Good Planning Can Help You Achieve Your Goals

Eleanor Roosevelt once said it takes as much energy to wish as to plan; planning is key to a successful financial future. The plan should be realistic with clear aims, a timescale and flexibility to take into account changing circumstances. You may need some help in putting a strategy together but once it is done there is a good chance of your having a better financial future as long as you continue to earn regular income and have the self-discipline to follow the plan.

There are some simple principles to follow. You need to live within your means and that is evident if you have written down your income and expenditure accurately, there is a surplus and that you stick to the budget. Any surplus should be either banked to create an emergency fund or put into your retirement fund depending on how you have decided your priorities.

Income

If you have the scope to earn more money that is obviously something that will improve your financial situation. During the recession that might have been difficult but the economy is improving once more. You may be able to work overtime; better still if you can expect to receive regular bonuses those sums can be used positively to help with the emergency fund or retirement rather than being wasted.

Expenditure

Your plans are more likely to revolve around what you spend. There are some bills that are unavoidable; your utility bills spring to mind immediately. It is worth checking periodically whether your supplier is offering you the best deal and if there is something cheaper of equal quality and reliability then you should make a change. There are not a huge number of times where you can save money but one of those is most certainly on the interest rate you are paying on your debt liabilities, especially if you are paying significant interest on credit card balances. The interest rate applied on credit card balances is penal.

Credit Cards

The recession saw many people using their credit cards to subsidize everyday living but that could not last as companies were suddenly reluctant to increase anyone’s credit limit, especially if they appeared to be in trouble. This was in sharp contrast to earlier years when companies tended to increase limits without even being asked. Some people lost their cards when they reached their limits and then defaulted on monthly payments. Those who retained them often found themselves paying significant interest to do so.

Credit card balances should be the number one target of anyone planning to improve their finances. It is sheer waste to pay so much interest when there is a cheaper way to finance your lifestyle. There are reputable online lenders who can certainly help anyone achieve that whether they have a good credit history or not. They use affordability as their key on approving or refusing a loan application. They need to see evidence of an applicant’s income and bank details in order to form an opinion. If it seems that an applicant can afford the installments each month for the full term of the no credit loan then the www.realisticloans lender application will be approved. Better still, the funds will be transferred immediately.

Where those funds are used to pay off liabilities incurring a higher rate of interest, notably credit card balances, it should mean that the expenditure side of a budget will reduce, creating a surplus each month. It is not a matter of wishing you could reduce your expenditure, it is a matter of planning to achieve it. It is a matter of doing online research to see what is available. Interest rates remain relatively low and a personal loan will not carry the penal rate of a credit card. It will be important for you if your strategy is to pay off credit card balances that you do not build them up once again. The whole point of planning is to streamline finances so that you are once again in control.

The financial mood in the USA has improved since the depths of the recession. There are lenders who have a role to play in helping responsible people improve their circumstances. It is an opportunity worth taking; plan and your wishes can come true.