FINANCIAL FITNESS MONEY HEALTH CHECKUP!
“COVID MONEY CHECK”
“Live Like No One Else So You Can Live Like No One Else” Dave Ramsey
Why is it important and what exactly is it?
When you go to the gym you get an initial checkup, your waistline, your weight, your heart fitness, etc. After 6 weeks you usually have another check to see where your fitness/health has progressed.
What I don’t understand is we don’t have the same programme for money, I didn’t nobody actually ever said do a check-up when I was young, it’s weird when you think about it because money is so incredibly important to living!
Anyway, let’s not beat ourselves up over this and start from now.
“Whilst you have breath in your lungs you have opportunity!”
Is it because it’s overwhelming? Possibly!
Is it because nobody has shown us how? Maybe!
Is it because you’d prefer to put your head in the sand? Only we know the answer!
Is it important….ABSOLUTELY!
Here are my 3 Tips to successful Financial FITNESS checkup.
Make a small amount of regular time to focus, put that time aside, stick it in your diary!
Have a pre-prepared list of what you need to be looking at, you can click here to find my list.
Have Pen and Paper! Use pen and paper as it is proven you remember and retain better when writing.
Things Change, do your check-up!
Things change regularly and it’s important to re-assess.
In 2019 the world changed from the outbreak of Covid,businesses changed, lives changed, income changed but really most weren’t ready for this change. Fortunately for the government most western countries were propped up.
Would you have made it through without it.
When circumstances change it’s time to have do another Financial Fitness Check.
Questions to ask yourself! Take note and check them off your list.
What is my Income
What’s my expenses
Where are my goals sitting
Have I updated my budget
What are my debts
What are my assets
What Insurances do I have and are they up to date
Check my credit score
Have I started my retirement plan
Do I have any savings
Do I have my emergency fund still in tact
Try not to get overwhelmed and FREAK OUT , this is why we are saying put some time aside to check!
Money Management and Money literacy are really important to get our heads around and to do this we need to make sure that we do a regular Financial Fitness checkups. That’s it. That’s why!
Numbers Story
A numbers story is basically, what money is coming in and what money is going out. It shows you if you are a good money manager and where you need to improve!
Are you spending more than you earn?
Are you spending less than you earn?
Have you set up your goals?
The numbers story helps you understand where you are headed.
Planning ahead!
Where are you headed right now? What stage of life are you in?
If you’ve young kids you may want to put money away for your kids' future.
If you are heading into retirement your plan may look different.
“Preparation and Planning Prevents a Poor Performance!”
Be Truthful to yourself
Tell the truth to YOU!
Try not to lie to yourself
Play the Budget Game
Set yourself a budget and give yourself a bit of a reward for making it through the money with money leftover.
Needs Vs Wants
There is always wriggle room with living and spending. I know you need to live, you want to have fun and not be stingy. There are times to be a bit stingy though, like maybe don’t buy that large packet of chips, the second coffee, the tub of icecream. These things don’t keep you alive and can impact your saving.
HELP …...Keep me motivated!
It’s important to have a plan for the times you want to extra spend, emotional spend, get low, depressed and just feel you can’t do it. There are times you need to just let go a little and thats when you get to being able to put your slush fund aside your not dipping into the money that’s set aside for the needs of life! We all need a slush fund!
It’s a behaviour thing!
It’s a behavour thing, it’s about whats between those ears.
One of the basic money checks we need to look at is what’s happening in our mind.
Do we fight our own systems and doubt ourselves.
Knowing your money story, it’s the beginning of changing the mindset to get a greater understanding of why we do things. DOCUMENTS:
Budget Planner, good one to use is the one on the governments Money Smart Website
Quick-Start Budget..simple one page to get you going
Monthly Cashflow Plan
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