Financial Literacy

 



Set Your Priorities

Creating a list of needs and wants can help you set financial priorities. Identify Your Starting Point

If you don’t know where you are financially, then it can be challenging to plan how to get to where you want to be next year, five years from now, or decades down the road in retirement. Wants, on the other hand, are things that you would like to have but that aren’t necessary for survival.


Knowing the difference between the two, and being mindful of the distinction when making spending choices, go a long way toward achieving financial wellness. You could lose the job that you’ve held for decades, suffer an illness or injury, or find that you need to care for a loved one—any of which could lead to an unplanned retirement. Or maybe you simply don’t know how to plan.


Learning more about your retirement options is an essential part of securing your financial future. Net worth is basically the difference between what you own and what you owe—i.e., the difference between your assets and liabilities. Even if you can’t save much, every bit helps. Secure Your Financial Future

Due to dire financial circumstances—the most recent being those caused by the effects of the recent economic crisis and lockdowns—many people adopt “I’ll never retire” as a retirement plan. Many people are surprised to find out just how much money they are spending on superfluous goods and services.


“The Beauty of Budgeting” explains why it’s important to develop a budget and provides guidance for creating your own annual spending plan. Needs are things that you must have to survive: food, shelter, basic clothing, healthcare, and transportation. All trading involves risk and losses can exceed deposits.


The Bottom Line

Even if you didn’t learn money skills at home or at school, it’s never too late to catch up. As an added bonus, a budget can be a real eye-opener when it comes to spending choices. Be proactive about developing your financial literacy.


2. Needless to say, saving for a tropical vacation falls into the wants column, while stashing cash for retirement is a definite need.


“Five Rules to Improve Your Financial Health” covers a quintet of broad personal finance rules that can help you set your priorities and achieve financial goals.


4. Second, saying that you won’t retire can be just an excuse to avoid spending the time and energy to develop a real plan—or it could be a sign that you are in really difficult straits that you need to confront. You’ll need to rank your needs as well as your wants to clearly define where your money should go first. One of the best ways to figure out your cash flow—what comes in and what goes out—is to create a budget, or a personal spending plan.


A budget forces you to put down on paper all of your income and expenses, and this can be an indispensable tool for helping you meet financial obligations now and in the future. These five articles will help you get on the road to financial health.


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The first step in succeeding as a trader is understanding the market. That’s why it is important to identify your starting point.


Calculating your net worth is the best way to gauge both your current financial health and your progress over time. Realigning your focus and adjusting your finances now will make all the difference for your future. Document Your Spending

Most people could tell you how much money they make in a year. It can provide a wake-up call that you are off track or confirmation that you are doing well.


“Why Knowing Your Net Worth Is Important” explains how to calculate net worth and provides tips for building it. It also pinpoints a variety of areas where you may be losing money without realizing it.


People can get into financial trouble when what they spend on wants doesn’t leave enough to cover their needs.

3. This applies not only to your current expenses but also to your goals—which can, in turn, fall into the categories of wants and needs. There are strategies to pay down and get out from under debt that you may have already acquired.


“Digging Your Way Out of Debt in 8 Steps” demonstrates what you can do to get out of debt—from acknowledging any financial missteps and checking your credit report to finding the money to help pay down your accumulated expenses. You need a firm grasp on important concepts to capitalise on market opportunity. Pay Down Your Debt

Most people have debt—a mortgage, auto loans, credit cards, medical bills, student loans, and the like—and some of that debt actually may be good for them. Once you’ve developed a plan, you could end up making better spending choices, given that you have a goal in mind.


“The Best Retirement Plans” covers a variety of plans (including individual retirement accounts [IRAs] and employer plans), contribution and income limits, company matches, and other factors to take into consideration when planning for your retirement. Most people can’t go to college without college loans, for example. Fewer could state how much money they spend, and fewer still could explain how and where they spend it. 5 Articles to Refresh Your Financial Literacy

Learn or brush up on key concepts to secure your financial future

By JEAN FOLGER Updated September 06, 2021

Reviewed by EBONY HOWARD

Wealth

TRUST & ESTATE PLANNING

PHILANTHROPY

WEALTH MANAGEMENT

LIFESTYLE ADVICE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Investopedia’s Top 5 Financial Literacy Articles

The Bottom Line

Encompassing a broad range of money topics—from balancing a check book to developing a household budget and planning for retirement—financial literacy shapes how we view and handle money.



The non-profit Money Management International, a provider of financial education and counselling services, has created a 30-step path to financial wellness.1


To help you get started, we focus here on five financial improvements from that list, suggesting some of Investopedia’s best articles to jump-start your journey to financial literacy.



KEY TAKEAWAYS

Assessing your assets and your debts is a great way to start preparing for retirement.

Tracking your spending and setting up a budget are good ways to stay on top of your money.

Don’t count on Social Security benefits alone to support your retirement.


5. However, as a rule, debt is not good, and what makes living with debt so costly is not just the interest and fees; it’s also the fact that it can prevent people from ever getting ahead with their financial goals. City Index provides a rich selection of resources designed to help you become a more profitable trader, from identifying opportunity to using their platform. Ultimately, it can become a drain both fiscally and emotionally on individuals and families.


While the best strategy is to avoid getting into debt to begin with (by making practical spending choices and living within your means), that isn’t always possible. Investigate retirement vehicles such as individual retirement accounts (IRAs), 401(k)s, and other investment options to help fund your future.

Investopedia’s Top 5 Financial Literacy Articles

These are the titles...



“Why Knowing Your Net Worth Is Important”

“Five Rules to Improve Your Financial Health”

“The Beauty of Budgeting”

“Digging Your Way Out of Debt in 8 Steps”

“The Best Retirement Plans”


…and here’s what they can help you do.



1. This approach has several major flaws.


First, you can’t always control when you retire.


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