The success of your financial future depends on you and the plans you put in motion today. If you choose to wing it, you can end up with bad credit. While you’ll still have a number of options, you reduce your chances for traditional bank loans which give you the possibility of securing the best interest rates.
Why You Need a Budget
Knowing what monies you have coming in and what expenses you need to cover each month is key to a healthy financial future. Budgeting isn’t just something people do for fun. But rather, an essential component in keeping track of your debt, maintaining a good credit score and allowing you to achieve realistic long-term goals. Without a budget, your credit score can suffer, which results in you paying more for just about everything.
A Financial Crisis
When you don’t have a budget in place, it’s easy to fall short of money at the end of each month. When this happens repeatedly, it can lead to late payments or a left out expense and the dreaded paycheck-to-paycheck way of life. As a result, when something unexpected happens like a home or a car repair, you pull money from a bill to cover it and fall even further behind. And, to further compound the problem, your credit score is no longer something that traditional banks view as in good standing.
Borrowing Money
Luckily, some people may have the option of borrowing money from a family member or a friend to solve the current financial crisis. However, if they don’t have the money to loan you, you may have to find another way to come up with the funds. Thankfully, even if your credit score is a little less than perfect, there are other financial institutions that are willing to help. For instance, online short-term installment loans can provide you with several hundred or even a few thousand dollars to get you back on track.
Debt
Debt is not something that happens overnight. It’s a cumulative effect that creeps up on you, until one day you find yourself in a difficult situation: you have more debt than you can handle. Most people start out innocently enough with a car loan and a few credit cards with low balances. However, within a short amount of time and good credit, many of these same people buy a home and take on a mortgage and other loans. Having some debt is fine; it’s actually beneficial to applying for a loan in the future. But, taking on too much debt in a variety of places can leave you strapped for cash.
Paying Down Debt
As stated earlier, some debt is good. However, too much of it can cause you to make late payments or even miss a payment. When this happens, you can quickly turn a good credit rating into a number that’s less desirable to lenders. The good news is that you can turn your current financial status around.
If you have many credit cards, take the one with the highest interest rate and focus on paying more towards this one each month. Once the balance is paid, then you move onto the next one. Another way to free up monies from your budget is to refinance. If you have a mortgage or a car loan and you’ve made payments on time for a few years, contact other lenders to see if you can get a better rate and reduce your current monthly payment.
Having a budget in place gives you a better understanding of what you owe out in debt. It also allows you to focus on your long-term goals of having a savings and retirement account, resulting in a healthy and prosperous future.
