Personal financial planning for the year ahead

Personal financial planning for the year ahead

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Personal financial planning is key to financial wellbeing. It’s only natural that after someone begins to earn money for the first time, they will want to splash out and have some fun. At age 22, we might all have taken the green light to spend, live and enjoy. But money is a precious resource so at some point, reality comes calling and there will need to be some amount of settling down to provide short-term and long-term financial balance. It’s called financial maturity and we have put together 24 signs that reveal who has reached it… and who has a more work to do!

Remember, in the long-term, your financial wellbeing will depend on how well you can cope with the onset of life events. Good personal financial planning can help you prepare.

Personal financial planning
Personal financial planning resources from MoneyWhizz

Some positive personal financial planning signs

1. You look forward to checking your banking app because you know there will be a surplus in it (you might even know the amount within a few Euro).

2. You are familiar with logging into the MyAccount facility on Revenue.ie.

3. You are no longer a familiar face at the lunch outlets near your place of work and are even an expert on the best foods to use for a packed lunch.

4. You know what the deductions on your paystub actually mean.

5. You know how to go online and order a copy of your personal credit report as well as you might have ordered a pizza in previous times.

8. You read through the detail on your current account statements for errors.  

9. You visit the discount sales section before you check out the ‘latest release’ offers when it is time to purchase some new clothes .

10. On payday, you now check out the correct amount was deposited into your bank account… not online shopping.

11. You cut back on spending (and no longer book the more expensive options because the brochures looked great) when it comes to planning a holiday.

12. You opt for the early bird specials and avoid paying full price before a night on the town.

13. Your existing mobile phone is grand for now and an upgrade to the latest model is not that important.

14. You no longer fear the topic of money coming up at family gatherings as you can hold your own and even, enlighten them on a few issues.

15. You actually know what the latest Government Budget announcements mean to your pocket.

17. You use a comparison site for shop for the best deals on utilities.

18. You applied for a refund from Revenue… and received it!

19. You actually consume the majority of food you purchase and understand the impact to your wallet (and the environment) food waste has.

20. You have attended a work-place pension talk that has been useful in supporting your personal financial planning efforts.

21. Personal financial planning has helped you to understand what ‘tax-relief’ means and you can use it for a range of benefits (like public transport to work, medical expenses and saving for the future).

22. You use a personal spending tracker (download here) to manage your money.

23. You offer money tips to friends when you think they could use them.

24. You now appreciate the sacrifices your parents made to ensure the Bank of Mom and Dad stayed open all hours.

Take your FINANCIAL MATURITY TEST HERE.

When it comes to personal financial planning, some of the essential tools and steps begin with personal budgeting. MoneyWhizz has developed and provides an extensive library of resources to put your finances in order and to build financial resilience and build financial wellbeing that will support you and those you care about as life events occur. Use our personal financial planning resources HERE.

Frank Conway is a Qualified Financial Adviser and Founder of MoneyWhizz.org.

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