Budgeting

My first words of advice for post-grads include financial planning. The first step will be to plan for your move by budgeting and researching your new city’s cost of living, especially rental costs. When you rent an apartment, the landlord may expect three months of rent upfront: the first month, the final month and a month’s rent to be held as a security deposit. Some landlords may also require renter’s insurance.

Creating a budget is one way to help alleviate feeling financial stress. The thought of putting together a budget can feel daunting and overwhelming. However, putting together a budget is vital to creating financial awareness, confidence and security and helping you achieve your goals. Read on for four tips to consider when creating your budget.

Financial literacy is one of the greatest gifts you can give your children. Understanding fundamental financial concepts provides them with the knowledge, skills, and motivation to responsibly manage their money and achieve their goals, whether they’re a young child saving up to buy a toy or a recent college graduate who’s out on their own for the first time. The sooner you begin these life lessons in money management, the better.

Making the decision to add a pet to your family is an exciting time. Some pets are relatively inexpensive to bring home and maintain, while others can be costly. Before you take the emotional leap to become a pet owner, take a step back and think about your budget.

While it may be true that “it’s too early for this,” as many of us declare, it’s definitely not too early to budget for your winter expenses. Having a clear budget will help you stay on track financially.

As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, there seems to be a new travel trend. We used to save vacations for summertime, but we now see people traveling more at off-peak season. When planning to travel it is important to set a budget to ensure you don’t overspend.

Inflation — a period of rising prices — can take a bite out of your budget. This year has seen a rapid rise in inflation, with prices increasing because of government stimulus, increased consumer demand, COVID-19, and supply chain issues.

It is important to start budgeting for the upcoming school year if you want to start building a solid financial footing ahead of graduation. To do that, you’ll want to take time to prepare your finances before the school year begins. Creating a thoughtful budget and basic financial plan is a great place to start.

A summer job may be the first opportunity for kids to earn enough money to need to make more critical financial decisions. It is important to work with your child to help them manage their summer job income and help them become financially savvy.

A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ can help you start budgeting for your next vacation. Budgeting for vacation is extremely important to ensure that your vacation doesn’t break the bank.