Have you ever thought why so many rich individuals across the world have immense credit card debt? The main reason is the lack of discipline in managing their budget and poor financial planning. Most of the people often make imprudent use of their credit cards and fail to pay bills within deadline. They fail to stick to their budget and splurge funds beyond their actual limit. All these things lead an individual to fall into an overwhelming debt and becoming a bankrupt over the period of time. In order to avoid such catastrophic situation, it is better to stick to some effective money management techniques which will help you in achieving sound financial status.
Younger generation needs to be extra cautious
It is fact that financial issues seem to influence younger generation in drastic way. This is mainly because of poor money management techniques and spending habits of young people. Young individuals often end up purchasing things which are out of their own budget. One more reason is that young individuals try to match with the lifestyle of their parents but they fail to understand that it took their parents many years to achieve the position where they are currently.
Keep track of every single penny
Keep track of each and every cent that comes and goes out of your pocket. You can take help of various online tools to keep proper track on your finances. Record your financial transactions on every day basis so as to figure out the ones which are unnecessary. Knowing the precise amount which is added and removed from your bank account every month will help you to save on unexpected payments and overdraft fees.
Save for difficult times
Even if you think that you have job security and enough savings, make sure you plan yourself for rainy days. You must have adequate savings in your bank account to meet at least six months of expenditures and bills. In case, your income doesn’t let you to save for your future then you can cut back on your expenses. For example, getting rid of some unnecessary cable channels for which you are paying substantially can save you significant amount of money over the long term.
Set proper financial goals
Setting short term as well as long term financial goals is one more effective money management technique to get rid of unnecessary spending. In case, you have specific financial goal in your mind then there are high chances that you are likely to save some money than if you have no specific goal to manage your finances. Figure out how much money you will require and the time phases when you will need that money. You can determine your financial goals considering these important parameters. Short term goals can be achieved in less than 1 year, while long term goals take more than 5 years to reach. Your wedding function is an example of short term goal you might look to save for. On the other hand, your child’s education or your retirement plan is an example of long term financial goal you may have to consider.
Get rid of unnecessary debts
Most of the people often struggle with managing their debt burden associated with student loan or credit card. One of the effective money management techniques lies in clearing your high interest debt first. You can designate certain amount of money to contribute towards debts every month. If you owe money on several credit cards then you can apply snowball method to get rid of extra burden of your debt. You can begin by clearing off the lowest balances while contributing minimum on larger debts. Once you have successfully paid off your smaller balances you can focus on larger ones by contributing minimum on some other debts.
Start planning for retirement early
Considering the ups and downs in the economy, when there is no assurance of your financial future, it is very crucial to start planning for your retirement during initial days of job. Confirm whether your employer is offering you benefits under 401(k) retirement plan. It is a special kind of account to which an individual can make contributions on pre-tax and post-tax basis. Companies providing 401(k) plan can also contribute matching amount on behalf of employees thereby adding a nice profit sharing benefit to the plan. So, in case you star early you will get stunned to see how much funds you have saved over the life time.
Set up an emergency fund
Setting up an emergency account is very important, especially if there is hardly any assurance in job or career. Try to contribute some fixed amount each month after meeting your normal expenses. Always make sure that you will utilize this amount only when a crisis situation occurs such as accident or health. You can also utilize funds in your emergency account if you are planning to start your own business.
Purchase used items
One more effective money management technique for young individuals is to purchase less costly or used items. In case, you are planning to purchase furniture, car or any expensive items, you can opt for used ones. Finding one which is not very old can actually save you decent amount of money. The used items may take you an extra time to find out but those will definitely help you to save some significant amount of time.
Conclusion
The key to financial success doesn’t only lie in getting a raise or following advice of your financial consultant. Your ticket in achieving long term financial success lies in mastering the effective money management techniques. This is because managing your money effectively is as difficult as managing your debts. The important thing you need to do is monitor your finances by keeping track on your savings and expenses, so that you can prepare yourself for rainy days. Above mentioned money management techniques will definitely help you to build significant amount of wealth over the period.
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I have 30 year fixed FHA loan at 3.5%. It was a good deal. I paid very little down, I had a great equity, just before the crisis wiped it out and now I am stuck with monthly payments to a property which doesn’t have that value. But that’s a different story. The point is, I pay almost $1,700 a month on mortgage payments (PMI and taxes included) and I want if someone can explain to me, 
I told you it is a sucker’s game. 
If you follow my blog for some time you may know about a few options of how to build a retirement account if you just started and have little money to invest. I tried all of those options I wrote about and all worked well. Some methods were closer to my risk tolerance or patience tolerance or both, some of them I didn’t like. But that doesn’t mean that they won’t work for you. It’s up to an investor to decide and try on his own which way would be the best.
Now when you have your savings account up and running, go for a hunt for the best retirement account. The US, Canada, and UK offer many options for retirement accounts. If you live in UK you can go, search and 
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