same value ten years hence. That, at an age when he/she may not mentally or physically be in a position to engage in constructive, income generating employment. Obviously, such depreciation of real income/capital calls for long-term planning.

     Children’s Education: With the steep rise in unemployment the world over, people need to acquire special skills to be assured of even a moderate living. And as the demand for such skills is increasing, so is the cost of acquiring such skills getting pushed up. A person whose child is say ten years old today would require a substantial amount of money a decade hence for his college education, and planning for the same needs to done from today to avoid complications at the last moment.

     Medical Contingencies: Medical contingencies have become so much a part and parcel of everyone’s lives that they can no longer be termed as contingencies. Again, while newer and better medical tools are being developed everyday, the cost of medical treatment is unfortunately on an upward spiral. Thus, while a person can expect to live longer thanks to the modern day medicine, it is not a very comforting thought when one takes a look at what effect it could have on one’s finances. Even planning ahead may at times not suffice, but it can at least provide a cushion to fall back on when ailments hit.

     Apart from the above, sudden cash flow mismatches may occur for numerous reasons – an impulsive tour to Hawaii, for instance. While every such eventuality cannot be anticipated in advance, the least a sensible person can do is to create a buffer for himself for the rainy days. And that buffer can only be created through proper planning of one’s finances while the going is good.

     The Planning Aspect Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Personal

     Though we can apply for loans ,but we should always remind ourselves that we should balance our income and debt.

     Problem #1. Spending Without Knowing Your Limits

     As in business, you will not last long financially if you spend without regard to your income. Knowing your spending limits is not hard to do. Just find the answers to these 4 easy questions:

     Question #1. What is my take-home income per pay? (that is your total income less taxes)

     Question #2. What do I need to spend to live?

     Question #3. What is the difference after taking spending from income?

     Question #4. Can I save enough for my future from the answer in Question #3?

     There are many tools to help you gain answers to these questions. You can find many on the Internet. Helpful Hint: Find one that helps you set your savings targets, checks your ability to meet the targets and then shows your progress towards your goals.

     Problem #2. Spending Without Setting Savings Targets

     It’s OK to spend to the limits of your income but that does not provide you with any buffer for urgent purchases, or protect you from a financial emergency. Urgent purchases could be renewing a broken fridge or stove, calling a plumber to fix a broken pipe or having to spend for major car repairs. Financial emergencies could be temporary loss of income or hospitalization of a family member. How would you survive financially in any of these situations?

     You can begin to save today, it’s easy. What if you went without your bought lunch each day at work? That saves you $1,000 per year on $5/day. What if you reduced your Starbuck’s coffee by 1 each working day? That’s another $1,000 per year on $5/day. Just those two amounts alone can mean a holiday for you, the beginnings of a savings plan, or an emergency buffer.

     If you set a target of 10% of your take-home pay each payday that would be a good start. If you think creatively, you are sure to come up with ways to achieve this. Think of the peace of mind that would bring.

     Problem #3. Spending Without Knowing How to Save Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Personal