Beating Broke

Personal Finance from the Broke Perspective

Stop Letting Your Money Sit Idle: 6 Tricks to Give Every Dollar a Job

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Every dollar has a job
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Do you just let your money sit passively in a checking account? By doing this you’re letting your dollars lose their value with inflation. With money just sitting idle, you’re missing opportunities for financial growth. You should be putting your money to work for you instead. When every dollar has a job, whether it be to pay off debt, invest, or save you’ll reap the benefits. Here we’ll talk about 6 smart ways to put your money to work.

1. Automate Your Savings

Before spending any of your money, you should pay yourself first and put money into a high-yield savings account. This easily can be automated to come out of your checking account with each paycheck or deposit. You can use apps like Acorns, YNAB, or Qapital to round up purchases and save spare change. A good rule of thumb is to aim to save 20% of your income and adjust this number as your income increases.

2. Invest Consistently

You can start small with investments by opening a brokerage account and investing in EFTs or index funds. You can invest a fixed amount monthly so that every dollar has a job. With easy tools like Coinbase or Robinhood, you can invest right from your phone. Even small amounts like $50 per month can grow significantly over time. Make sure you are diversifying your portfolio so that you can make the best investment decisions.

3. Create Sinking Funds

If you anticipate large expenses, you can create sinking funds. Set aside money monthly toward large expenses like car repairs, vacations, taxes, etc. Keep each fund organized and keep putting money into it so that you don’t incur debt when large expenses happen.

4. Maximize Employee Benefits

If your employer offers benefits like retirement accounts or other pre-tax benefits, make sure you are taking advantage of these financial opportunities. For example, make sure you contribute enough to your 401(k) to get the full employer match. It’s free money! This money can make a difference as you save for retirement over time. When you sign up for health benefits, make sure you explore HSAs, FSAs, and other pre-tax accounts to reduce taxable income. This can help you save money on health-related expenses.

5. Pay Off High-Interest Debt First

Don’t overpay on interest on your debt. Use the Avalanche method to pay down your highest interest debt first so that you don’t throw away money over time as interest accrues. This way you can keep your debt manageable and continue to pay it down within a reasonable amount of time.

6. Manage Your Spending

Make a budget and allocate your money toward needs, wants, savings, and debt repayment. Using budgeting apps can help you stay on track and make sure that every dollar has a job. You can use methods like the 50/30/20 rule to manage your money and help set a realistic budget.

How do you make your money work for you? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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The Lazy Person’s Guide to a Wealth Creation Plan That Works

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The Lazy Person’s Guide to a Wealth Creation Plan
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Planning your financial future doesn’t have to be overwhelming. What if you could create a wealth creation plan quickly and easily? With these practical hacks, you’ll have a clear financial roadmap in no time. Here’s everything you need to know to build a plan that works.

What is a Wealth Creation Plan?

A wealth creation plan is a strategic plan detailing how you intend to grow and manage your financial resources over time. It outlines how to earn, save, invest, and protect your wealth to achieve financial security and long-term goals. While this may seem like a lot to include, there are several shortcuts you can take when creating your plan.

What Are The Steps to Making a Wealth Creation Plan?

Using these steps you can easily create a wealth plan that works:

  1. Analyze Your Current Situation: In this section of your wealth plan, you should calculate your net worth, income, and expenses.
  2. Define Your Goals: You should include your goals in your wealth creation plan including short-term, medium, and long-term goals. This should include milestones like homeownership and retirement, for example.
  3. Determine Your Income Growth Strategy: Your income strategy should include all the ways you intend to bring in and generate money such as investments, salary, or business ventures.
  4. Define How You Will Save and Budget: Come up with a budget and saving strategy that will work for your current situation.
  5. Detail Your Investment Plan: Here you should outline what kind of investments you will pursue.
  6. Outline Risk Management: Risk management includes your emergency fund, insurance, and diversified investments.
  7. Create a Monitoring and Adjustment Strategy: Different phases of life may call for your wealth plan to be adjusted. Your plan should outline how often you will review your progress, rebalance investments, and include new goals.
  8. Include a Legacy Plan: As far as legacy planning, this includes your will and estate plan.

How to Make Creating a Wealth Plan Easier

Use Templates

When creating your actual plan, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. It’s perfectly acceptable to use ChatGPT to create a template. Some AI is geared toward helping you create a financial plan. If you’re short on time, this easy hack can make creating a wealth plan very easy.

Get The Help of a Financial Advisor

If your money is a little more complex, enlisting the help of a financial advisor can be beneficial. They can help you understand your finances, create your wealth plan, and work toward goals. Plus, hiring a financial advisor can save you significant time and energy.

Do you have a wealth creation plan? What does it include?

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Swipe, Regret, Repeat: 6 Sneaky Ways to Outsmart Your Impulse Purchases

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How to stop impulse buying
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If you find yourself frequently making unplanned purchases, you may be wondering how to stop impulse shopping. While it may seem harmless in the moment, impulse spending can quickly add up, stretching your budget and putting your long-term financial health at risk. Understanding the reasons behind these spontaneous purchases and learning strategies to control them can help you make better financial decisions. Here are six ways to stop impulse buying.

1. Evaluate Why You Make Impulse Purchases

If you don’t dig deeper into why you are prone to impulse spending, you’ll probably never break the habit. For some people, impulse spending happens when there are emotional triggers. If you’re particularly stressed, the dopamine hit that comes with making a purchase could feel like the release that you need. The instant gratification might make you feel joy in the short term, but it is often a fleeting feeling.

Studies have found that women are likely to make impulse purchases due to social pressure and are influenced by their children and close friends. Men are more likely to be influenced by their parents and colleagues. Being aware of outside pressures can help you curb impulse purchases.

2. Wait 24 Hours

Wait 24 hours before making a purchase
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In an era of social media influencers, it’s easy to make impulse purchases on TikTok Shop. Don’t get caught up in the moment, but instead take a pause. If you’re about to make a purchase, a good strategy is to wait 24 hours and reevaluate if you still want the item. Some experts even suggest a longer waiting period for larger purchases, such as anything that is 1% or more of your income.

3. Delete Saved Credit Card Information

Online, it’s far too easy to make impulse purchases. On sites like Amazon, purchases only take one click. If you want to stop impulse buying, try deleting your credit card information from websites you frequently buy from, your Apple wallet, and so on. If you make buying items online more difficult, you’ll probably be less inclined to buy things impulsively.

4. Unsubscribe from Marketing Emails and Texts

How many promotional emails and texts do you receive in a day? While many companies offer discounts for signing up for emails and text messages, being inundated with marketing messages won’t help you make good purchasing decisions. All of these temptations add up to impulsive spending.

5. Make a List

If you’re tempted to buy something, some people find it useful to keep a running list of things that they want. Then, at the end of the month, they evaluate the list and see what they want to purchase. Just like waiting 24 hours, making a purchase list gives you time to think about whether you really need or want an item before buying it.

6. Find Replacement Activities

While many people love engaging in retail therapy, if you want to stop impulsively spending you may have to find other outlets. Replacing shopping with healthier habits that offer the release of dopamine, like exercise, will be beneficial for your financial health. Plus, you won’t have to deal with the regret or stress of overspending.

How do you stop impulse buying? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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