Financial education, contrary to popular belief, is not limited only to experts in the economic field. It is very important in everyone’s daily life, since we perform actions every day that require us to know how financial terminology works and how it works. Knowing how finances work helps a person to know how to manage their money, to plan their economic future, to be able to make daily decisions involving money, to choose and use financial services.
But what is financial security? This term is used to refer to the situation in which a person can live without financial difficulties. Financial security changes over time, as needs and obligations change at each stage of life. But broadly speaking, a person who is financially secure is one who has no debt or can pay it off without worry. In addition, it is also a person who has control over his or her expenses and manages to save. Therefore, it means having economic stability and that allows you to live with peace of mind.
HOW IS FINANCIAL SECURITY ACHIEVED?
Financial security is the most desired goal for all people and sometimes the factors that prevent reaching this state are beyond one’s own decision or actions. But there are many things we can do that are within our reach and that are necessary for us to be financially healthy.
Financial understanding
Achieving financial security requires a better understanding of your finances, that is, understanding your relationship with money, your financial situation and the health benefits of financial stability. And why for health? Because when you are able to understand the consequences of your financial decisions, you can take steps to change it and thus achieve a healthier life physically and mentally, since money and the relationship we have with it affects us directly.
Know your current situation
To achieve financial security it is necessary to start with something as basic as it is essential, which is to know your current financial situation: what income we have, if we save anything at the end of the month and how much, if we have any debt, how much we pay and how much time we have left to pay. Knowing our situation gives us a more realistic view that will help us make better decisions.
Controlling expenses
The goal of many people is to try to make ends meet without having to borrow money. If we spend more money each month than we earn, we can go bankrupt. To achieve financial security it is important to keep expenses below income in order to live with peace of mind and be able to save, achieve our goals and/or invest. For all of this, cost control is essential.
Know what you want to achieve, what you need, and how much you need
Concrete goals. The more general and diffuse, the more likely they are to be neglected and the more difficult to achieve. Goals must be concrete, achievable and time-bound. Identify what financial goals you want to achieve taking into account your income, expenses and what you are able to save, that is, what you want to achieve according to your financial situation (point we mentioned a few lines above).
Focus on planning
With some salaries and/or personal situations it is difficult to save. But whether you want to make ends meet without having to borrow money or save money, planning is an infallible money management weapon. The budget, for example, can be of great help in order not to spend more than the amount earned during the month. Another tool is the savings plan, which, as its name suggests, helps to achieve short and long term financial goals. Today there are many tools and applications to help you plan and achieve financial security.
Staying on track no matter what
Setting financial goals is important, but sticking to them is even more crucial. At times, we may be tempted to abandon the strategy you have planned for your medium or long term goal, but it is precisely at these times that you should be most conscious of following the path you have set. An exception would be a difficult situation, such as the loss of one’s own or a family member’s job, in which the plan must be postponed or changes must be made. Learn to differentiate exceptions from excuses.