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The following article was published in our article directory on December 7, 2012.
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The Best Way To Manage Money - 5 Simple Steps to Managing Your Personal Finances

Article Category: Finances

Author Name: Derek Kaye

What's the best way to manage money?

For most of us, taking care of our personal finances is an arduous task. Easy access to credit, high rates of interest as well as lack of knowledge see to it that the lion's share of Canadians are actually living deep in the red and far outside their means.

Exactly what is money?

To effectively understand money and our spending patterns, we have to first look past our own personal preconceived prejudices. For many individuals money, and the pursuit of money, is really considered a negative - maybe even evil to some. For others money is a positive force for good.

In all truth, money is neither good nor evil - it is neutral. It is just a tool that does what WE ask of it! With this in mind, what's the first thing you will need to do whenever presented with a strange, new tool?

You must find out how to use it effectively ...

Exactly why does it appear to be so challenging to take care of our personal finances? If we're not actually educated on how to handle money at a young age then just how do we learn? For the majority of us it's baptism by fire and, with nearly 60% of North Americans living paycheck to paycheck, it's clear that most of us are falling short. The reason a lot of people are struggling with managing money is simple, really.

We don't know just how to do it!

In the early years of working, when money is tight, we really don't believe we're making enough to put anything aside or to develop anything even remotely looking like a 'financial plan'. As our income scales up, we promptly consume this additional cash and we enjoy our new-found freedoms.

The degree of personal debt which the majority of us carry is in direct proportion to our earnings because that is generally exactly where our comfort levels lie - not quite sufficient debt to keep us up every night, yet just enough to enjoy life along with our hobbies to the maximum of our income level.

Most of us are truly walking on a tightrope - and if we don't change our course we're going to find ourselves coming up short during retirement and forced to work well into our senior years, or even live a life that is beneath our current understanding for a worry-free retirement.

The Best Way To Manage Money - 5 Tips for Managing your Money and Personal Finances

1. Plan your Goals - Because a goal without having a plan is really merely a wish.

In order to become successful with virtually anything you first have to recognize two things:

i. Where you're heading - your GOAL
ii. The way in which you're going to get there - your PLAN

Working with your spouse or partner (assuming that you have one), produce a list of every one of your short, medium and long-term goals. Include anything and everything that could carry a considerable financial commitment - retirement, trips, large purchases, building an emergency fund, etc.

Once you have these in place estimate the time-frame and costs for each goal. If they seem possible then, working backwards, calculate just how much you should put aside on a yearly, monthly and also, if necessary, weekly basis. These numbers are going to form the basis for your regular contributions towards reaching these goals.

2. Make sure you have more money coming in than is going out:

Your after-tax income MUST be greater than all of your expenses. If it's not, you truly only have two options - either lower your expenses or improve your income.

Most of us feel that there's no way we can lower our expenses. Handling your cash flow adequately should reveal areas where money is bleeding out and you may be able to minimize expenses. This can necessitate a short-term change in your lifestyle but if you're working towards concrete goals (as in step 1), this should be a small price to pay and will definitely get you much further ahead.

3. Use CASH for all discretionary spending:

There's something about looking at your last $20 bill and realizing you still have 4 days left before you are 'paid' again! This really can make you re-evaluate if you actually need to have that latte or if a regular coffee will do the trick.

Having a strict amount of money to spend on discretionary purchases each week and paying physical cash to get them will go a long way towards guaranteeing your long-range objectives are fulfilled and you stay on track.

4. Develop an emergency fund:

There's an old saying that goes "The only two things guaranteed in life are death and taxes". I 'd like to add a third guarantee to this; if you are a home owner and own a vehicle, there's a good possibility that at some point within the next 6 to 8 months you are going to deal with an unforeseen 'emergency' that will cost you substantially more than you are able to pay.

Build up an emergency fund equal to 3-6 months of income and you ought to have the ability to survive almost all of these types of unforeseen events without having the stress and anxiety typically experienced. When you think about it, if you realize it's going to happen regularly and you are financially prepared for it, can you really call it an emergency or is it just one more cost of living?

5. Monitor spending and tweak as required:

Always keep regular track of every single cent coming into the household as well as every penny being spent. This shouldn't involve long hours of analyzing bank statements and data; track receipts, be accountable to yourself along with your partner and, above all, be prepared to modify your spending habits as life unfolds.

Sit down every week to review the past week's spending and forecast the coming week's expenses. Identify any spending which will be out of the ordinary - business meals, unexpected car repairs, doctor visits, etc - and absorb them into your spending budget.

... As soon as you've identified the best way to manage money for your circumstance, you'll realize that it shouldn't need to be complicated. It takes time, willpower and holding yourself accountable to what you are trying to accomplish. In certain cases you'll be frustrated - at other times overwhelmed.

In any case, always remember; Rome wasn't built in a day! Neither will your future be built in a month or even a year! However the transformation to your personal finances will definitely be well worth the sacrifice!

Keywords: best way to manage money, personal money planning, personal finances, money management, debt management

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