Take Control Of Your Finances And Plan For Your Future by Keith Gilabert

By Keith Gilabert
Many people come to me and ask if I can prepare a financial plan for them.  I have often found that many people have the income but lack the discipline.  Basic personal finance management doesn't require advanced expertise.  I personally know a gentlemen who never made more than $35,000.00 a year retire with more than $1,000,000.00 in savings.   With a little planning and discipline, you can live on what you make while putting some aside to grow your net worth so you can retire in comfort.

One of the things I do to save money is shop at Costco.  Try purchasing non-brand name products such as Kirkland in place of expensive well known brands. Many brand names are more expensive because of advertising costs.  Most of the time there really is no difference between the two, so you won't even notice.

Don't trust any organization that guarantees success in repairing your credit. A lot of agencies will make general claims about their capability in repairing your credit history. This is not at all accurate since what is affecting your credit is not the same as another individual with credit issues. If you owe the money pay it.  If you do not have the ability to pay the credit cards off then hold off until you have saved enough money and work out a settlement.   When it comes to credit repair, there can be no guarantee of success.
Protect yourself financially with the best health insurance policy for you. Illnesses can spring up suddenly. Because of this, you should be sure that your health insurance leaves you protective. I once went to the emergency room and the bill was $6,700.00. With insurance you'll be covered instead of facing years of debt, my part of the bill was only $600.00.  If you have kids make sure you are covered, a hospital stay will cost you financially and will permanently damage your credit if you can’t pay.

You can improve your credit rating by paying your bills on time and in full each month.  This is really important because credit issuers want to see a debt-to-available credit at about 11 percent.  When you pay something early, you will know right away how much you have left to spend or save. You will not be as anxious about how you are going to pay your bills or having something come up financially you did not expect.
Take advantage of being married and the spouse having the better credit should apply for loans. Paying off credit card balances is a great way to repair a bad credit report. When your credit score improves, you can start to apply for joint loans and share the debt with your spouse.

Speak with your bank about setting up a savings account where a certain portion of funds transfer over to it from the checking account each month. This is a great technique which forces you to put aside a little bit of money each month. This can also help tremendously if you need to save for a future event like a wedding, vacation or other event down the road.
The best way to stay one step ahead of financial problems is to advance plan for your future. With a goal in mind and a plan for reaching it, you have a yardstick to use in evaluating potential expenses and a source of motivation to work harder.

It should now be apparent that everyone can become wealthier, learn to spend less than is being earned, and develop an effective financial plan. If you combine your common sense with the beneficial financial advice presented in this article, you can devise a budget that's easy to maintain, decrease or eliminate your debt, develop a savings plan, and gain control of your personal finances before they gain control of you.