In this digital age, where it is easier to spend money than ever before, we need to know where our money goes. We may always find that our savings are dwindling at the end the month, even if we have a high income. With proper restraints your income can be ensured.
- Financial security for the family over time
- Funds for long term plans
- Enough savings to leave a legacy for future generations
Budgeting regularly can help you to build financial strength and ensure that your money is properly managed. Financial wellness can be achieved by understanding how to set up budgets for both short-term and longer-term goals. Financial strength allows you to handle crises, and also gives you the ability to seize opportunities.
1. Budgeting your income regularly is essential for financial stability
A financial safety net is essential to protect your hard-earned cash in crisis situations. This will protect you and your family against unexpected events, such as accidents or illnesses that could derail your long term plans.
Insurance is an important financial product that protects your assets and investments over the long term. You and your family will be protected from financial loss or damage, illness or premature death with the right amount and type of insurance.
The following are the top insurance plans that you should invest your money in first:
- Term Life Insurance Plan
- Plan for health insurance to cover medical costs and critical illnesses
Accidental Death and Disability Insurance
Term or health insurance policies often include an optional insurance policy that covers accidental death and disability. The iSelect Smart360 Term plan from Life Insurance, for example, can include accidental and terminal illness coverage with the life insurance.
You only need to purchase a separate health insurance policy. This plan covers unexpected hospitalisation costs.
2. Saving for Emergency Fund
You can insure against major financial losses, but you cannot cover other risks. You will have to take care of yourself in the event of such an event, like a job loss. You will need to set aside a large amount of money from your income to be used for emergencies.
- Before investing for long-term objectives
- After paying for insurance protection plans
You can set aside a portion of your income each month to fund funds for people in financial difficulty. Savings must be liquid, that is, easily accessible, and free of penalties for early withdrawal. The following are ideal instruments for storing your emergency fund safely:
- Liquid mutual funds
- Deposits linked to your savings account
- Fixed Deposits at Banks and Post Offices
To ensure financial protection, the portion of income allocated to Emergency Funds should increase as income increases.
3. Retirement Allocation
Retirement is when you replace your income by the return on your savings. You expect to earn You need to earn per month in order to maintain your lifestyle and cover household costs. You can retire from your money-making career if you are able to generate this amount of income through the return on your savings.
Your retirement income is affected by many factors, such as your liabilities, home purchase or relocation, etc.
If you are self-employed you can invest in NPSs and unit-linked pension plans (ULIPs), which will provide you with tax-efficient retirement savings.
4. Allocate to Long-Term Objectives
Long-term goals are the most important thing to consider when investing. Your life is a series of long-term goals. These include your child’s education, marriage, or even starting your own business.
A healthy allocation of 25% is the best ratio for achieving your long-term goals. You may not find this reasonable if you don’t have any specific long-term financial goals. You can set a goal to build wealth with your savings in such a situation.
5. Achieving Your short-term goals
Your lifestyle and your household amenities are defined by short-term goals. Modern interior design, family vacation, home theater purchase, etc. are all examples of goals. Budgets are more effective when they’re well-planned. Postponing your goals and saving for them will always be more rewarding than removing cash from the immediate budget.
As short-term goals, you can list anything from a specific online course to improve your job prospects or furniture for the home. As short-term goals. Spending money from your income on these goals is not as rewarding.
6. The Required Expenses
A life insurance policy and investment can consume up to 50% of your income. You can use the remaining 50% to meet your family’s financial needs. This will include school fees and other expenses for your children.
Budget the remainder of your income for all necessary expenses, such as rent, groceries, EMIs etc. You can also use this corpus to pay for discretionary expenses like eating out or watching movies. It is important to maintain a healthy budget so we can enjoy the present while working for our future.