Taking more control over your finances is one of the most fundamental ways you can transform your life for the better. There are a whole host of reasons for this, but it is first wise to understand what it means to take more control over your personal finances.
You might reasonably argue that everyone has some degree of control over their personal finances. If you didn’t, then the money wouldn’t be yours – or at least you wouldn’t have any freedom to spend it and make independent choices in your life.
However, while most people have jobs, salaries, and check their bank accounts regularly, this isn’t necessarily enough if you want to make your money work better for you.
In order to take more control over your finances, you need to first understand the basic principles of finance itself. This means educating yourself on how the economy functions, what financial terms such as inflation mean, and how taxes work.
Once you have a better idea of financial fundamentals, you can start to make more educated decisions about your own finances. This might be taking potential investment opportunities more seriously, considering different ways of generating income, and finding ways of legally paying less tax.
Of course, taking control over your finances will also require you to set both short and long-term goals, so you can keep track of how well you are doing relative to these targets.
This is how to take control over your finances:
Find a better deal for your car insurance
One of the most fundamental approaches to taking greater control over your finances is to find better deals for items you regularly pay for. This will help you when you are just beginning to learn more about finance because you will instantly have a little extra change to allocate elsewhere, whether into investments, your home, or simply to spend on non-essential items.
One of these deals could come in the form of lower car insurance quotes in Colorado Springs, or other expensive to insure cities. By finding a provider who offers a more competitive deal, you could shave thousands off your annual overhead payments.
Learn how the system of money works
Having a sophisticated understanding of the financial system is crucial if you want to control your personal finances.
It might sound like overkill, but you can’t make decisions that are right for you without understanding the bigger picture.
Therefore, start by studying the national economy and how it functions. This will include learning about concepts such as inflation, hard versus soft money, and the history of currency.
You don’t have to become an economist; you just need to have a working understanding of what these concepts are.
Create a monthly budget
Taking control over your finances means being able to direct the flow of money in the right direction.
Therefore, it is wise to create a workable monthly budget to stop yourself from overspending on items you don’t need and help you save for items that you do need.
It could be that you want to put aside a certain sum to invest, or you want to buy a new car. Putting a little money aside will help you achieve these targets and train you to be more disciplined with your spending.
Develop your ability to invest wisely
Investing is a dirty word because it is so easy to do badly. However, in reality, investing a sum of money is not difficult in principle, and, as long as you do your due diligence, shouldn’t be unduly risky.
To invest wisely, you need to research different asset classes to understand which one you want to invest in. You should only invest what you can afford to lose, and beware of being sucked into short-term bets. While professional traders can manage these bets, it is better to invest for the long term.
Be prepared to stop spending money
As touched upon above, discipline is a huge part of taking greater control over your finances. There are always temptations to spend your money on – from holidays to clothes, restaurant food, fast cars, and large houses. However, true financial control is built upon focus and discipline, saving money where you can, and reinvesting it in different areas.
It may not be exciting, but being prepared to stop spending so much money will leave you far better off in the longer term.
Have a clear financial goal in mind
If you want to become more controlled with your finances, you need to have a clear aim.
There is no point saying you “just want more money”, or you “want more holidays”, because managing your money doesn’t work like this.
Set a target for the next month, year, and even decade, which you can form your financial strategy around. This way, you can make better decisions and keep track of your progress easily.
Improve your ability to cultivate income
Financial control isn’t just about managing your existing net worth better or about setting strict budgets, and it is about improving your ability to generate income as effortlessly as possible.
It might be that you want to continue in your existing job, but start a side hustle that pours additional cash into your bank account. Alternatively, you may realize that you can generate more money by going freelance.
If you are highly skilled in a particular area, learn to sell your skills, either as a hands-on hired hand or as a consultant. Knowing your own financial worth and maximizing your potential is a central tenet of greater financial control.
Start a business
If you have always had ideas for new products or services running around your head, then now might be the time to realize them by becoming an entrepreneur.
Although this is a risky strategy and certainly doesn’t guarantee financial success, there is no doubting the power of a business to boost your net worth exponentially and have more options when it comes to taxable income.
Businesses take time to grow, and it is worth emphasizing that you should never start one just for the sake of making money. If that sounds like you, it is wiser to invest in someone else’s thriving enterprise rather than starting your own.
