Personal financial plan, or the Path to material independence

Few of whom have a natural inclination and a love of accounting. Most of us, with the words "financial planning", "cost optimization", "budgeting" and the like, begin to yawn involuntarily. In fact, all this seems not so boring when it concerns you personally. Many people are familiar with the situation when, just a week after receiving the salary of money, it remains "only" until the next, and a week or two later it turns out that it's time to look for a lender until the next payday. Everyone knows that there is not much money. Of course, everyone has their own criteria "many-little", but this is a separate topic.

It is not necessary to master all economic wisdom in order to learn how to plan your incomes and expenses competently. Meanwhile, basic knowledge and skills in this area can be useful to everyone, regardless of the size of earnings and marital status. The management of the family budget can be rationalized at the expense of very simple principles, theoretically known to everyone. Only for many, this knowledge remains a theory because of laziness or disbelief.

How to make a personal financial plan

First of all, we need to understand and fix what we have in terms of income and expenses. Those who receive more or less stable wages, with the income item will cope easily. But to determine the amount of costs will have to work hard. It is necessary to start recording all your expenses in a notebook (a computer file, a specialized program, which is now plentiful - the account option is chosen by each to your taste). The key word in the last sentence is EVERYTHING, because, after a month, you will be surprised to find out how much money flies practically "to nowhere".

In a month or two scrupulous records, you can start the most interesting - analysis. This moment is fraught with a lot of "wonderful discoveries" even for those who do not mindlessly spend money. It is important to analyze not only all items of expenditure, adjusting them for the future, but also the ratio of income and expenditure. This is a good reason to think: maybe it's better to make efforts not to tighten the economy, but to try to earn more?

After carefully considering everything, you need to make a personal financial plan. Here - complete freedom of creativity, taking into account, of course, the previous analysis.

• We can only recommend allocating such an article as "unforeseen expenses", putting in it about 10% of earnings. It's like in repair - life is constantly throwing unexpected surprises. Do not confuse this money with the egg capsule for a rainy day! If you managed not to spend the amount laid down for the unexpected, you can safely dispose of it - at least put it off, even though you yourself are something to spoil.
• A personal financial plan must necessarily contain an article of "accumulation". All experts in this field are unanimous in that 10% can be safely shelved, regardless of the size of earnings, no matter how it seemed that the tighter belt is no longer tightened. Moreover, it is more reasonable to immediately transfer these 10% to a separate bank account, so that there is no temptation to spend. A person who does not have a certain amount of money behind his soul can not be confident not only in tomorrow, but in today's day.
• Making up a personal financial plan, you should not severely curtail spending on health and education. These amounts can be considered a contribution to the future, because a sick person is unlikely to adequately provide for themselves and loved ones, and further training can provide additional sources of income.
• It is necessary to thoroughly think over the normal, "right" ways of saving, i.e. Without much damage to yourself. You can optimize costs in different ways - for example, order online purchases, choose the best tariff for cellular communications, digital TV, do not disdain actions, sales, discount sites (there are a lot of them now), etc.
• If your personal financial plan includes such an item as cigarettes, multiply the amount put into the month by 12, and then by the number of years that you would like to still live. How do you get the result? Are you still willing to spend such money to ensure that the period you have given is significantly reduced? Slow suicide for their own money is a questionable expense item.
• And the last. Money should work. If there is something to invest - do it (just think well - where), let the interest in the bank is small, but it is still nice to receive it. The more funds turn around, the faster they accumulate. Do not be mean, but stop squandering. Success!