Archive for the ‘financial’ Category
Building An Emergency Fund – A Vital Part of Financial Planning
None of us have the ability to foresee the future or predict the hurdles which lie ahead of us. This makes building an emergency fund a financial priority. Building an emergency fund is healthy for your financial well being, since you’re rarely given advance notice of a setback or an accident which will keep you out of work for an extended period. It is also a safety net that can save you from bankruptcy or severe financial hardships in the event of an unexpected change in your income or expenses.
Housing a small rainy day fund should be a vital part of an individual’s financial goals. This is of high importance if you don’t already have readily available funds in your account for covering any unanticipated expenses. They provide financial security because they give you funds to fall back on if you become ill, or if you or your spouse loses your job, you incur large medical bills, or have an unexpected large bill such as a major car or home repair. You do not want to end up in a situation where you have to buy daily necessities on credit and end up payments on groceries you bought two years back on credit, with a further 10-18% interest on it.
Saving your money in an small account for emergencies is definitely a better alternative to taking a loan or cashing in your long-term investments. If you take a loan, there is the additional burden of paying interest. Encashment of your investments before maturity means not only will you lose out the interest, but also some part of the original investment. This will also set you back significantly in your overall financial plan.
Success at building an emergency fund depends on consistency of saving money on a regular basis, and resisting the urge to dip into this rainy day fund for non-emergencies. This money should be kept separate from the general savings account. Otherwise you will be tempted to dip into these monies even if you simply run over your budget at a certain point. A substantial part of this emergency fund account should be invested in low risk funds. This ensures that your investment does not lose its value in case you need the money. Also, it should be extremely liquid, to give you access to the cash easily and quickly if you need it.
The size of the special savings account will depend on your personal situation. People often keep three to six months’ salary in the reserve. But you will have to decide on an appropriate amount based factors such as your dependants and fixed monthly expenses.
If you are single with no obligations, and have a reliable support system of friends or relatives during a financial crisis, you might not need a substantial amount stashed in this fund. This is opposed to someone who needs to pay nursing costs for his aging parents and supporting a young family. The more people you support, the more likely you are to have unexpected or unplanned costs.
While making a decision about an emergency fund, you should also take into account the degree of difficulty you’d have in finding a new job if you lost the present one. In case of a two-income household, the contribution of both parties should be weighed while calculating how much you should keep aside.
You may not be able to gather your emergency fund money together at once. Treat it as a financial goal and add to the kitty over time. If you get a tax refund, put it in your special rainy day account. Maybe a part of the bonus at work!
Bad Credit Loans: Offers Financial Help Irrespective of Bad Credit Record
How are you going to survive when all the financial help are shut, just because of a poor credit record? Generally borrowers with poor credit such as CCJs, IVA, etc are not favoured by the lenders. So, availing financial help becomes very much difficult for the individuals. Although now you can take respite from the fact that lenders in the financial market are now offering Bad Credit Loans.
Bad credit loans offer finances which can be used for a number of purposes. With the help of finances obtained, you can go for renovation of home, purchasing a car, financing education, going for family vacation, wedding any many more. In fact you can use the amount to pay off all the existing debts and in turn improve the credit score.
These loans are available in the financial market in the classical format of secured and unsecured form. Secured form of the loans can be availed if and only if you are ready to pledge any valuable asset such as home, real estate etc as security. Based on the equity value of collateral placed lenders approve the amount which is usually in the range of
Avoid Financial Disaster with Good Planning
It’s tough to get by financially in today’s fast-paced life. With mortgages, car notes and massive amounts of credit card debt, most people struggle to get by from month to month. With most people doing what they can just to pay their bills, few people are prepared for the unlikely event of a financial disaster. They come in many forms; a storm like Hurricane Katrina, a loss of job, or a sudden illness can break anyone who isn’t prepared for an unexpected interruption in their financial life. But it isn’t all that difficult to make preparations that will help you in times of a money crisis. All it takes is a bit of planning ahead of time.
Here are a few things that will help you be prepared for the unexpected:
Get an ATM/Debit card – You may not regularly use cash or have a need for a debit card, but there are some circumstances where it may be necessary. People from New Orleans who were temporarily displaced by Hurricane Katrina would have benefited from having access to cash even while away from home. If you don’t use one regularly, get one anyway and keep it in a safe place.
Sign up for direct deposit – With direct deposit, you will know that your paycheck will be in your bank account even if you cannot, for whatever reason, physically get to your bank. This will help you in the event of illness or natural disaster that may have your local bank temporarily closed.
Sign up for online bill paying – You can pay bills even if you aren’t at home via the Internet. You don’t have to use the service, but it may come in handy at a time when you least expect it.
Save some emergency cash – Financial experts recommend that you save at least three months’ worth of financial expenses. That’s difficult, but every little bit can help. Try to cut back on a few unnecessary items, such as that tall latte you buy every day. It adds up, and you never know when you may need to access that emergency cash.
Set up a home equity line of credit – Unlike a home equity loan, which provides you with a lump sum of cash right away, a home equity line of credit provides you with cash that you can use a little at a time, and only when you need it. If you don’t actually take any money out, you don’t have monthly payments. But if an emergency strikes, you’ll have cash available. This can be particularly helpful if you find yourself out of work for a short period of time. Your bank won’t lend you money when you are out of work, so plan ahead of time and the money will be ready when you are.
A little bit of planning can go a long way when a financial emergency strikes. If you plan for it now, you will have fewer worries later.
Are You Financially Prepared For An Emergency?
A little planning now can help you handle a natural disaster or other emergency.
Many Americans have focused on their need to be prepared in case of an emergency. Very few, however, consider financial preparedness in their plans. From keeping an evacuation box with important documents to setting up an account with emergency funds, preparing now can be the difference between financial security and financial crisis.
These simple tips from financial experts at Union Bank of California can help anyone prepare financially for a natural disaster:
• Conduct a Household Inventory
Create a household inventory for items of significant value and locate originals of important financial and family documents. Store original documents in waterproof bags in a safe deposit box or durable “evacuation box” and photocopies in a safe place. Use a CD to back up key documents on your computer. If practical, store copies with friends or relatives who live outside the area.
• Know Your Insurance Policies
Understand what types of losses your renters or homeowners insurance covers. Ask your insurance agent or financial planner about additional coverage for floods, earthquakes, home offices and big-ticket items. Keep copies of your policies in a safe place along with your other important papers.
• Keep Cash Accessible
Keep at least $300 in cash at home in a place where you can get to it quickly in case of a sudden evacuation. The money should be in small denominations for easier use.
• Create and Maintain a List of Emergency Contacts
Keep a list of important emergency contacts, including direct family members, doctors, medical facilities, numbers for your bank, insurance agent and company, lawyer and financial planner/advisor. Credit card 1-800 numbers can help you quickly retrieve account information.
• Keep an Emergency Savings Account
This account should be separate from any other account and contain enough money to cover at least three to six months of living expenses.
“We’ve learned from the aftermath of recent natural disasters that financial preparedness is not always top of mind,” said Union Bank’s Executive Vice President Ronald Kendrick. “Follow these guidelines to ensure you and your family are protected financially.”
A College Student’s Financial Success key
Financial success may come in different forms. Financial success does not only mean that you are financially independent, or you have been able to make thousands of dollars off the stock market. To be financially successful, may mean making sure by the time you graduate from college, you are not in debt or worse off than you started.
As essential as it is to secure a part-time job to support your personal wants, you must be aware of the “hidden regressors” that come uninvited. Your first check in the mail, brings you to some degree, some feeling of accomplishment. Your adult life is just beginning, where you see the value of getting paid for work done. It goes without say that it’s at that time where you start to take on additional responsibilities. The importance of communication and being able to be reached wherever and whenever, prompts you to procure a wireless. The apparent need of getting to and from your job incurs the cost of driving insurance, gas and all other related transportation expenses. Indubitably, acquiring a job doesn’t always mean money inflow; it creates a path for money outflow. One needs to be prepared for the unexpected and the ability to be financially successful.
Credit cards: a friend or a foe? When the due date for bills draw nigh, and the checks are not coming in as often as you would have expected, many students feel pressured to use credit cards as a means of a short-term loan. This method where you plan on immediate repayment is not harmful; however, many students misconstrue that credit cards are an invention to make college life luxurious and comfortable. Wrong!
Saving is sometimes barely doable for some students, since they end up owing money to all these credit card companies. Our system is designed so that without good credit, one is limited from doing a lot of things. It is thus sagacious if we use our credit cards wisely. Use credit cards for things you know will definitely bring you a return. For example, use your credit cards to buy gas to take you to work. When you decide to use your credit cards to buy all the possible clothes on sale; and the purchase is backed by the conviction of repayment after you graduate, put the credit card back in your book bag.
Credit cards can either make you or unmake you; this is because if you use them wisely, once you graduate, it will be easier to get a loan for a new car or a lower security deposit on that new apartment. For the college students that work, there is always a possibility of saving your money, even if you can’t save a lot; you can still save a little. Try to research online, for banks that offer high interest rates on their savings account. The proliferation of online savings accounts has undeniably increased the interest rates, and thus the potential to earn more on your savings.
To be financially successful means to be free from debt, in the college perspective it is to try to avoid a post-graduation debt. The “broke college student” has the ability to be financially successful, if means are taking to save more and use credit wisely.