Saturday, August 31, 2013

Use This Advice To Solve Your Financial Problems

By Randy Best


Are you looking to better your financial situation? You have the power and ability to accomplish this, but it will require some research and knowledge. Luckily, this article has a lot of information that will put you on the right road.

Consult and review your credit reports if you are having difficulty qualifying for credit cards, home financing or any other kind of loan. Information that is outdated can have a negative impact on your overall score. If you find errors, send letters to the credit bureaus to have them removed.

Keep very detailed records of your spending habits for one month. Use this information to make a detailed budget for yourself. Find out where you are spending a lot of money. Otherwise, you may end up broke no matter how much money you make. Budgeting and tracking can be make much easier, and even fun with personal finance software. Whenever you have extra money at the end of the month, put it towards any debt or in a savings account with a high interest rate.

Instead of using one credit card and almost maxing it out, try to have 2 or 3 cards with lower balances on them. When you're paying towards two separate payments, your interest payments won't be as high as they would if you were paying off a credit card that's been maxed out. Having two credit cards can actually hurt your credit less if you manage them properly.

If you are in collections, then your debt will someday be written off, even if you don't pay. There are consequences to this, however, and you need to be sure you are ready to face them. Ask experts when your debt expires and avoid paying collection agencies that attempt to collect money for older debt.

Tax planning should be taken advantaged of to help get your finances in order. Think about investing your pre-tax dollars in plans that are offered by your job. Set aside pre-tax money for medical expenses. If your employer offers 401k matching, make sure to take advantage of that chance. It is a good financial decision when you invest the money you make.

An easy way to keep your finances on track is to have a written budget. To create a personal budget, try listing every expense at the start of each month. This list should include rent or mortgage, utility bills, insurance payments, food expenses and even entertainment expenditures. You should also include any projected expenditures. In addition to writing down the type of expense, also make note of the amount that you pay. Make sure your expenses are less than your income.

On the night prior to payday, put some reserve cash aside, and make sure that is all you spend over the course of the weekend. When you get your paycheck Friday, don't mess with it. This will allow the money for bills to still be available on Monday.

Look to bargain stores for deals on all your bedding needs. You can purchase well made items at a lower cost and save yourself valuable time as well. You can make your finances better by researching products before you buy them.

Some debt is actually good for your credit score. For example, buying real estate is a good debt. On the average, real estate increases in value and you can save at tax time by using mortgage interest as a deduction. Another king of good debt is college loans. Student loans have easy to manage interest rates and don't require payments until the students have moved past graduation.

If you need to save some cash, disconnect your cell phone. Many people don't like this advice, but people did not have cell phones years ago. Having a cell phone is a convenience. If you feel that you can't ditch the phone, then review your usage history to determine if you can switch to a cheaper plan.

When it comes to putting your personal finances in order, realize that it is never to late to start. Getting your finances in order late is better than never getting them in order at all. When you are dealing with financial planning, a late start is better than no start at all.

Your perception on how you view finances should have changed by now. With everything you have read, you are informed on what it takes to have a better financial future. All that you need to do now is actually do it, financial freedom is right around the corner!




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