This season of life usually includes people in their thirties and forties, either married or single. The habits and procedures you develop at this stage of life will provide the foundation that you will build on throughout the rest of your life, whether consciously or unconsciously. To develop a proper foundation, it is critical that you first review your financial risks and then set boundaries that you will operate within. An improper foundation can reap untold devastation with the relationships of your life. Here are some key anchors that can assist you in your financial plans:
- First review the financial risks that you face that could cause either minor or major damage to your financial plan. These could include:
- Review your debt, college debt, business startup debt, mortgages, vehicle, credit cards, installment purchases, or other debt you may have collected
- Review your income stability, where you are, and where you are going.
- Review health and physical limitation risks you may be presented with.
- Review your monthly obligations.
- If you are a couple, how long will each continue to work?
- If children are in your plans, when do you plan on starting?
- Next look at options for reducing the risks of item one. This would include:
- A review of your insurance for your health, life, property, litigation protection, vehicles, scheduled property items, hobbies, owned business, volunteer involvements, etc.
- An investment of time and effort for proper relationships in your life at home, work, church, and community is important. The health of your relationships can be a key factor that can make or break you financially, physically, and emotionally, and some never recover.
- An investment in continuing education to maintain your competitive edge in the work place is very important in our rapidly changing culture.
- Establish a daily investment in properly balanced personal care, nutrition, rest, relaxation, vacation time, exercise, time management and stress control. Some stress is healthy; too much is harmful.
- Review plans for a balanced debt reduction that fits your overall budgetary plans.
- If you are a couple, and plans are for one to stop work at some time in the future, you should have a plan for working toward saving on one income and living on only one income.
- View savings as a bill that must be paid first in your monthly budget, or you will never develop a good savings plan. When they spend first and then save, most people will have nothing left to save. The other side of this strategy requires the setting of realistic saving figures for where you are financially in life.
- You should have five different savings accounts in your budget if you are to have a successful plan.
- Long term savings
- If children are in your plans, funds are needed to help them launch their life
- Retirement funds should be started. At this time in life, a little saved will build a healthy nest egg for the future.
- Short term savings
- Home purchase
- Capital improvements and purchases as home applicances, etc.
- Vehicle purchases and repair fund.
- Continuing education, for yourself or possible future children
- Child spending funds, allowance, etc.
- Emergency Fund: things do happen and credit cards can cause you a possible bottomless abyss if used for this. This account is a key factor to help you maintain your financial plans.
- Vacation Fund: it is important to set realistic boundaries for your budget.
- Entertainment Fund: it is important to set realistic boundaries for this account and view this as the reward of time and money for following your financial plan.
- Some thoughts on budgets: It is critical that your monthly budget leaves room for error and flexibility. A budget that is too restrictive will only bring defeat and discouragement. I find that people, over time, react to a too restictive budget as if they were confined to a small room, and as they see it, with growing internal pressure to burst out into freedom. However, they do not realize that the freedom they think they have gained may only bring self-imposed slavery from possible creditors. These creditors, over time, can bring complete control of all aspects of their life and destructive pressures to the relationships of their life. The freedom all seek is only had within the boundaries of the budgetary walls. The key to the budgetary walls is that it is a voluntary, agreed-upon guide that can give the proper space in life, and that it brings safety by keeping controling creditors out. If you are single, you have only yourself to work with on this. If you are a couple, you must keep in mind that one of you may be a saver while the other is a spender. Hopefully each of you are not too far apart or this will cause you much disharmony and grief as you progress in life. If you build on the strengths of each other and are realistic with each other, it should bring a natural balance to the financial planning process and implementation that will be healthy for your relationship. As you work with your financial plan, it is important to set realistic milestones and rewards. Keep your goals in mind with a balanced expectation of reaching them. Remember, success is not a destination but a journey, so the daily process is the most important aspect of the plan.
- It is now time to work together on your monthly budget and put a plan together that will meet your monthly obligations. If you are single, make a list of your monthly obligations; if you are a couple, work on the list together so that you are in agreement that all is properly included. Put the agreed savings amount for each saving account first, then your debt reduction account amounts, followed by your other accounts. The extra at the bottom of your budget is the reward funds, and it can be placed as additional funds into the entertainment account to use there or left for retrieval during the months when you do not meet your budget. Here is a suggested review of what your plan should include:
Home Budgetary Guide For A Successful Financial Plan
- Long Term __________
- Child launch __________
- Retirement __________
- Short Term __________
- Vehicle Purchase __________
- Home Purchase __________
- Education __________
- Capital Improvements ________
- Emergency Fund __________
- Vacation Fund __________
- Entertainment Fund __________
- Savings Account Total __________
- Home mortgage/Rent __________
- Vehicle payments __________
- Credit Card Debt __________
- Installment Debt __________
- School Loans __________
- Other __________
- Outstand Debt Expenses Total __________
- Vehicle maintenance __________
- Vehicle insurance __________
- Vehicle Operations __________
- Public transportation __________
- Transportation Expenses __________
- Capital Improvements __________
- Upkeep/repairs __________
- Home goods __________
- Home Insurance __________
- Utilities __________
- Land Phone __________
- Mobile Phone __________
- Electric __________
- Gas __________
- Cable __________
- Internet Connection __________
- Trash __________
- Water/Sewer __________
- Home Expenses Total __________
- Newspaper & Other periodicals _________
- Laundry & dry cleaning ___________
- Dues, professional or other ___________
- Personal Care ___________
- Clothing ___________
- Food ___________
- Medical/drugs ___________
- Health Insurance ___________
- Disability Insurance ___________
- Life Insurance ___________
- Child Care expenses ___________
- Child's spending funds ___________
- Personal Fun Funds ___________
- Recreation/entertainment ___________
- Misc/other ___________
- Daily living expenses Total ___________
- Residual funds * ___________
* For your financial plan to work, there must be something for this account as mentioned above. This account provides the flexibility for your plan, and it will give you the freedom that you will come to appreciate in time.
- Finally, it is important to review your plan's progress monthly and yearly, noting any adjustments that should be made to assure the success of your plan. Every so often it is wise to review your plan with us, as most people find it difficult to be totally honest and objective with themselves. This can bring an added dimension of assurance for a successful plan.
Closing remarks: I have found that, over time, financial matters are one of the greatest destructive forces that can harm us physically and emotionally and can also cause total destruction to relationships. On the other hand, a properly balanced financial plan can bring a euphoria feeling of freedom, which is a wonder that is hard to describe and which can assist with good health, creative thinking, bring healing to the emotions, and promote healthy, caring, and giving relationships. Each person is given in life a certain level of energy; if most of it is spend on financial matters, it will leave little for the other important aspects of life. What is your driving force in life? Money is only a measure of time or a medium of exchange where by we exchange some of our time on earth for money. A dollar spent can not be reclaimed any more than a day spent can be reclaimed. My friend, how are you doing in life? Are you living life with freedom, or are you controlled by creditors? The choice is yours to make and can affect all aspects of your life if you are single. If you are a couple, men, this can provide an aspect of security that most women long for; it is not how much you make but what you do with what you make. Your investment, men, in a solid plan, will yield a great return for your relationship. Ladies, appreciate the efforts that the man in your life puts forth, and work with him; it will yield a great return for your investment and will encourage him to try harder and be stronger. You must work and walk together daily, or you will walk apart over time.