Financial Fortunes
Understanding finances and how to keep track of your finances can make or break your business. Keeping track of your finances is especially important for small cash based businesses. It is very easy to forget or lose track of what you make, the taxes you need to pay on your sales, and what was sold if you don’t develop a system to keep track of everything. This can land you in hot water not only with the IRS and your state, it will also make it hard when you need investors or try to get a loan from a bank.
Many small businesses don’t realize the importance of keeping good records. They want to try and hide some of their income in order to keep taxes down. However, while this might save them a few dollars in the short term, this gamble could really hurt in the long run. If the IRS finds out that you are not properly reporting all your income, including any cash tips or sales from other items that are not the main part of your business, they will not only collect the back taxes for that income, they will also impose fines and charge interest on the back taxes owed.
There are plenty of good accounting systems available that will help you keep track of your inventory, sales, invoices, expenses and income. I frequently use Quickbooks. Ask your accountant or other business owners for what they recommend.
Should I consider a short sale?
Today nearly 1/3 of all homeowners owe more on their homes then the homes are worth. If the homeowner can continue to make the mortgage payment and isn’t planning on moving anytime soon, that is not a problem. However, if the homeowner needs to sell the home being underwater on the house can be a huge problem.
In certain areas of the country, the real estate market is flooded with short sales and foreclosures. Home sales are picking up but buyers are still able to name the prices they are willing to pay for the properties. Increasingly, banks are holding the homeowners responsible for the balance left between a home’s selling price and the selling owner’s outstanding mortgage. Banks have taken a hit and now the stimulus money the got from the government keeps their top executives from earning the big bucks they want from salary and stock options so the banks are doing their best to repay the government and avoid needing any additional stimulus because the CEO wants his millions. That may sound a bit harsh, but the reality is, banks are not as willing to negotiate a short sale down and write off the balance now as they were a year ago.
Before starting a short sale, talk to your banker to see if you qualify for a loan modification or some other program that will let you stay in your home
Recession over, what now?
People are starting to say that the recession is over, or finishing up. So if it really is over, what should we do with our finances? Even though consumers are starting to spend some money and again feel comfortable with their money, there is still a long way to go before we are at the employment rates we had before this mess started. So how can we keep something like this from happening again?
The first thing that people need to remember and continue working on is maintaining a small savings. Traditionally Americans have not been savers, however, if we had more savings prior to the economic meltdown, the unemployment troubles and foreclosures would not be as bad.
The second thing to consider is divesting their portfolios. Social security isn’t enough for people to retire on, they need money of their own if they are going to live comfortably during retirement unless they plan on working at least part time for their entire life. Thus, the earlier you start saving for retirement the better. IRAs and 401ks are great ways to start saving towards retirement. However, as we have learned from the financial situation these past few years, nothing is sure. Stocks may go up but they may also go down. Thus, you need to put your money not just in stocks, but also have some in bonds, mutual funds, and other investments such as a family home.
Finances and Family
I was listening to the radio last night while driving back home and realized that there were a lot more calls about split couples who still loved each other but were having issues. Times of financial difficulty put extra strain on marriages and relationships. Everyone knows that money problems is one of the top reasons that couples separate or get divorced. Don’t let yourself get caught in that trap.
The best way to avoid, or at the very least minimize, financial stress on your relationship, you need to realistically assess your financial situation, make goals, prioritize your interests, and then plan a budget based on what you discovered. Talking things out and planning for difficult times before a spouse gets laid off or you find out that there is another baby on the way helps to make sure that when these surprises come along you have a plan in place that can be adjusted to take into account these changes.
The key to a budget is flexibility. There will be surprises, things don’t go according to plans. However, flexibility doesn’t mean that you totally scrap the budget when you get a surprise. For example, if you find out that there is a baby on the way, that doesn’t mean you scrap the budget, instead, you need to reduce things in areas of the budget, say instead of going to the movies you rent a movie. When one part of the budget changes you need to have the flexibility to reduce your budget in other areas to cover for that added expense.
Alternative ways to pay for Christmas
Many stores are touting their layaway plans this year as well as store credit cards. While these are both ok options, I prefer to stay away from credit cards and thus avoid the temptation to overspend. So this year, instead of throwing Christmas on your credit cards or putting something on layaway, check out these great ways to save or make a few extra bucks that you can put towards the Santa fund.
1. http://www.volition.com/
This site offers information on getting paid to surf the web, freebies from a variety of websites, coupons, and much more. I often use Volition to sign up for mystery shops when I have some free time. While mystery shops will not pay the bills, they are great if you want some extra cash. Many sites make you pay to have access to this information but with Volition you get it all for free. So if you are interested in making some extra money shopping or eating out, don’t pay for the info, check it out here instead.
2. http://riveroffers.com/?cogid=frend&refid=
This site offers everything you can imagine, If you are tired of your current cellphone provider, check this site out. You get the newest phones free from all the name brand providers plus free shipping and accessories as well! My husband and I don’t shop anywhere else when it comes to cellphones because nobody has been able to beat these deals. They also offer over 25 different credit cards sorted by what you want out of your card, ie points, low interest rate, cash back, etc. They also offer web hosting, domain names, high speed internet and much more. The best part, you can become an agent for free and then purchase what you need from yourself for additional discounts. Check it out.
3. www.couponmom.com
While not as exciting as the other two, this website offers a variety of ways to save money on your grocery bill and nights out on the town. Their weekly emails give you the best sales in town and options to print out coupons for additional savings.
Making a Budget Stick
Budgeting is like dieting, people always start out with good intentions but often fail to see it through. One reason for this is unrealistic expectations. The best way to budget is to make it a life change by doing a lot of little things to save money and live within or under your means.
One problem I have noticed is debit cards. Yes, they make life easier, but people no longer keep track of everything in the bank account. With checks you saw the money coming out of your account with each purchase, at least if you kept a running balance in your checkbook. If you aren’t keeping track of what you make and what you spend, you will be more likely to run up excessive fees for overdraft or other bank goodies. One way to avoid this is to create envelopes.
Envelopes? Yes, when you deposit your check, take out your money budgeted for food, groceries, and other items you usually purchase with your debit card. Put the amount for each category into an envelope and when you go to the store, don’t take your debit card. Instead, take only your envelope so that you can’t spend more than budgeted. This way, when you are tempted to purchase those chocolate chip cookies and the roasted chicken, you will have to decide what you can really afford and which item you can live without.
As an added bonus, put all the money left in the envelopes at the end of a month in a special savings account to save for a rainy day and watch the funds grow.
Budget to survive
The word budget is probably a household word in today’s hard economic times. I know it is in my house! If you don’t have a budget for your household finances, take a look at your spending and you will see that money is being spent unwisely.
A budget will help one be more aware of where money goes and where it should go. It just makes you be more aware of your finances and if a budget is actually prepared, you would realize that you really do not have the money to spend on what you are currently spending it on, especially if it’s not on any of your household finances or whatever credit card bills you may have.
By not having a budget, you may over spend, not having enough money to pay what needs to be paid (bills). If you pay your bills first and see how much is left over, you will be more realistic as to what you can and cannot do with the extra money (if there is any).
Avoid Going Into Debt To Improve Your Credit Score
Many people try to fix finances by going into debt to improve their credit score. They think that the more credit cards they have; the better. This is not the case at all. Having a lot of debt in comparison to what you make is not a good thing. In fact, it will only serve to hurt your credit score and you end up paying a great deal of money in interest.
If you can afford to pay a large down payment on an item, such as a car, do so. Taking out a car loan just to improve your credit score is a recipe for disaster. You cannot fix finances by adding more debt to your current debt. This ends up digging you further and further into debt and risking an even lower credit score.
Pay a Little Extra Each Month
Do you have a mortgage? Is it 25 years, 30 years or even longer? The majority of mortgage companies will allow you to pay extra each month if you can. The idea is to make certain to pay on the principle and not the interest. The principle determines the amount of interest that you pay. If you pay a little on the principle each month that is extra, you will in the long run end up fixing your finances and paying a lot less in interest.
Make certain that you pay a minimum of $5.00 extra each month. On the month’s that you can afford to do so pay as much as $100 extra toward the principle. Doing this every month will greatly reduce the amount of interest that you end up paying on the mortgage.
Talk to Debtors
When it comes to paying bills and having trouble with finances, one solution to fix finances is to talk to debtors. Often, they will set up a reasonable payment plan with you. Some credit card companies will even let you take a huge percentage of the debt off if you can pay it off. For example, if you owe a thousand dollars but can pay off $600 they might consider the debt paid and clear the account.
Don’t just not pay. Call the debtors and talk to them. Explain to them that you are out of work or that things are slow. Give them a time that you will be able to send them something. This shows that you are trying to get out of debt and fix finances. It will save you headache and they will know that they will get their money.