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Budget Diagnosis

Decent Essays

Budget Diagnosis What is the thing that drives each of us? Survival. No matter where you are or where you work, survival is the very livelihood that drives people to want to succeed. People want to take a look at how they can be successful and move up in the world. Now while promotions and an increased income are key to building one’s personal wealth, another factor that can derail a successful person is how they handle their finances. If you are unable to control what you are spending and weigh yourself down in debt, it becomes impossible to begin to build personal wealth. Reflecting on my own budget, the diagnosis of income versus expenses identified some key areas where improvement can occur and serves as an example for others to …show more content…

While month to month may vary, I took a look at my previous month expenses and identified some warning signs that I can focus on improving. The first thing, is while I am putting about $400 in retirement and investment accounts, and while that builds over time, that is not as much as I want to be putting away. Due to the fluctuating market those retirement accounts will build over time but I need to continue to push a bigger percentage of my income into those accounts. As discussed, “Saving 15 percent or more is something to aspire to…The key is being proactive and staying the course when markets get chaotic.” (Woolley, 2015). I identified two areas of concern that I can cut back on that should increase these amounts I am able to put into the retirement accounts. These areas are dining out costs and phone costs. I see reasonable cost cutting avenues in these two areas which should allot another $400 towards investment and retirement accounts. Following through with these actions would net an estimated $4,800 per year towards these accounts. While these avenues are geared more towards the long-term future another area to address is a savings …show more content…

While I have identified some ways to add to my retirement and investment accounts my first realistic step should to be solidify my savings to a point that would set me up for success. While I do have savings, my emergency fund does not have a realistic impact to handle an actual emergency. While it sits around the $5,000 range a real emergency, a loss of a job for example, would require, at a minimum, ten times the amount I currently have. As emergencies tend to have a lingering effect and last a few months, I plan to increase my safety net over time to reach a point where if I were out of work for three to nine months, I would still be financially stable for basic necessities. This action, along with an increase of what I put in savings monthly, is a building block for success in case disaster strikes. While I have a decent amount set aside I intend to increase that amount to ensure future success. This can be done through setting aside a certain amount per month and not deviating from that amount. While all savings are critical, implementing these actions is the key to it

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