Jump on it!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at 12:42PM Don't forget to help support Western Mass literacy programs and the Springfield Public Libraries. Use that donate button in the left side bar!!
This post is going to be, for the most part, a push for jumping on the being-an-advocate-for-savings band wagon, as it was all over the news today. I think the time is appropriate these days for an organized and proactive message to be spread when it's now something that can't be swept under the rug any more.
So to start there are lots of great websites out there, including one that I was introduced to this weekend, that are geared to make people better savers, or at the very least aware that they should be better savers. To those that are reading this and saying to themselves that they are already great savers than think of this as a place where you can point to friends and family and add one more I told you so to the pile. (There's always new things to learn though.) The range of resources out there to help coach the masses through savings are amazing and run the spectrum from super celebrity Suze Orman all the way to do it yourself websites. Now a cautionary note. Not everyone out there is like Suze Orman or on a much smaller scale your friendly net-neighborhood financial planner so before ever entering some very personal account information be sure to do your homework. Lots of scammers trying to fish for information.
A quick list of my new top three super motivated saver strategists:
2.) http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com
3.) For the DIY's out there http://www.mint.com
They all have their own blogs and tons of information that should get you excited. Again at the very least you may pick up a new tip or trick and get a different point of view for you to mull on. Which in the business of making yourself financially stable is never a bad thing.
For me in practice as well as in research there are a few common themes that you'll see at any good source for financial coaching information about savings.
- Have a plan and hold yourself accountable! Like a fad diet if you don't hold yourself to it then there's not really any point in putting the effort into the plan at all. You have to want the change (literally and figuratively). It can start with an easy budget, a place where you can mark and track your progress from.
- Automate when ever you can! I know that Bank of America has that neat "Save the Change" program and it's only a few cents on every dollar but it's still one more automation. Setting up separate accounts that you save to systematically will take the sting out of the savings process.
- Be focused! If you have different goals and time horizons, saving for them separately instead of in one big slush "savings" account will help you get there more efficiently.
- As an armchair economist I have to throw in the substitution concept. If coffee is in your morning routine I'm not the guy to tell you to stop cold turkey. A long term habit or system you have for yourself won't break overnight and you wont marry yourself to a plan if it involves a drastic change like that. So look for a less expensive substitute or make it at home. If you save a portion of what your morning expenses are and save only that much everyday you'll be pretty surprised at what you can accomplish in a year on just the act of saving and you'll want to do more.
Those are just a few points that I like to stress and there are tons more even in just the websites I liked and shared. When your taking a look at your whole financial picture savings is really your foundation and starting point. After you find a system that works for you and you've started to save then all the rest of that other financial "stuff" gets to be really easy. Fun too! I think anyways..
This about wraps up my jump on the band wagon session. There's always a need for savings and I think that it's great that people are taking it a bit more seriously as well as the competition it inspires in people like me to keep it creative and interesting for you! If you are still looking for more check out Frugillionaire: 500 Fabulous Ways to Live Richly and Save a Fortune
Cheers!
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