Life is nothing but a constellation of moments and events. Some we cherish while others we try to forget as soon as we can. Moments can be enjoyed and forgotten. But what about our life’s major events? We can’t ignore most of them. Besides, some of these events trigger a need to plan and organize our finances.
Here is a list of life’s major moments that necessitate the need for a comprehensive financial planning:
- Birthday
- Graduation
- First paycheck
- First car
- Wedding
- First home
- First baby
- Marital separation
- Medical emergency
- Relocation
- Retirement
- Job loss
Let me help you go through each event of your life without adding any stress by providing you with the below-given financial tips:
Birthday
- Shorten your guest list and book an inexpensive venue
- Send personalized birthday invitation e-cards to guests
- Keep an eye on Groupon to grab easy deals
- Watch out for the clearance items at Target
- Cook easy and simple recipes for kids
Graduation
- Look for a job
- Live within your financial means
- Pay your bills regularly
- Take care of your student loans
- Create a LinkedIn profile
- Maintain a clean social media profile
- Create an emergency fund
- Do volunteer work
First paycheck
- Create an automatic savings account
- Participate in your employer’s 401(k) plan
- Pay your delinquent credit card bills and student loans
- Have a look at other retirement plans
First car
- Compare the auto loan rates first
- Calculate how much you can pay per month
- Try to avoid buying a sports car
- Check your credit report and score
- Have a talk with auto insurance agents
- Think about your transportation needs
- Avoid buying a car from an auction
Wedding
- Set up a budget plan for your wedding
- Sign a prenuptial agreement
- Talk about your financial responsibilities
- Re-check both of your debts and keep finances separate
- Change your beneficiaries
First home
- Contact a buyer’s agent since he/she can help you find a home
- Calculate how much you’ve to pay for other costs
- Calculate how much house you can afford
- Set up a budget and save money for making a down payment
First baby
- Calculate your initial baby care cost
- Calculate how much you need to pay a nanny
- Buy extra life insurance policies
- Open a 529 savings account
Marital separation
- Check out your joint assets and liabilities
- Create a new budget for your new lifestyle
- Check out your credit report and know your financial situation
- Calculate how much you need to pay for child support or alimony
- Find out if you stay in a community property state
- Create a separate account in your name
- Cancel all the joint accounts
- Change the name of your beneficiaries on all your accounts
- Upgrade your insurance policies
- Get disability insurance for yourself
- Re-title all your properties
- Review your income tax deductions
- Change your estate plan and will
Medical emergency
- Get an itemized list of services
- Scrutinize your medical bills including the ‘fine print’ section
- Try your best to avoid the emergency room
- Check your insurance coverage, claims and denials
- Avoid paying medical bills with credit cards when you’re in debt
- Watch out for the government assistance programs
- Talk with a credit counselor to find a way out to pay your medical bills
Relocation
- Check out the change in your tax rates
- Calculate your total relocation cost
- Find out what is the cost of living in another state
- Ship only those items which you really need
- Avoid hiring more movers than you really need
- Keep heavy furniture in the front room
- If you wish to sell your home, then keep it furnished to get a better price
- Choose an area where you can get affordable housing
Retirement
- Calculate your total retirement savings
- Create a budget to adjust with your new life
- Review your insurance plans
- Find out how much debt you still need to pay off
Job loss
- Cut down your expenditures
- Update your profile in job portals
- Apply for new jobs
- Get a part-time job till you get a full-time job
- Take advantage of unemployment insurance
- Use your emergency fund
Have any more tips to share? Great! Leave your comments here so that everyone can tackle life’s major moments without any trouble.
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