Category Archives: Budgeting

Financial Priorities

Budgeting, Spending, , , , , , , ,

A Guyanese colleague shared with me her concern about the financial practices of many Jamaicans with whom she interacted. After spending a few years managing a project in our country, she observed that the attitudes towards saving, spending and debt were very different in the two nations.

One major point of divergence, she noted, was that most Guyanese people were very focused on saving to buy a home as their first priority. The consultant remarked that you would hardly see persons in her country driving a car if they did not already own a piece of property.

Another point of difference was that most Guyanese were very embarrassed about having debt that they could not afford to pay. Indebtedness was taboo and there were even cases of persons who attempted suicide because they were so devastated about their unpaid financial obligations. Continue reading Financial Priorities →

Managing Money Challenges With Your Spouse

Budgeting, Spending, , , , , , ,

When two persons join forces in a marriage or co-habiting union, one of the important aspects that will determine the success of their relationship is how well they manage money together. While money can’t buy love, it can definitely solidify and secure the foundation of a family bond.

In the best-case scenario, spouses should operate as a team when making all their financial decisions. Both parties should pool their income on an equitable basis to ensure that the household needs are met, and they should make plans to accomplish long-term objectives for the future.

While you hope that you and your spouse will share the same goals and work together to achieve the best for your family, there are times when the financial union may be rocky. Let’s look at some of the negative money issues that may arise between spouses, and suggest practical strategies to overcome them. Continue reading Managing Money Challenges With Your Spouse →

Managing Your Parents’ Finances

Budgeting, Spending, , , , , ,

Most parents will make selfless sacrifices for their children. Whether they work long hours to earn enough to defray current expenses or forgo their own pleasures to put aside for their future education, responsible parents will always find ways to provide for their children’s financial needs.

It is expected that parents will function as caretakers for their dependent children until they are able to fend for themselves in the adult world. However, sometimes the roles are reversed when adult children are obliged to take on the responsibility of managing their parents’ finances.

Parental money problems

One reason why younger family members may be forced to take control is if their parents are facing money problems which compromise their ability to pay their bills. This could happen if the parents have unmanageable debt, lose their sources of income, or if they encounter business setbacks. Continue reading Managing Your Parents’ Finances →

How to Earn More to Balance Your Budget

Budgeting, Income Creation, , , , , , , ,

Many people feel intimidated by the thought of having to do something outside of their regular job to create more cash to pay bills or save more for the future. However, like any other money skill, you can learn the simple steps that are required to generate income independent of your employer.

Preparing a comprehensive budget is the first step in the process of increasing your earnings, as you need to have a realistic target of how much money is required to meet your needs. You can download a budget at www.financiallysmart.org which will allow you to input all your bills and income sources.

After using your budget to calculate the exact amount of your shortfall of income over expenses, you need to break down that monthly amount into a weekly or daily figure that will be easier for you to work with. Therefore, if your monthly deficit is J$24,000, your daily income need would be about J$800. Continue reading How to Earn More to Balance Your Budget →

When Your Budget Goes Awry

Budgeting, Income Creation, Spending, , , , , , , ,

Caroline looked at the Excel spreadsheet on her computer with increasing dismay. “Just three months ago I was able to balance my budget, but now I’m short again by over J$15,000,” she grumbled to herself. “No matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to keep up with my expenses.”

She reflected on all the developments that had occurred in her life in the preceding months. Her grandmother, with whom she was raised, had fallen seriously ill. As her only relative, Caroline had taken on the task of caring for her, which had thrown her once tightly controlled budget into disorder.

Having another person in the house meant increased utility costs, and she needed to hire a housekeeper to help with the extra cleaning needs. In addition, she had to buy her grandmother’s costly medicines and pay for her doctors’ appointments without the benefit of health insurance coverage.

Initially, Caroline used her credit card to cover some of the pharmacy bills, but after two months she realised that she was having challenges clearing the card balance. After consolidating several loans over a year ago, she was now desperately worried that she was headed back into debt problems. Continue reading When Your Budget Goes Awry →

Personal Budgeting for Business Owners

Budgeting, Business Success, , , , , , ,

Most business owners and self-employed persons spend long hours making plans for, and carrying out the activities required to run their enterprises. It takes a labour of love to develop a successful small business, very often at the expense of the owner’s recreation and rest time.

Dedicated entrepreneurs will pour their hearts and souls into their businesses, hoping to build an entity that will help them to attain personal and financial freedom. Sadly, many start-up enterprises will not survive past their second anniversary, as there is a high failure rate for this group.

Not a get-rich-quick scheme

It takes more than having a great idea and determination to succeed in business, as it’s vital to pay attention to financial details such as costs, cash flow and profit margins. Many entrepreneurs also neglect to take their personal spending needs into consideration when operating their businesses. Continue reading Personal Budgeting for Business Owners →

A Long and Lasting Financial Love

Budgeting, , , , , , ,

Love is in the air, as many people become preoccupied with romantic thoughts when Valentine’s Day approaches. While love connections may be foremost on our minds at this time, we can also consider another important relationship that we all should enjoy – the one with our money.

A personal relationship requires understanding, respect and dedication to survive the test of time. Similarly, you need to develop a healthy rapport with your money if you wish to be financially successful. Let’s look at some tips that will help you to have a long and lasting money relationship. Continue reading A Long and Lasting Financial Love →

Getting The Most Out Of Your Money

Budgeting, Spending, , , , , , , ,

We have been discussing the concept of lean production and how its principles of efficient use of resources can be applied to your finances. Lean refers to a system of manufacturing which was pioneered by auto makers Toyota, which has helped to make the company very profitable.

One of the components of lean production is the elimination of wasteful practices in the process of creating a product or service for sale. There’s a lot to be gained from adopting the lean philosophy in your personal, professional and financial life, if you want to be successful with your own goals.

Last week we looked at getting lean with your most precious resource — your time — by becoming more productive at work, getting the most out of your commuting time, using technology to improve your output, and making the right choices when spending your time to generate an income. Continue reading Getting The Most Out Of Your Money →

Creating a Time Budget

Budgeting, Goals, , , , , , ,

This month, the focus has been on getting organised so that you can be better equipped to accomplish your goals. If you study the habits of successful people, you will recognise that they all learned how to effectively organise and control their resources to achieve great things.

One of the most important skills that will be required for goal attainment is time management. Your plans for your future will not be realised unless you have a proper time utilisation strategy to carry out the necessary tasks. One way to accomplish this objective is to create a time budget.

Design a schedule for your time

To budget your time, you should first design a timetable that lists blocks of time on the left-hand side in half-hour increments, and the seven days of the week along the top of the page. To make this process easier, you can simply download a time budget spreadsheet on www.financiallysmart.org. Continue reading Creating a Time Budget →

Keeping Records is Key

Budgeting, Business Success, , , , , , , ,

One of the occasional tasks that I find tedious and inconvenient is filling out forms or questionnaires. Whether I’m required to carry out a survey, complete documents for a financial institution or even submit contact information online, I usually have to overcome my initial resistance to the process.

I know I’m not alone in my aversion to data entry; but in many instances, it can be well worth the effort to capture information in a written or computerised format. When it comes to your finances, it is essential to maintain regular accounts of your transactions, both for individual and business use.

If you don’t have a firm handle on your financial dealings, it can cost you dearly in lost time, money and opportunities, and lead to confusion and frustration. Let’s look at some of the ways in which keeping timely and accurate records can help you to manage your personal or business finances. Continue reading Keeping Records is Key →