Financial management has to be one of the most daunting and demanding tasks that can cause an individual stress. There is simply no margin for error, and a slight misappropriation could have far reaching effects in the immediate future or sometimes later in life. Now, more than ever before, personal finances are at a greater risk thanks to the availability of easy digital spending platforms. Purchases are made easier by swiping or just by a touch of a button, and bank accounts are accessible through a myriad of services. With a few clicks a person can have thousands of dollars of credit and being destroying their financial future.

The Essence of Personal Financial Management

Basically, personal financial management entails understanding your financial situation at current state, and making plans for the future with what you have. It could also be taken to simply mean watching your spending, and saving what you can. It is important to be careful as someone can easily overextend themselves with just a couple bad moves.

The Specifics of Managing your Finances

Income and Cash Flow management

The easiest way of making the most out of your income is by putting in place a mechanism to track and understand what you get versus what you spend, and finally being able to gain capital for covering other additional concerns, as well as setting the stage for a bright future. However, what challenges most individuals is the means of tracking those finances.

Tracking your finances

Financial experts will tell you that the best way to track your finances is by keeping records of every single financial activity. It’s that simple.

Your financial trajectory will be drawn by calculating your monthly, weekly, or daily income against the amount you spend over the same period. Remember, in addition to your daily expenses and other miscellaneous expenses, other amenities such as rent, insurance, subscriptions, etc, should be included in your record. That way you’ll be in a good position to see the real picture and take the necessary steps.

By having such a detailed record, you will be able to qualify expenses in order of necessity, and somehow cut down on the ones you deem unnecessary, or those that you can do without. Luckily, today there are apps dedicated for the purposes of recording personal emoluments instead of keeping an Excel sheet (which is not a bad idea at all). When you can look at all of your expenditures at once, it makes it much easier to figure out where you are going wrong.

Financial Security and Growth Management

Insurance and investment have been listed by experts as areas of great importance. However, these are areas associated with persons who qualify, or can afford some expendable capital even after balancing their other expenses.

Insurance, for instance is listed as a basic requirement for modern living. You will need to identify a good insurance that promises to secure the well being of your family when hard times come, and no one knows when they do.

Investment on the other hand is dictated by a number of issues, like how and when to venture. It boils down to thinking strategically and taking risks, through what is projected to provide financial stability in future.

The best way to go about it is through starting off with a professional to manage your investments. It is an expensive venture, but the importance of lowering the risk outweighs the deal.

Putting up Liquid Savings

Part of the money meant for savings and growth should be accessible should an emergency arise. This could mean either maintaining a savings account with an emergency clause, or investing in a long term venture but with the ability to secure quick transactions during emergency. Ideally, it’s good enough to have enough money to live on for six months or more if a major issue arises.

Summary

The idea here is to practice individual financial discipline and to understand the different strategies of financial management, and how and when to execute them. A complete financial plan is what constitutes a stable financial future, but discipline is paramount. It takes dedication and sacrifice to attain the above, even when low or high risks are involved.

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If not managed properly, a credit card can have a massive negative impact on your credit rating. For this reason, you shouldn’t just apply for credit cards on a whim; You need to weigh up all the pros and cons and all the benefits before making any decisions. Shopping around to get the best deals on your credit card is always a sensible option, so here is a list of things that should look out for when you do.

1. Annual Percentage Rate (APR)

This is the cost for using the card if you don’t pay off the balance in full every month. Have a look around for credit cards with the lowest APR, so that you have to pay less interest back if you can’t pay the balance off in full for a month or two.

2. Credit Limit

This is the amount of money that the credit card issuer has agreed to let you borrow. This amount will vary depending on your credit score, current financial situation, and other facts. Because of this, you could be offered anything from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands. Regardless of your credit limit, you will want to avoid spending anywhere near your credit limit, as this will negatively impact your credit score.

3. Annual Fee

Some cards add a fee on top of your balance each year for the use of your card. Like with the balance, you will have to pay interest on this fee unless you can pay the full balance at the end of the month.

4. Charges

Ensure you know of any possible charges for using the card, going over your credit limit, spending money abroad, or making late repayments to avoid any nasty surprises. You can check this on your credit agreement.

5. Minimum Repayment

Even if you can’t afford to pay the full balance each month, you will still be required to make a minimum repayment. This doesn’t tend to be more than around £5 or 3% of your balance, but you should try to pay much more than this otherwise it will take longer and cost much more to pay off your debt.

6. Cash Back

Some credit cards will refund you a percentage of your spendings back onto your card. Even if a credit card advertises cash back, you will want to check the small print, as they may only offer this for customers who spend less or more than a certain amount, or ones who have paid off their balance in full at the end of the month. Websites like best.creditcard compare the cash back offers from a range of different credit cards, as well as other benefits.

7. Points & Rewards

Some credit cards offer points every time you spend money which can later be converted into different types of rewards. These rewards can include vouchers, loyalty points for supermarkets, or even football merchandise.

Be sure not to apply for many credit cards in a short amount of time, as this will harm your credit score. Instead, compare the benefits and see which one fits you best, and ensure you make your repayments if you are accepted.

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Are you thinking of taking out a payday loan? They have a certain reputation, but is it fair? Here are the main pros and cons of this type of loan that you should know about before you take one out.

Pros

Quick Cash

Once your loan application has been approved by the lender, it usually doesn’t take long at all to get the money. They will usually send it within 24 hours, and that’s something you won’t get from many other lenders. The speed of the process is something that lenders like Personal Money Store emphasize most. Many people need money very quickly when they apply for a payday loan. So, the quicker this takes place, the better. No other form of lender can compete with payday lenders in this regard.

Easy Applications

There is nothing complicated about the application process when you borrow from a payday lender. All you have to do is let the company know how much you would like to borrow. They will then tell you what the repayment term will be and what the interest rate is. Contrast this with other forms of borrowing money. When you want to take out a bank loan, for example, you have to take the time out to organize a meeting with them. And the whole process can take a long time.

You Are in Control

You are in complete control of how much you borrow when you take out a payday loan. You can borrow a very small amount of money, which is not usually possible when you borrow from other lenders. And you can also borrow larger amounts when you need to. Many payday lenders will allow you to borrow more in the future once you have proven that you can pay back what you borrow. This level of choice and control is something that persuades many people to use this option.

Cons

High Interest Rates

As long as you know what you’re getting yourself into, this might not be much of a problem for you. But the fact is that payday loans have to charge higher interest rates. That’s how they can afford to do all the positive things outlined above. For many people, this is a worthwhile compromise. But others, it might be too much for them to handle when it comes to repaying the money eventually. It’s important to understand exactly how much you’ll pay back in the future before borrowing.

Some Additional Fees

There are also often additional fees that you will need to pay. You should enquire about this before you borrow the money. It’s always best to know exactly what you are signing up for. It might only be outlined in the small print, and a lot of people don’t even bother to read that. There are also late fees that will start to stack up if you begin to miss your repayment deadlines. It’s important that you don’t miss those deadlines because each missed deadline will make it more expensive for you.

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Any entrepreneur looking for success knows that the key lies in being able to expand a business and a brand. If your business has hit a bit of a speed bump, that doesn’t mean it has grown to its full potential. It could mean, instead, that there are opportunities you haven’t yet taken advantage of. Below, we’ve compiled six of these opportunities that could show you there’s plenty of life in the old business yet.

1) Accepting different payment types

Something that every company should ask when they reach their zenith is what kind of customers they’re currently missing out. The answer almost always involves some sort of payment option that’s currently missing. If you’ve never given much thought to it, take a look at the various methods your customers are likely to use. Scout around and see if it’s worth investing in opening your business to more.

2) Going B2B

Another opportunity that doesn’t cross quite as many people’s minds is the possibility of going business to business. Set the focus on consumers aside and consider the benefits of marketing to other businesses. For one, businesses tend to value loyalty and reliability. If you successfully keep their custom once, you’re more likely to keep hold of them.

3) Mobile business

If you’re running an online company, you may need to take another look at how your services and store look online. You may have a site you optimised so perfect for presenting your site on a personal computer. The chances are it doesn’t fit quite as you would want it on mobiles. Your customers will notice this too. Developing an app or mobile site with the help of web design firms could stop them from visiting the more optimised sites of your competitors.

4) The business event

If your clients are the kind to pay close attention and learn as much as they can about your services, this could be ticket. When properly marketed, it presents an opportunity for people to get to know your business in detail without making a commitment. It’s a great way to add a human face and some energy to your sales process, too. On top of that, they work just as well for networking with other businesses.

5) Funding platforms

If you’re looking to expand your business, you may not always have to try scrape as much as you can from your business. You don’t even have to go to traditional investment options. There are a lot of alternative funding platforms available nowadays, so check them out.

6) Selling your expertise

One great way to build your personal brand at the same time as bringing attention to your business is by selling your knowledge. This is primarily done through paid speaking opportunities. You can find a lot of these about, that give your chance to establish yourself as an expert in your field. For an entrepreneur, the profile does a lot of good for both you and your business. Providing you can sell yourself well enough.

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There are many different types of loan out there. So, if you’re thinking about borrowing money, here are the forms of loan you should know about.

1. Credit

Lines of credit allow you to borrow money up a maximum allowable balance. This limit starts again at the beginning of each month so that you can keep borrowing and paying off the debt continually. Obviously, there are minimums and interest to take into consideration. They work in a similar way to credit cards, and they are another thing you can consider. Credit is quite cheap right now, so many people are turning to it rather than taking out a loan that is a little more long-term. It’s a sensible move.

2. Business Loans

Small loans for entrepreneurs help them to get their first foot on the ladder in the world of business. This is the kind of financial boost that people really need when they are trying to start a business of their own. And can be pretty much impossible to do this unless you have the money to start out in the first place. Building a business on debt is never the ideal scenario, but for many people, it’s the only option out there. If you can get one that only covers your needs and has a good interest rate, they can be very useful.

3. Personal Loans

A personal loan is the most common and conventional form of loan out there. They can be used to make improvements to the house, buy a new car or do whatever you want to do. These are usually done by visiting your local bank and discussing things with them. The bank manager will want to know about what kind of thing you will use the money for. And your credit history will obviously be taken into consideration before a loan is given to you. It’s a safe way to borrow relatively small amounts of money.

4. Payday Loans

Payday loans have gotten a pretty bad reputation over the years. And some of that is justified. If people don’t read the small print and the facts are not presented to them clearly, they can get in a big mess. But that doesn’t mean that they have no use at all. They should be used very responsibly by lenders and borrowers alike. And if that’s the case, they can be great ways to make short-term payments while you are waiting for your pay to arrive. And as soon as it does arrive, pay back that debt. Go to www.ferratum.com.au to find out more.

5. Mortgages

Buying a home is one of the biggest steps most of us ever take in life. There are not many bigger purchases that any of us will make in our lives than this one. A mortgage covers the cost of buying your home for people, like most of us, who can’t afford to buy their home outright. The mortgage is long-term, and it is paid back over the course of decades in most cases. They are secure loans, meaning that the collateral is the home that you are living in. If you can’t make repayments, it can be repossessed. Visit www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk to find out more.

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