Learn how to make money work for you. This article will help you to improve on financial security and intelligence. Read the blog and learn.
Robert Kiyosaki’s book titled Rich Dad, Poor Dad emphasized on the importance of having money to work on you. Making money is a talent that is not taught in schools, so it takes a great deal of time to learn about art. Even though money is not taught in school, you have to make money work for you.
I have learned that the fastest way to make money aside from your job is the longest. This is because you don't have to train yourself in definite knowledge; you learn and fail. The best Investment to start with is yourself. I know the importance of discipline because the skill helps one to make extra money faster and to reach a realistic six figures.
Establish Your Specific Long-Term Financial Goals
The first step is setting a smart financial goal. I have seen some people who say their goal is to make 33 trillion dollars, and the question is how smart this goal is? Some nations' GDP is not even up to that amount. Your financial goal should be smart, and this means specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
To ensure a clearly defined financial goal, you should ask questions like: What do you want to accomplish financially? Why is your financial goal important? Who is involved? Where is it located? What resources or limits are involved?
You can also measure the goal to track and maintain motivation with key elements such as how much? How many? How will you know when your financial goal is accomplished?
You can check how achievable your financial goal is. This means ensuring that, with the given resources and constraints, your goal is realistic and attainable. To do so, you need to consider limitations and obstacles, identify the necessary skills and resources, and ensure that the financial goals are not too ambitious or too modest.
The relevance of your financial goal should align with your life objectives. The need for long-term financial goals to meet up with your long-term visions and future aspirations is balanced. Relevant financial goals answers: Does this goal matter? Is this the right time? Does this align with other efforts and needs?
Finally, a time-bound finance goal provides a definite deadline and prompt for timely completion. Parameters to be involved are: When will it be accomplished? (for the long term), and what can I do today? (short-term goals or chunking them).
Tackle Your Debts
While personal loans can be used for a number of purposes, they can also have drawbacks, especially when you want your money to work for you. Paying back debts is burdensome, and some lenders give out loans at a high interest rate. You are forced to allocate a portion of your future income to service your debt, which limits the possibility of achieving your financial goal at a good time.
Try to eliminate any high-interest debt of more than 20%. You can pay early to save on interest charges and invest somewhere. To tackle your debt, you have to identify some expenses you need to cut back on and use the savings to pay back your debt early. You should start by paying off the ones with the highest interest rates.
You can also pay your debt by snowballing, which means paying smaller debt balances before the larger ones. Another method is called debt avalanche, which is by paying the highest interest debt and also the minimum payments on the rest till you become debt-free. The goal is to manage your finances and set up the best strategy, which is the most relevant, and it depends on your earnings.
Set Aside Money for Investing
There is a personal finance book titled “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George S. Clason. The book outlines cures for a lean purse. The first is setting aside at least 10% of your income. To make your money work for you, you have to start building, and if you do not have a trust fund or inheritance, setting aside money will help you build a financial cushion to grow over time.
Keep Money in an Account That Earns You Higher Yield or Returns
Having a fixed deposit account gives you a higher interest rate than having a savings or a current account. The mode of accumulating interest in this type of account differs from a savings account and a current account. A fixed deposit account allows you to grow your money by investing a specific amount of money for a fixed period of time at an agreed interest rate.
To understand how a fixed deposit account works, you deposit a specific amount of money in it for a period of time. You are guaranteed capital, and the return on investment can range from a minimum of 30 days to a maximum of 360 days, depending on the bank.
In a fixed deposit account, the interest rate and tenure of the capital are subject to your preference. Your interest and principal can be re-invested immediately or liquidated (returned to you) after the agreed tenure. The better part of this investment is that your interest is not subject to tax.
You can apply as an individual or a corporate organization. To get started, visit any bank of your choice, collect and fill out the mandate form, and submit it.
Compound Your Wealth by Investing
Compound interest allows your money to grow over time through the power of earning interest on interest. An anonymous person said that “compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it… he who doesn’t … pays it.”
Harnessing compound interest means building long-term wealth. It accelerates savings growth and long-term financial security and teaches the value of patience and commitment to a goal. All you have to do is start early, invest wisely, and watch as your money grows exponentially with compound interest.
Don’t Lose Your Profits to Taxes
When choosing an investment strategy, be conscious that it could impact your taxes. For instance, there are stocks you buy and sell through a taxable brokerage account. The profits are taxable capital gains. Taxes on stocks on how long you have held it and under what tax bracket you fall. Look for strategies that allow your money to go to taxes, stay invested, and work for you.
Diversify or Rebalance Portfolio
When you diversify your investment portfolio, you spread risk and capitalize on different growth opportunities. Rebalancing is when you sell or buy holdings to change the ratio of the amount you have in stocks, bonds, and cash to align you with your financial goals. These tactics are relevant to keeping you safe and comfortable financially.
Start a Continuous Passive Income Stream
Having a stream of passive income to continue making money for you without any involvement is important. There are different passive income ideas to help you generate extra cash.
A passive income gives you the opportunity to pursue your primary job or dream and still make money from other avenues. You can make a passive income in different ways, such as creating a course, selling e-books, affiliate marketing, rental income, dividend stocks, etc. The extra income helps you make a living.
Bottom Line
To make your money work for you, you have to be able to use the best strategies that are enough to attain one’s financial goal. While the strategies have proven to be effective, financial discipline and resilience are needed to meet up this long-term exercise. Every small prudent decision in your financial objectives is important for the long run.
Having a smart goal to ensure credibility, tackling debts, setting money aside, investing, having a fixed deposit account, compound interest, investing strategy, diversification and rebalancing, or having a passive income make your money work for you.
You don't have to procrastinate. Start now by following each other's steps outlined in here. Financial freedom is a gift you give to yourself.