If you spend more than you make, then you might assume you are not good with money. After all, if you were good with it, you would not spend more than you make.
If you entertain this belief, you’re not alone. Only a few people are good with money. This is ironic because learning how to manage money well is not rocket science. In fact, even people who have spent years studying for a profession struggle with money.
Let’s review three simple steps you can take to start winning the money game.
Step #1: Stop Playing the Game Blame
When it comes to financial hardships, it’s easy to shirk responsibility and blame the economy, your tough childhood, your current job, or other external factors. What’s more, you can probably marshal enough evidence to make your case about why it’s not your fault.
While this line of thinking can get you off the hook, it’s not helpful. If you’re not responsible, then you’re opting to feel powerless. Once you’re disempowered, you can only expect things to get worse. No one will come to the rescue. The way out of this self-defeating mindset is to take100% responsibility for your financial situation even if it’s possible to argue that it is not entirely your fault.
So the first thing to do to change your financial situation is to assume that it’s up to you to stop feeling stuck. It’s the old idea that if you want to change your altitude, change your attitude.
Step #2: Hit the Reset Button
If more money is flowing out then flowing in, then you probably have debt. Jackson Funding, a debt consolidation program, can counsel you on how to merge all your outstanding bills into a single monthly payment.
After analyzing your financial situation, a debt counselor can help you see your options to drop your debt burden through a structured debt repayment plan that only asks you to pay what you can afford each month. You’ll cut down your debt fast if you stick to the repayment schedule.
Taking this step will change your financial situation. If, for example, you have a lot of credit card debt, then you’ll be able to drop or reduce late fees. You’ll also get immediate relief from collection calls and exorbitantly high interest rates. As you work to get rid of your debt quickly, you’ll also improve your credit score.
Step #3 Learn Basic Finance
Think of money as a game, and, like all games, it has rules. People struggle with money because they never learned the rules well. They didn’t learn them at school and their parents didn’t teach them at home. As a result, they guessed the rules.
You might, for example, have some vague ideas about money management such as the following:
● Go to school to get a good job.
● When you get a good job, work hard to earn a promotion.
● Put your money in a bank account, avoid writing bad checks, and start a savings
account.
While these are not incorrect, they are too vague to be useful because there are plenty of exceptions to these rules. Famous billionaires have dropped out of high-school or college and are working hard doesn’t guarantee a promotion.
Here is a little more accurate way to think about how to manage your money:
● Get the knowledge and skills you need to earn more. Master a high-paying skill set to increase your income.
● A good job aligns with your natural aptitudes and skills. If you don’t do work you like, you’ll struggle to even show up to work.
● Put your money in an FDIC-approved financial institution to insure it against a run on the banks.
Getting good at money is a learned skill. You must take the time to tutor yourself about personal finance. Generalizations will only help you a little. The more accurate your rules, the greater your financial stability.
End the Struggle
You can change your money situation. Start by taking three steps. First, accept 100% responsibility for your finances. Second, get the professional help you need to resolve your most pressing financial problem, such as overwhelming debt. Third, learn more accurate rules about personal finance.
