Every little personal finance tip can help make your finances better.
That’s why I came up with a list of 75 personal finance tips to help you make and save money.
After graduating law school and knowing nothing about personal finance I decided to start a blog about my student loan debt. Since then, I’ve paid off $100k+ in debt (and counting), quit my job as a lawyer to become a financial planner, and supplemented my income by blogging.
I’d say I’ve learned a few things about money over the last 5 years.
So, I’m sharing a massive list of personal finance tips that you can take action on to improve your finances. Some may or may not apply to you, so consider it general information to increase your knowledge of personal finance and hopefully spark some new ideas for you.
MONEY MANAGEMENT
First up is the money management category, which lists personal finance tips that can help you manage your money better. This includes things like budgeting, estate, insurance, and tax planning, and a few other gems.
1. Create a budget
Create a budget based on your monthly income and expenses. A budget is the tool that gets you to stay on track financially every month. A budget shows you exactly where your money is going so you can know whether you’re on track with your income and expenses. It’s your blueprint for achieving your financial goals.
Next steps:
- Download a Budget Spreadsheet Bundle
- Use the Ultimate Budgeting Guide to create a budget that you’ll actually stick to
- Take the Budgeting For Budget Haters course
2. Track your net worth
Track your net worth to get the big picture of your entire financial situation. Your net worth is a snapshot of your assets and liabilities at a given time. Your net worth measures what you’re actually worth financially. It’s important to know what your net worth is if you want to build wealth. It’s not enough to only budget. You need both a budget and to track your net worth.
Next steps:
- Download a Net Worth Statement
- Read How To Track Your Net Worth
3. Use a third-party aggregator
If you manage your finances electronically, you may feel more comfortable using a third-party aggregator to get the big picture of your financial situation. Mint.com is an example of one, and I know there are more. This is ideal if you want an app on your phone and prefer using digital budgeting and net worth tracking opposed to doing it manually.
4. Check your credit reports and credit score annually
Check your credit reports from each credit bureau (there are three) annually using annualcreditreport.com. Even if your credit card company offers credit monitoring or reporting, it’s a good idea to check your actual reports through this site to get your official reports. It’s what I do and find it very easy to use. The reason you should check your credit reports annually is to verify all the information is correct, and make sure your identity hasn’t been compromised.
Next step:
Read the rest here: https://nataliebacon.com/personal-finance-tips/