Are YOU Financially FIT?
HOW to Determine...
You probably get regular checkups from your dentist and doctor. Even cars and pianos require regular tune-ups. Most individuals fail to do the same for their financial health. While there are experts that can analyze your finances, most of us are entirely capable of measuring our own financial health. However, we either don’t think about it or choose to avoid it.
Determining the financial health of a company requires looking at several things. The same is true for your personal finances.
Follow these steps and give yourself a financial check-up:
1. Determine your net worth. Your net worth is the number you’re left with after subtracting your debt from your assets.
·
The
primary examples of assets are cash and other securities, the current market
value of your personal property, and the equity in your home.
·
Essentially
all of your debt is your liability. It’s the balance remaining on your credit
cards, automobile loan, mortgage, and student loans. Any other money you owe
would be included.
·
Note
that a high net worth isn’t everything. You could have a painting worth $1
million on your wall, but still be struggling to pay your bills. Your cash flow
is important, too. You bought a $60,000 car, but you have to borrow money for gas from your friends an family.
2. Determine your cash flow. Consider how much money you’re spending each month compared to the amount you’re receiving.
·
Tally
your household income and subtract your spending. Exclude any amounts you’re
saving or investing.
· A larger, positive cash flow provides financial breathing room and psychological comfort. A negative cash flow suggests you’re getting deeper into debt each month.
3. What is your savings rate? Divide your monthly savings by your income. Include any contributions to your retirement accounts, too. Most financial experts recommend a 15% savings rate. Obviously, a greater number will result in more savings.
·
If
you’re saving less than 15%, strive to save more. Increasing it by just 1-2%
each month will result in a healthy savings rate in short order. If you are not able to increase it monthly consider increasing it every six months or annually by 5-10%.
4. Do you have the necessary
insurance?
Different situations require different types of insurance. Asking yourself a
few questions will help determine the types of insurance you need. If you ask
yourself all the “what if” questions, you’ll have the necessary answers.
·
Protecting
your home, health, income, and valuable assets are reasonable places to start. The biggest mistake consumers make purchasing too much insurance. Yes, you can actually be over insured.
5. How much is in your emergency fund? Could you weather the loss of a
job, a major car repair, or any of life’s other unpleasant surprises? Experts
recommend an emergency fund equivalent to 3-6 months of living expenses.
That might seem like a tall order, but you can chip away at it a little at a
time.
6. How much do you expect to have at retirement? There are plenty of calculators that will enable you to extrapolate the value of your nest egg well into the future.
·
Are
you on schedule to retire with adequate financial resources?
7. Are you prepared for major expenses in the future? If you know your car is nearing the end of its lifespan or major educational expenses are coming, are you in the position to handle them?
8. Last but not least, do you have a spending budget. You should create a spending (budget) in order to monitor and control how you spend for things that may not be a high priority. You may want to reward yourself with something that's not of high priority. If you can't control how you spend your money other things will.
Your
answers to these questions will reveal the health of your financial situation. Pay
close attention to your financial health. Putting a priority on your
finances will result in choices that enhance your financial well-being. Make sure your money is going where YOU want it to go.
Author; C.R. Daniels
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