Sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
We all want to save more money, right? A financial plan is a perfect tool to help you do so. It’s funny, I never thought about a financial plan for us. I thought it was something you do once you win the lottery, or become super wealthy all of the sudden and need guidance. Not the case at all. In fact, I now think everyone should have a plan. It’s so important to know where you are at with your finances. That way, you can make smarter plans and wiser decisions when it comes to money.
Save More Money with a Financial Plan
For most of my adult life, I had a guaranteed paycheck every Monday morning. I knew my salary, my bills, and everything was pretty set in place. Now that I am self-employed, my income is usually quite unpredictable. It’s more important than ever for me to know exactly what’s going on with our finances. Working for myself is an even bigger reason to save more money, too. There’s a lot more to think about than just paying our household bills. I have to consider additional expenses, plus think of the future. It’s all up to me to set up a retirement fund and set aside money for emergencies. If you are self-employed, most likely, no one is deducting taxes from your paychecks either! Say goodbye to that tax return and start saving to pay in on April 15th instead.
To get started with SUM180 is simple. They give you a list of things you need before you fill out the beginning interview. At first, I was a bit overwhelmed by the list, but that was completely unnecessary. Everything on the list was easy to find in my files, or online. Just days later, my plan was ready. The financial plan is easy to read and broken down into sections for quick review. They tell you how you are doing overall, compared to people in your age group, and give suggestions for financial goals. The report shows your assets vs. your liabilities to give your total net worth. There’s a helpful community with loads of info. You can ask questions and interact with others.
It turns out, we are in decent shape. We have a lot of debt, but it’s the “good kind of debt”, like our mortgage and other assets. I forget to think of it that way when I am writing out those monthly checks. Our plan suggests adding a hefty amount to a savings account. I’m not surprised by that at all. Adding to savings is a huge struggle for us. It seems like once we finally do put a little into savings, it comes right back out due to an unexpected expense. Seeing all of our expenses on paper in front of me is beyond helpful, though.
Figures Don’t Lie, Liars Figure
One of my Grampa’s favorite sayings, and it’s so true. It’s easy to lie to yourself about money without even realizing it. Numbers don’t lie, so I have the reality of our spending right in my face. My first step toward our goals is very clear – spend less on food to add more to the savings. Back to cutting coupons and eating out less. Ah, so much adulting I tell ya.
If you are looking to save more money, I suggest ordering a financial plan from SUM180. It’s quick, easy, and extremely helpful. It’s a reality check, an eye-opener, and a roadmap to your goals. You have ongoing support from the staff and the community without even leaving the house. The community has helpful tips from starting a holiday shopping fund to making long-term investments.
No matter what your financial situation is, it’s interesting to see where you are at compared to others, too. There’s a chart that shows the percentage of your monthly expenditures compared to the national average. Our housing expense is 10% over the average, and our food expense is 11% over. Yikes. Clearly, we need to get it together a bit in those areas.
How do you save more money? Have you ever received a financial plan?
This post has been sponsored by SUM180. I was provided with product at no charge to sample in exchange for my review. The options expressed in this post are my own. I am in no way affiliated with SUM180 and do not earn a commission or percent of sales.