A Step By Step Guide To Achieve Financial Wellness
Many people want to maintain financial wellness and have more control over their financial future, aiming to spend less time worrying about money and achieve financial freedom. For the majority of us, however, this doesn't just happen overnight. Financial wellness is an ongoing process with many facets that need regular attention.
Real wellbeing, especially when considering the market cost of education and medical bills, transcends being a mere catchy brand tagline for Instagram. The discipline of treating your mind and body with care, which includes feeding, moving, and relaxing them, is fundamental to maintaining a higher quality of life.
No matter what upscale skincare or vitamin companies might promise, suggesting potential profit and wealth, true wellness is universally applicable, reflecting our own circumstances. However, discussions often overlook how crucial it is to handle our money with the same level of care, a cornerstone of financial wellness important to our lives.
Financial wellness is the idea that you're more likely to feel confident about where you are and where you're going—your quality of life increases—when you have control over your money, know what to do next to accomplish your goals, do those things, and routinely engage in responsible financial behavior (aka financial self-care), ensuring your financial plan is on track and adapting to market shifts and possible losses.
Because managing your investment accounts and mitigating high interest debt is just as crucial to your overall well-being, let's emphasize financial decisions that foster this state. In this blog post, we're going to provide a step by step guide to achieve financial wellness and how you can achieve financial wellness at whatever point you are in your life.
What is financial wellness?
Financial wellness is fundamentally the condition of (money-related) well-being that is attained and sustained when you are aware of what you have, aware of where you're going (and take efforts to get there), and satisfied with your situation.
No matter where you are in your financial journey, whether you're investing in fewer shares or setting aside money for three to six months of expenses, everyone can achieve financial wellness by making informed financial decisions.
Financial wellness is a discipline that incorporates strategies like dollar cost averaging, support from financial advisors, understanding the prices in various markets, and consistent contributing to a retirement account, enabling everyone to feel confident and in control of their finances.
1. Start By Setting A Budget
Many people struggle with financial security because they lack financial literacy and don't know how to control their cash, leaving them in a precarious financial situation. To enhance your financial security and financial situation, it's crucial to set a budget that offers a clear picture of your spending habits, helping you track cash flow and avoid possible loss.
Begin by reviewing all your accounts, including checking, savings, and securities, to obtain a clear picture of your financial situation and assess your holdings in cash and more shares. Then, make your pay stubs and list out your income.
For self-employed people, list the amount you would be making if your business was profitable on average for the last 12 months of operations. Add up all of the money you have coming in and calculate your monthly living expenses such as rent, utilities, groceries, along with any extra costs.
You can even generate invoices or other financial documents online that could help you manage your budget. Then, subtract the total monthly payments from your income to gauge your financial situation each month, ensuring you have a clear picture of potential cash reserves or possible loss.
If your monthly living expenses threaten your financial security by consuming or surpassing your income, it's essential to mitigate possible loss and reassess spending to protect your financial situation. For example, consider shopping for groceries once a week instead of twice, cooking at home more often, or reducing the money you spend on entertainment.
When it comes to spending too much, many people really only have a number of trouble areas. Perhaps it has to do with shopping or electronics. Once you are aware of your regular spending patterns across many categories, try setting up a budget that is 15–25% lower.
When cutting back on spending, it's a good idea to start small since if you try to do it too quickly and drastically, you can become frustrated and find it difficult to continue with it.
Developing a monthly spending plan provides a clear picture of your financial situation, helping you calculate the timeline to achieve savings goals and enhance your financial security against possible loss, where you can make cuts if necessary, and where you can spend a little more if you have extra money. Once you have significantly reduced your costs, you can start setting aside money to pay off debt or make an investment.
2. Create An Emergency Fund To Protect Against Sudden Financial Emergencies
The next stride towards financial security is establishing an emergency fund, a critical safeguard against possible loss in your financial situation. You should set aside at least three months of living expenses so that you can cover emergencies like the car breaking down, a sudden illness or injury occurring, or unemployment. A $10,000 emergency fund will go a long way in cushioning against financial emergencies. If you have an irregular income or no job stability, it could be wise to set aside up to six months of living expenses for your emergency fund.
3. Save For Retirement
Many people look forward to retirement, but few save for it. Of course, it’s essential to pay off any debt you have now and focus on settling your bills on time each month. However, you should also strategize for the future so you can have enough money saved for the time when your paychecks stop coming in.
Financial wellness is about planning and understanding your finances deeply. Remember that the earlier you start saving for retirement, the more time it has to grow and earn interest or other dividends over the years.
If you want to maximize retirement fund returns and are willing to make sacrifices now, consider adding long-term investments like stocks or mutual funds that may exceed your goals. Implementing dollar cost averaging can be a sound strategy, and financial advisors can provide essential support in planning your investments.
4. Pay Off Debt And Create A Plan To Avoid It In The Future
It's crucial to pay off any debt you have now so that you won't have to worry about it in the future. One of the best ways to do that is by creating a debt repayment plan. A financial advisor can help you figure out how much money you should be paying towards your bill each month, so consider calling one and ask for their assistance. Remember that the key is finding an approach that works for your needs. Find something that's realistic and one that you can achieve.
The average American has roughly $6,000 in credit card debt, and many others have student loan debt that is in the thousands of dollars, making it harder to have financial wellness. It can take years and thousands of dollars in additional financing charges if you only make the minimum payment on your debt, according to a loan calculator with an amortization plan.
5. Stay On Top Of Your Taxes
It is essential to pay attention and stay on top of your taxes each year. Take the time to get a head start so that you're not scrambling when tax season comes. Inattention can result in penalties if you are filing late or still owing back refunds from previous years.
Stay up to date with changes to tax laws by checking out news sources like the Wall Street Journal or pay attention to notices from your employer. It's a fantastic idea to contribute a portion of your monthly income to your employer's 401k plan, if one is available.
Some 401(k)s even offer employer matching, which means that your employer will contribute some more funds when you do, up to a certain amount. That's a lot, and you should absolutely think about raising your payments to at least match the match in some cases.
You still have possibilities if you don't have full-time work with benefits. IRAs are retirement accounts that you can open on your own, without the assistance of an employer. You have a ton of options when shopping around because banks, credit unions, and financial firms frequently let you start an IRA at a minimal cost.
In either scenario, making contributions to a retirement account can aid in long-term asset growth and achieving financial wellness. Therefore, investing in your retirement is a smart move, regardless of how early in your career you may be. Then, compound interest can work to your advantage.
6. Invest Wisely, Taking Into Consideration Risk Tolerance And Time Horizon
Investing is a process that can be intimidating because you are committing to pay for investment until it matures. There are also many things to consider before investing. For example, what range between gains and losses are you willing to accept? How long do you want to have those investments in place for financial goals? The longer the term of an investment, the more it will pay off in the long run, but of course, there could be a greater risk because of the higher possibility for fluctuations to happen.