How to Save Money in Today Economy

With the inversion of the yield curve, investors started worrying about a recession.

“You can be sure an economic downturn will affect your investments in one way or another. But, if you’re not relying on that money for day-to-day living or an upcoming expense, you’ll be just fine, says Lauren Anastasio, a certified financial planner at SoFi, a personal-finance company.

“If you’re in a position where you’re investing for the long term and you have the ability to ignore what’s happening to your account balance because you don’t need that money to live off of in the next few years, that’s a big indicator [you can survive a recession],” Anastasio told Business Insider.

In other words, if your investment strategy is predicated on long-term growth — e.g. you’re building a nest egg for a retirement that’s a few decades away — chances are that money isn’t essential to your current budget.

To be sure, most financial experts recommend investing only after you’ve paid off high-interest debt and set up an emergency fund, which can act as a safety net should you face an unexpected expense or lose your job. Your retirement accounts are usually the best place to start investing, since they’re focused on long-term growth anyway.” Read more…

Managing your personal finances responsibly can seem difficult in this economy, but there are a few simple steps that you can take to make the process easier.

In order to manage your personal finances properly, it is crucial to establish and maintain a monthly budget. This budget should contain line items for everyday expenses and revenue streams. By analyzing where you spend most of your money, you will be better able to control your expenses and pay your bills on time.

Before you make an investment, take the time to meet with a financial planner and develop an investment policy statement. A good statement will help you avoid the pitfalls of investing, and will help you make investment choices that are right for you. If you’re educated about investing, you may be able to put together a statement on your own.

Use a card for small purchases each month such as groceries and gas and pay it off or pay off a majority of the balance each month. This will show creditors that you are capable of handling your card and being responsible with payments. Doing this on a regular basis will help to repair that bad credit score that you currently have.

A great way to avoid being overburdened by expenses that only come around once a year is to set aside a little money out of each paycheck. To do this, divide your yearly expenses by the number of paychecks you receive in a year. The next time the expense is due, you’ll be ready for it.

Always look for ways to save. Audit yourself and your bills about once every six months. Take a look at competing businesses for services you use, to see if you can get something for less. Compare the cost of food at different stores, and make sure you are getting the best interest rates on your credit cards and savings accounts.

To find real space in your personal finance, stop thinking about income and expenses at the same time. It is essential to track every penny of both, but if you pay attention to them simultaneously, all you end up doing is balancing your budget and not saving anything. Cap your expenses at 70% of your income and see the difference.

Diversify your investments using mutual funds. It’s difficult and expensive for a small investor to create a diversified portfolio using individual securities, but a no-load mutual fund can provide instant diversification at low cost. You can invest as little as $1000 in a fund that holds anywhere from 20 to several hundred securities, for an annual fee as low as 1%. Diversification helps to lower investment risk by reducing dependence on any one security to provide a favorable return.

As said in the beginning of the article, it’s very important to pay off necessary items, like your bills, before purchasing anything for fun, including dates or new movies. You can make the most of your money, if you budget and track how you are spending your income each month.