Simple ways to avoid the debt trap and secure your income

Many people spend their lives surviving paycheck to paycheck, it’s an unhealthy lifestyle that only leads to stress and anxiety. Although your monthly salary can cover your day-to-day expenses, financial emergencies of all kinds can have a huge impact on your financial health if you don’t plan ahead. Therefore, honing your personal financial management skills is imperative if you want to avoid bad weather.

The art of financial literacy requires you to use and apply this knowledge to learn money skills. You need to be aware of many terms and concepts that are important to ensure you stay on a positive financial trajectory. Like everything else, practice makes a person perfect. The more you develop your financial management ability, the more responsible and lucid you will become when using money and allocating funds for different purposes.

Personal finance essentially refers to the closed-loop surveillance of a person’s or family’s financial resources. It consists of various methods used to manage money through investing, spending, and saving, while taking into account the whole spectrum of requirement which includes the threats and risks that can arise to any time without warning. Additional aspects of personal finance include budgeting, banking, retirement planning, insurance, etc. The term also refers to the various financial institutions that specialize in providing financial services to an individual throughout their lifetime or for a certain period.

Personal finance is primarily concerned with meeting an individual’s long and short term financial goals. Being a broad phenomenon, personal finance includes everything that can have a financial impact on your life, from accessing sufficient funds to pay essential bills to preparing for your eventual retirement. People who are used to saving money from the earliest stages of life are more likely to have enough money to save a safe course, even in storms and rough waters. Even if you make small but steady savings, the amount will go a long way in ensuring increased returns in the future. These savings alone prove invaluable when dealing with any crisis or unfortunate event that may arise in life.

Money and security needs

Money issues transcend ordinary forecasts. It is important to nurture a broader and more holistic perspective. Personal finance goes far beyond being employed in a professional capacity and earning money. It is considered unwise to spend all your salary right after receiving it. What is needed is a real plan of action that can competently oversee all the vital factors such as income focus, expenses incurred on a monthly basis, and long-term financial goals. This will help cement the financial stability and security needed to meet the daily needs of life.

Budgeting, saving and spending

Although you can earn a nice sum each month, you can still be vulnerable to a world of financial problems and debt if you fail to implement a real financial plan. It is extremely essential to use your income wisely or you could unwittingly end up stretching your legs beyond actual financial coverage. However, the contrast to the statement above is also true. Someone who may not earn much but is sincere about saving and managing finances is more likely to live a financially fit life. All because the individual is committed to diligently saving money and spending only on essential expenses. Personal finance plays a huge role in carving a clear picture of one’s income, monthly expenses, and building a budget that is achievable with the given income.

Cash increase

Personal finance can also prove to be a blessing as it can help improve your overall cash flow. It is prudent to keep an eye on your expenses and spending habits and increase cash flow. To ensure you don’t misplace your salary fund and avoid unwarranted expenses, it is recommended that you devote the necessary time to tax planning, reasonable expenses, and prudent budgeting.

Unmanageable debts

Being in a state of extreme debt is always bad news. This can not only jeopardize your financial future, but also restrict your upward movement in society. The art of personal finance consists of a variety of proven techniques that can help manage debt effectively. To avoid unnecessary debt, it is essential to avoid splurging on unnecessary things. For example, many people are drawn to the promises of an opulent lifestyle as soon as they are able to earn a higher salary. This can lead to being drawn into a vicious death trap. Abusing your credit card and going over its limit is another way to invite debt on your head. To resolve difficult situations of this nature, it is important to practice a solid personal financial plan in everyday life.

Asset growth

A number of people are more inclined to own assets. However, a number of assets have their own share of liabilities. This means that it is relevant, to say the least, to gain an actionable knowledge of basic financial concepts. We can easily determine the true value of a specific asset and resolve liabilities by understanding our finances. This is a safe method to allow our assets to grow organically.

When it comes to building a strong and solid financial future for you and your family, a thorough understanding of your finances plays a vital role. It is essential that you transform your spending habits and plan your budget each month to avoid any financial backlash.

(Rohit Garg is CEO and Co-Founder, SmartCoin)

Posted: Sunday, April 17, 2022, 07:00 IST