Personal Finance Archives (2024)

FAQs

What is the #1 rule of personal finance? ›

#1 Don't Spend More Than You Make

When your bank balance is looking healthy after payday, it's easy to overspend and not be as careful. However, there are several issues at play that result in people relying on borrowing money, racking up debt and living way beyond their means.

“A good rule of thumb is to aim to have saved 25-30 times the amount you'll spend each year, less any guaranteed income sources. So, for example, if you plan to spend $60K a year in retirement, you'll want to have saved $1.5 million to $1.8 million before you retire.”

There's plenty to learn about personal financial topics, but breaking them down can help simplify things. To start expanding your financial literacy, consider these five areas: budgeting, building and improving credit, saving, borrowing and repaying debt, and investing.

By age 40, you should have accumulated three times your current income for retirement. By retirement age, it should be 10 to 12 times your income at that time to be reasonably confident that you'll have enough funds. Seamless transition — roughly 80% of your pre-retirement income.

The 80/20 budget is a simpler version of it. Using the 80/20 budgeting method, 80% of your income goes toward monthly expenses and spending, while the other 20% goes toward savings and investments.

This system can help you get better acquainted with what you earn and where it goes, while tracking your daily spending (that's the 70% of your after-tax earnings) plus debt repayment and saving (the 20% and the 10%).

Fidelity suggests 1x your income

Fidelity Investments recommends saving 1x your salary by 30. At the end of 2021, the average annual salary was $49,920 for 25 to 34-year-olds and $58,604 for 35 to 44-year-olds. So the average 30-year-old should have $50,000 to $60,000 saved by Fidelity's standards.

By age 25, you should aim to have an emergency fund of 3-6 months of living expenses, and start regularly contributing to retirement savings to take advantage of compound interest over time, even if it's just small amounts.

Someone who has $1 million in liquid assets, for instance, is usually considered to be a high net worth (HNW) individual. You might need $5 million to $10 million to qualify as having a very high net worth while it may take $30 million or more to be considered ultra-high net worth.

The five Cs of credit are important because lenders use these factors to determine whether to approve you for a financial product. Lenders also use these five Cs—character, capacity, capital, collateral, and conditions—to set your loan rates and loan terms.

What is the 80-10-10 rule? ›

When following the 10-10-80 rule, you take your income and divide it into three parts: 10% goes into your savings, and the other 10% is given away, either as charitable donations or to help others. The remaining 80% is yours to live on, and you can spend it on bills, groceries, Netflix subscriptions, etc.

Credit cards are a common cause of a debt cycle, so try to avoid spending any more on them. Try to pay in cash, write a check, or use a no-fee debit card to make your purchases. This way, you will not be charged any more interest on your purchases. Next, examine your income and expenses.

With $400,000, if you buy an annuity at age 62 and then retire, you might expect monthly payments of around $2,400 for the rest of your life. This comes to about $28,800 per year in guaranteed income according to one estimate.

The short answer is yes, $500,000 is enough for many retirees. The question is how that will work out for you. With an income source like Social Security, modes spending, and a bit of good luck, this is feasible. And when two people in your household get Social Security or pension income, it's even easier.

Rule 1: Never Lose Money

But, in fact, events can transpire that can cause an investor to forget this rule.

The rule of 25X is the thumb rule when it comes to retirement savings, where you need to save 25 times your annual expenses. This rule says that an individual can think about retirement when they have funds worth 25 times their annual expenses.

Principle 1: A budget must be established to provide a tool to: project resources necessary to achieve a unit's goals and objectives, measure current financial performance, discover significant transaction errors, and.

How the One Percent Rule Works. This simple calculation multiplies the purchase price of the property plus any necessary repairs by 1%. The result is a base level of monthly rent. It's also compared to the potential monthly mortgage payment to give the owner a better understanding of the property's monthly cash flow.