6 Financial Goals To Start Now For 2019

January 22, 2019 by Elisha. This post may contain affiliate links. 3,868 Comments

Don’t let 2019 end up being another year where you don’t take your finances seriously.

Yes, I know it seems over whelming and you just want to pull the covers over your head and act like your financial mayhem doesn’t exist.

You want to simply continue to spend money without giving a second thought about your lack of financial direction. But, guess what, it doesn’t have to be this way.

You can take full control of your finances. Take a deep breath, relax, take out a pen and paper and start working on these steps. You will soon see it’s not that bad. Most of the stress of achieving financial goals exist in your head.

For motivation, think of why you want to set and accomplish a financial goal. What is your reason? Why do you want to work on these goals?

For example, is it because you want to build a better future for your family—your children? You want to start your own business? Buy a house? Go back to school? Retire early? Or simply become financially free.

Your “why” will keep you going when life gets hectic. And your why will push you not to give up and keep on swimming.

The following six financial goals will help you get started.

1. Get A Clear Picture Of Your Financial Situation

First of all before you start anything you have to know what you are currently working with. How do your finances look? Who do you owe? How much is in savings? What is your investment plan and are your investments growing?

Know the answers to these questions and more.

Have a clear picture of your exact financial situation. So, you know which direction to move into. If you owe everyone under the moon then, you need a repayment plan to get out of debt.

When you are spending more than you make you need to pull the brakes on how much money is going out.

You may be experiencing low earnings then, concentrate on finding a way to make more money.

Let’s say everything looks good with your budget then, focus on making bigger money moves and investing in your future.

When you don’t know where you are in your financial journey then, you can’t know where you are going. Answer this before you move forward.

2. Focus On Paying Off Any Debt You Have

Before you begin any financial plan get a grip on debt. Payoff credit cards, personal loans, old collection bills, student loans and medical bills. Pay debt first, pay debt fast. Focus and pay.

For bigger debt like large student loans, car and house come up with a payment plan and get those loans in good standing so they won’t affect your credit report negatively.

Get them on track until you are in a financial position to make the full payoff amount.

Another way to pay off bigger debt is by adding on extra money. Paying extra every month along with the minimum payment. Also, use your tax refund, bonus, overtime and side hustle income to pay off the debt faster.

3. Look For Opportunity To Save

Save as much money as possible. Work toward a goal to have at least 6-12 months of emergency funds set aside.

Furthermore, have three different savings accounts:

Emergency account for life’s financial pop-ups
Big purchase account for vacations, holidays, school, new car, etc.
Third, have a retirement/freedom savings account

Saving money doesn’t have to be difficult or boring. Have a look at this post on the 10 ways to save right here.

4. Strive To Keep Better Financial Records

Keep good financial records.

Organization is one of the keys to success. Have a good filing system in place or at least a central location where you keep all your documents. Know where your insurance papers are, bank statements, keep track of your monthly budget. Don’t forget about your documents for your 401K Plan, IRA and other stocks.

Look into buying one of those fire proof filing boxes.

Have the paperwork in a safe easy to find place. In case of an emergency you would like to quickly locate and grab this information without complication.

5. Find And Organize Receipts For Upcoming Taxes

Definitely keep good tax records. Find and organize all your receipts from the year before. Don’t sleep on this and allow it to pass by.

You don’t want to get behind on any IRS payments. To keep from owing get a good CPA and keep track of all your receipts and financial products.

6. Start Off The Year Right By Investing

Investing can be very intimidating for some. They don’t go into details about investing in school. So, if you never learned, then it’s a new concept.

People often don’t like the sound of risking and losing money in the stock market. Once this thought enters their mind most people give up on the notion of investing all together.

But, it doesn’t have to be so risky to invest. Education is a keep component in preventing heavy risk. Once you learn more about stocks you learn where and when to invest your money to decrease risk.

Try investing with less risk if stocks make you uncomfortable.

Mutual Funds are a group of stocks that you invest into all at once through one account. Similar to a 401k plan. So, there’s a lower chance of you losing all of your money at once. But, keep in mind stocks often go up and down in price and this is normal.

If you only choose to invest in your 401k plan or IRA then think about increasing the amount of your current contribution to boost your financial goals.

Conclusion

I hope you find these steps helpful and make 2019 your best financial year to come. Let this be the beginning of a new journey where you actually look forward to investing and saving and paying off debt.

Focus on your motivations and start now in accomplishing your financial goals.