Did you know you can easily master financial wellness?
When it comes to financial wellness, a lot of people forget that it is part of self-care. And while you may have been practicing it even before you knew what it was, it is something that you need to be on top of, no matter what.
You are probably making sure you eat as well as you can, that you keep in shape and on top of your health, and that you have a happy, social, and fulfilled life. This type of routine is essential no matter your age, but it becomes extremely important as you get older.
You need a routine, and part of that routine should include making sure you have financial wellness and that you can do everything that you want that is within your means. Financial wellness and being savvy with your finances are not something that you can disregard once you have retired, as they are an integral part of your life.
If you have been thinking about learning more about financial wellness and maybe thinking about ways in which you can achieve it even more than you have so far, we have compiled some of the best tips for ensuring this throughout the course of your life! Who knows? Maybe you will discover that you have been in a state of financial wellness all along!
Have you ever thought about financial wellness? Did you ever try any of the tips here without thinking about such a term? Any and all thoughts you may have, tell us all about them in the comments!
1. Budget well and never be scared to review it!
You may already be sick of hearing this, but unfortunately, one of the keys to financial wellness and part of what makes it so important is knowing how to budget! Budgeting is way more important than many would like you to think, and this is for a lot of reasons, not just because you have to live according to your means.
Knowing where and when your money is going out of your account is extremely important, and this also helps you know how much money you will need monthly.
The idea is not that you have to stop spending any cash on things that bring you joy, but rather that you should know what you are spending money on, how often, and how much of it you have in your budget for things that make you happy.
You should never shy away from speaking with your family about the budget, especially if you have little kids in your family (as it teaches them how to be responsible with money), and you should also never be scared to review it if you end up seeing more wriggle room or if you have to tighten it.
Living within your means and making sure you are not losing money on frivolous spending is one way to make sure your future will always be secure. You should make sure that you stick to your budget and that you review it, along with any credit cards you may have or any brokerage accounts, and if you need more help to achieve that, you can always reach out to a professional.
Reviews should always be made with your partner, and you should be on the same page. If you have never done it before, you can always start it. Financial wellness is something that you have to keep doing until it becomes part of your routine. It can be harder to do than said, but the rewards are always worth it!
2. You should always have an emergency fund!
Speaking of financial wellness and budgeting, you should never neglect your emergency fund! You can never know what life has in store for you, and you may have already dealt with situations that came out of nowhere and required you to have some saved money aside.
This being said, since you do not know what can happen, you should always have an emergency fund, and you should never neglect to add some money to it monthly, effectively integrating it into your budget.
Not only will you be able to have the peace of mind that if a large expense arises out of the blue, you will have some, if not all, of the money set aside for them, so you will not be taken by surprise, but you will also be able to skip the panic that comes along with such a big financial surprise.
If you have used it up or did not integrate such a fund into your budget, do not worry! There is always time to start one now, and you do not have to set aside a ton of money. You can easily save a small amount every month until you reach your goal or just let it keep accumulating over time.
3. Never forget to have fun!
You may have heard that fun has nothing to do with financial wellness, but we disagree with that! The reason why you want to be able to have financial wellness is because you can get the fun into your routine and you do not have to put it on the backburner at any point in your life!
Having fun, especially as a retiree, should be at the top of your list, and no matter if it is going to be a big or small financial expense, you should make space for it in your budget. After all, you should always have at least a little bit of fun money set aside for all these types of fun activities, be it exercise, art, hobby classes, or just a nice bottle of wine or a nice dinner at your favorite restaurant!
If you want to save up money for a trip, you can always set up a fun fund and add money to it. You will be able to save money while also not making too many changes to your budget!
Achieving your fun dreams is possible, along with financial wellness, as long as you manage to include it in your budget and make the most of your situation. Remember that fun does not always have to be a big thing and that you can always have some joy or fun with little things.
If you need some inspiration for some fun activities you can do in retirement, in addition to the hobbies you may already have, we recommend you read this book, which many have found interesting and extremely useful!
4. Automation is a friend!
This may be something you do not trust that much, but automating your finances may be one of the best ways to achieve financial wellness.
What we mean by automating is that you should look to set up automated payments so that you know all your bills are paid on time and that the amounts you are planning to put in your savings accounts are actually transferred without you having to think about it.
What’s more, if you set up some of these automated payments towards savings accounts so that you can budget better, it will also help you be more and more consistent with your plan so that you do not fall behind with savings.
If you are saving for a trip, you can send it to a special account for that, and so on. These automated payments will make saving money easier, and you will not have any headaches about them.
The best thing is that even when life happens and you may not be able to make a payment or you may need those funds for other things, you can amend the date or even skip that month if you cannot add it to the savings account!
Look into it, and make sure that you use all the means available to you to achieve financial wellness!
If you have always been thinking about relocating for retirement, you should make sure that you are picking the best neighborhoods to do so. If Florida is on your map, make sure you check out these places where people have been moving and the reasons why!
