Financial Planning

If you have been asking questions about healthcare coverage you have definitely heard about health savings accounts (HSAs). Some people advocate that they are the next step in the domain of health coverage, while the others believe that only healthy and rich citizens can benefit from such plans. Before answering these questions it is better to learn what HSAs are in essence and how do they work.

What is a HSA?
A typical health savings account is comprised of two elements:

1) Savings account with interest bearing:
– Yearly deposits of up to $2,900 ($5,800 in case of a family) introduced to the savings account are to be taxed. The money deposited will usually roll over on a yearly basis. However, the money you withdraw from the account for healthcare purposes are tax-free. So are any withdrawals after you officially retire.

2) Healthcare coverage plan with a high deductible
– The minimum deductible amount should be not less than $1,100 ($2,200 in case of a family). That is the amount of money to be paid out-of-pocket before getting the actual benefits.

– When the annual deductible is paid the actual coverage kicks in. You will have to pay all the specified co-insurance and the plan will cover all that remains.

– The overall amount of money to be paid out-of-pocket is limited to $5,600 ($11,200 in case of a family). In other words, after you have spent $5,600 on healthiness services your insurance company will pay for all health costs exceeding that amount.

What are the pros of health savings accounts?
– Because of the fact that any money withdrawn for healthcare use is not taxed, HSAs are a good way of saving more money in your pocket.
– In case you keep the funds without withdrawing them from the account you will have more money after you retire. And since you can freely withdraw the money for any reason after you turn 65 it is a good additional source of retirement money.
– Health insurance plans with higher deductibles have lower premiums than typical plans.
– HSAs don’t depend on your working place and you will keep it the same no matter what.

What are the cons of healh savings accounts?
– Those who have substantial needs in healthcare services will find little use in HSAs since they provide main benefits when the money is kept in the account for an extended period of time.
– People with serious health issues will find it hard to get high-deductible insurance plans, especially if they were already denied of typical plans.
– Some HSAs have additional fees that in sum can make the plan quite costly for the customer.
– Because of high out-of-pocket expenses people tend to go without care, which usually results in complications and more serious and expensive health concerns.

Will a HSA be useful for me?
In case you have no serious health problems and are able to pay the required out-of-pocket expenses than HSAs will definitely be a good option for you. However, you must understand that HSAs require you to be more conscious about your medical costs and the coverage provided by these accounts is much less comprehensive and diverse than with typical health insurance plans. Having an active position in managing own healthcare is a must with HSAs, so if you’re not ready for that then it will be not of a much use to you.

Tired of paying much for essential things? It is time to learn some ways of economizing. If you are sure it is time for you to get lifetime insurance, you have to consider a few details. First of all, the payment is the basic move-stopper. People know they need to get insured but they do not always have the right amount of money to get insured. When you get insured for life you get cheaper premiums, if fact much cheaper than cash-value policies. If you are young and healthy, you get to experience good opportunities coming your way with insurance. You can benefit from good service that will go on for a long time plus some preferable payments, that won’t make your eyes roll around. Here is some important information on how to get a life term insurance policy that would make you proud of your decision.

The one you need

When you are about to get a life term insurance policy you must be aware of the fact that you purchase it with a particular time table which usually is around 5 or ten years, depending on the company that provides it. Within this period of time you pay a premium that you are obliged to pay. Due to this your family or friends, beneficiaries in other words, will get a benefit if you die suddenly within the term of this life insurance policy period.

There is always something else

Life term insurance plan can seem easy and reliable. But of course, being an insurance plan it surely add some complications to it. What you must think about is you death benefit amount, for instance. It will all depend on the level of life insurance you choose to have – decreasing or increasing type. And when the term is actually over that is when renewable or convertible term insurance is suitable.

The question is – is it or is it not perfect for you?

You have to keep on very important moment in mind – your future term life insurance will not accumulate cash-value or provide you with the additional tax benefits like in the case of continuous or universal life insurance plan, but it is great for those people who cannot manage paying higher premiums. This is how you can decide whether the term life insurance plan is the one you need or not –

a) You cannot afford to pay higher premiums as you are on budget
b) You are too young and you do not have any health problems at all
c) You are looking forward to get the most simple insurance plan that would only protect your basic interests such as your family and close people in case of your death.

As you get closer to making an important decision about your cheap life insurance plan millions of questions start to arise. In order to get answers for those questions that bother you and require an answer you have to address them to the right person. An insurance agent is the right person to talk to when you are about to make this important step. You should set your priorities first and share them with the specialist. If you need a cheap life insurance, just say so and find a good solution with the person that is competent, We believe this is how good steps are being taken.

Do you need help creating a monthly budget that works? Just follow the seven tips below and you will be well on your way to creating a working monthly budget.

Tip #1 – Know Where You Are – It is important to know where you are financially before you create a month budget. This process includes documenting all your income sources, what you think you spend on expenses each month, and listing all your creditors and the debt that is owed to them. By doing these three things you will get a better understanding of where your finances stand.

Tip #2 – Track you spending – Tracking your spending for 30 days before creating a budget will give you the concrete numbers of how much you spend in each expense category every month. Many people are surprised to see how all the little purchases at up at the end of the month. By knowing how much you typically spend in each expense category you can now plan those expenses for the next month in your budget.

Tip #3 – Plan for periodic expenses – When creating a monthly budget that actually works you will need to plan ahead for periodic expenses such as car insurance (if not paid monthly), yearly car registration, gift giving, school shopping, and insurance deductibles just to name a few. If you estimate these expenses for the year and then divide by 12 you will get an amount that you can save each month for these expenses.

Tip #4 – Allow for Savings – It is always a great idea to plan to save a certain amount of money each month. This can be the beginning of an emergency fund so when unexpected expenses come your way you don’t have to reach for your credit card. This is an important step to getting and keeping yourself out of debt.

Tip #5 – Write Needs/Wants on a Special Worksheet – As members of your family express certain needs and wants, it is helpful to record them on a needs and wants worksheet. This will help to spend money wisely as it becomes available instead of make impulse buys and forgetting what you really wanted or needed.

Tip #6 – Use the Right Worksheets – When creating a budget it is helpful to use the worksheets that will have all the information you need to make a working budget. These worksheets should include a way to track spending, your repayment of debt, a monthly financial report and a monthly budget worksheet. These worksheets will make it easy for you to see all the information you need to create a working budget and show you expense categories you can adjust to make a balanced budget.

Tip #7 – Allow Yourself Some Mad Money – The best tip you can have when creating a monthly budget is to allow some mad money for yourself and spouse in the budget. This is the number one reason most budgets fail and people do not continue using a monthly budget. The resentment of not being able to spend any money makes people frustrated and then they stop tracking their spending all together. If you allow yourself and your spouse even a small amount of money to be spent on anything you wish without having to confer with the other person, your budget will have a much better chance of being successful. If money is tight just allowing a very small amount will help keep the resentment at bay.

We may have come across this article because we are in a financial crisis or perhaps we just want a better grasp of where our money is going. So let’s go over some basics of financial planning.

The essential ingredient to having control over our finances is having a budget. The heart of budgeting is really quite simple; you bring in more money than you spend. At times it can be frustrating to balance it all out, but there are numerous resources out there to help us get started. We also live in a society of consumerism — we want the best and the biggest — NOW. If we can learn to save for what we want, while living within our means, then ultimately we can have what we want but owe nobody anything. At first, as we’re viewing our big screen televisions with our surround sound it may be wonderful, but the gnawing that we owe somebody else for something that’s quickly depreciating isn’t worth it. Of course, sometimes we have to put things on credit to survive — and I’m not talking about this — I’m talking about keeping up with the Jones’s. And if we decide to put something on credit — because we get cash back or free airline tickets — and if we pay it off immediately, then that’s actually smart. It’s accumulating things that we can’t afford that I’m talking about.

Make a Budget
Calculate how much money we have coming in per month. Categorize expenditures. Let’s first list the bare essentials that are required during that month. I categorize my budget into bills (like house payment, utility bills) — things that we owe and we can’t change. I then have a certain amount of money set aside for groceries and gas. I also have a category for entertainment and extras. That’s where we can really be prudent if we need to be, and also creative! Pay off debt. Let’s define what debt is first. Debt is the obligation of owing. Now let’s differentiate between good debt and bad debt. Bad debt would be credit card debt. We want to pay that off as quickly as possible especially if the interest rates are high. A good rule of thumb to remember is that if the value of something depreciates then it’s bad debt. For example, going to a show and putting in on your credit card — with the interest rate (and depending when you pay it off) you could end up paying 3+times what the actual ticket to the show cost! A bigger example is putting your car on credit — as soon as you drive that car off the lot, its value has depreciated significantly and now you have to pay for the car and the interest! Now on the other hand, good debt would be something where the value would increase over time. In other words — you are more than likely to make more money through this investment than the money you borrowed to make this investment. A good example of this is a home purchase or going into debt to get a higher education. You fully expect to make more money due to this investment. Pay off your bad debts. Of course, after your bad debts are paid off — attack your good debts. Make a plan to pay off your house quicker than 30 years if that’s possible. It’s all more money in your pocket, and less interest. Invest and Save. Now you’ll owe no-one anything and you can use that same amount of money you were paying things off to invest. Invest in your retirement, your children’s education, save for your future.

Having a financial plan is definitely a balancing act — between needs and wants — good debts, bad debts — and investments versus safe saving. There are numerous financial resources out there — books, programs — to help you know where to begin. Planning a budget takes time but it’s a worthwhile investment for your future!

The “B” word sends a shudder down the spine of many people. It conjures up fears of never being able to do anything with their money. That it is somehow locked up in this budget and cannot be used for anything else. That in fact is not the case. A household budget is simply a way to see where all your money is going. And more importantly to give you a plan that tells your money what it is supposed to be doing, whether that’s paying bills, going into savings or retirement accounts, or to buy groceries.

Every successful business or person has a money plan. This is what a budget is, a plan for your money, telling it what to do instead of it telling you what to do. With a budget you can set and achieve your financial goals. You can also get a better view of what your money can do for you now and in the future.

With a household budget you can create a spending and savings plan that puts aside a certain amount of money each month for known and unexpected expenses. It will also give you a good record of your monthly expenses based on each month’s expenditures.

The first thing you need to do when setting up a budget is figure out what your monthly income is. If you have a salaried job this is easy because it is a set amount each pay period. If you work on commissions or are self employed this may be more of an estimate. Write this number down at the top of your budget sheet.

Now comes the fun part. Start writing down all your monthly expenses and include even the smallest of expenses. There are certain fixed expenses such as mortgage, car payments, insurance that you need to make every month. You will also need to track those expenses that are more fluid, such as groceries, gasoline, clothing, and entertainment.

If you start by subtracting your fixed expenses from your income what you are left with needs to be budgeted to pay for those expenses that seem to change from month to month. Once you are done allocating money to all your expenses what you are left with is either a positive or negative cash flow. The nice thing about a budget is you can quickly scan what you have written down and see exactly where the money is going. This is very helpful if you are living pay check to pay check because chances are you can find some areas that you can easily cut back on or do without to leave you with extra cash at the end of every month.

Here are four quick tips to help get your budget on track.

1. Learn money management – Successfully dealing with money is 80% behavior. Most people work for their money instead of having their money work for them.

2. Make a plan – A budget is a money plan. Most people would never dream of building a house without a plan. In fact most every activity in life involves some sort of plan. But our most important asset, our money, is left plan free and when we run out or are weighed down with debt we don’t know why.

3. Needs and Want – Know the difference. Needs are basic things like a home with a roof, groceries, clothes (in moderation), transportation to get to work. You don’t need a $400 plus car payment to get to work or a pair of $100 designer jeans. You may want them but you don’t need them.

4. Be a little frugal – This doesn’t mean live in a cave. You can still have fun but make sure it fits into you budget.

Creating a household budget is the first step to getting your finances under control. You will have to be patient with the process because chances are it will not work the first 2 to 3 months you do it. But remain diligent and around the third month you will begin to see patterns that will help you refine your budget into a financial plan that will set you on the right path.