How to Boost Your Financial Health in 2017

Financial health ebbs and flows, responding to irregular financial pressures.  During flush times, money is available to meet household expenses, with enough left-over to fund big-picture financial goals.  When cash flow falters, on the other hand, money managers scramble creative solutions to make ends meet.  And while some of the factors influencing your financial health are beyond your control, other things affecting household cash flow are firmly within your power to change.  For the most consistent results managing money, take control of your personal finances, using these proven moves to fortify your financial health and security.

Review Personal Money Matters

Life moves along, day after day, presenting financial challenges along the way.  So as long as daily concerns are addressed, we often lose focus on big-picture financial concerns.  Unfortunately, operating without a broader sense of responsibility can leave you vulnerable to money problems, so it pays to stay tuned to all aspects of your personal finances.

With or without the help of a strategic financial planner, you should conduct comprehensive financial review at least once a year.  More frequent check-ups are productive, giving you a closer look at trends and spending patterns, but your essential first step is to establish a reliable baseline evaluation, for comparison with future assessments.

Find Financial Balance

Although personal money management can be the source of challenges and unexpected results, keeping good care of money matters boils down to a single concept:  balance.  Financial equilibrium occurs when incoming resources are sufficient to cover outgoing spending obligations.  When earnings exceed expenses, the surplus can be used to get ahead or pay for other costs of living, but personal financial balance is elusive t times, leading to deficits.

A sustainable household spending model accounts for your earnings on the job and additional sources of income such as buy-to-let investments, dividends, and personal revenue earned on the side.  Together, these resources comprise your income, from which all spending draws.  Too often, amid careless spending, families fail to recognize their income limitations, leading to repeated deficits and burgeoning debt obligations.  Balancing your household budget protects you from this reckless backslide, which can be difficult to reverse.

Get a Handle on Debt

Under scrutiny, certain budget categories stand out – for all the wrong reasons.  Among them, the cost of maintaining high debt balances weighs heavily on personal finances – impacting everything from savings potential to everyday affordability.  Until you stop growing additional balances and begin paying-down existing debt, the cost of interest and finance fees may be dragging you down.

Debt is a natural aspect of personal finance, enabling borrowers to move-forward on big-ticket purchases.  But unmanageable balances can have a detrimental impact, resulting in a hard-to-break debt cycle.  Do you struggle to keep-up with monthly payments?  Are your debt balances growing, rather than shrinking?  Are you caught in an unhealthy cycle, making minimum payments on your credit cards each month?  Any of these conditions may point to a larger debt problem, so reining-in issues can help turn back debt problems before they spiral out of control.

Under certain circumstances it may be possible for you to change the structure of your debt in order to save money and get your finances back on track.  As a home owner, for example, a mortgage refinance may be all that’s needed to correct ongoing cash flow difficulties.  Refinancing at a lower interest rate can lead to lower monthly costs, and extending the payback period may alleviate some of your immediate cash flow pressures.  Most mortgages don’t penalize advanced payments, so you can always contribute more than is required, as funds become available.  A manageable mortgage payment gives you greater control over your finances – and the same approach can also yield positive results reducing other kinds of debt pressure.  Sites like this highlight consolidation loans and various types of personal financing, providing cost-effective borrowing solutions for realigning debt.

For the best results managing money, renew your financial resolve in 2017.  Starting with a comprehensive financial review, your commitment to reining-in debt and a balancing your budget are key ingredients for a stable, secure new year.