Hey guys! So lets talk about financial literacy and why its important for a sec. Financial literacy is the education and understanding of various financial areas including topics related to managing personal finance, money and investing. Why is it important? Financial literacy help build financial stability. Not having financial literacy could lead you into big trouble such as debt or making poor choices. You don't become financially literate overnight it takes a lot of education, life experiences, and budgeting. Don't know where to start? Here are some tips that could help you create more stability.
Use Personal Finance Apps/Websites
This has helped me a lot with managing my money and creating monthly budgets. I personally use Mint. I connect all my credit and debit cards there. Another plus about this is that I can connect my monthly bills aside from my cards so I basically have everything in one spot. Mint gives me updates on when my bills are due while also sending me daily notifications if I am going over my budget limits. They also do a free score which takes the icing on the cake. There are some other apps that people use such as Wally, Acorn, You Need a Budget, etc.
Invest!
Investing could be a risky thing for some but the goal is to grow your money. Investing ensures now and future long-term financial security. There are so many ways you can invest such as stocks, bonds, ETFs, CDs, etc. I personally use two investing apps Robinhood and Coinbase. I like Robinhood a lot because its free and you don't have to have a minimum. Sign up now with this link and you get free stock! https://share.robinhood.com/chelsec197 . I like Coinbase for cryptocurrency. There are also so many other investing apps like Ameritrade, E-trade, Stash, etc.
Savings are Important
Saving is probably one of the greatest things when practicing financial literacy. That doesn't mean save everything you earn but try and save some to help build your future. Find the value in paying yourself FIRST. Reason I say that is because bills and expenses are going to always be there no matter what but just having the satisfaction of having extra money is a peace of mind. Here's a trick I use: 70/30 method. Whatever I make, I leave 70% for bills or miscellaneous spending and I put 30% in my savings. This is a good method and a easy way to save. Other ways I try to save is by putting $5 or $10 in jars and allowing it to add up for a couple months then when I'm ready to spend it on something big I take it out. I did this last year and used the money for a trip and I had so much money.
Understand Interest
Interest is something that mess up your whole life! Interest influences the cost of borrowing, the return of savings, and its just a very essential part when dealing with the total return of investments. Yes it can help you save as well but it could impact your life when borrowing money and having to pay back so much more in the future years.
Credit is Important, Be Careful Though
Literally the smallest thing could mess up your credit. Not paying a car note on time, missing credit card bills, missing phone bills, etc. One thing to understand is that it is 10x easier to lose credit than it is to gain. The reason it is important because it helps you get houses, cars, phones, credit cards, etc. So always be careful when opening accounts. It is important to build your credit so when choosing the right option make sure you read all details! Always make payments on time because a little mistake can add interest and make your minimum payments go up.
Guys these are just some of the small things I do to gain knowledge and to help create financial stability. Always remember, never share your passwords, account numbers, or financial info in general to anyone because identity theft is a big deal. Understanding these tips could give you more financial freedom. I pray for all of your well-being and wishing you all abundance of money now and in the future.
-xoxo