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Personal Finance Spreadsheet

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Many Americans do not know how to manage their money and get into debt at an early age. The American society has accepted the fact of being in debt as normal. Learning how to manage money is an enormous advantage in life and will prevent debt. To become money smart, make a financial plan that best suits your lifestyle by using budgeting, saving, and investing. To become successful with money, the first step that should be taken is setting up a budget. Setting up a budget that makes sure more isn’t spent than earned is the key. The most efficient way to keep track of money is to create a spreadsheet. Review money history, such as your expenses and income, approximately a year’s worth of historical money data. You should evaluate your expenses …show more content…

Credit cards have become the most common way to pay for large purchases; however, using a credit card means you will be paying more for a purchase due to the interest gained. Simply saving for a purchase over time, called a sinking fund, will be worth it when the purchase can be completely paid in cash. Saving up cash has no interest on it, which means a purchase will be cheaper paid in cash than on a credit card. Establishing a time frame to save up for a specific goal will prevent borrowing money. One easy way to save money is to put away a certain amount of money into a savings account every month. Moreover, it’s important not to ease up or decrease the amount of money going into the account. Bank systems have even produced a way to automatically transfer money into the account. Another important aspect of saving should be to create an emergency fund, but make sure it is separate from other saving accounts. Emergencies occur in everyone’s life and being prepared for whatever life brings is being one step ahead of the game. Once the monthly expenses are calculated in a budget, it’s a good idea to create an emergency fund containing three to six months’ worth of expenses. The quote “save for a rainy day” is what an emergency fund is for. Saving money takes discipline, but it will help towards financial

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