You don’t have to bend over backwards to get in better financial shape.
Want to get in better shape physically, or fiscally? Money related New Year’s resolutions actually outnumber weight related ones, according to New Year’s Resolution Statistics from Statisa. In my former paycheck provider’s (Fidelity® Investments) 10th annual New Year Financial Resolutions Study, the top resolutions were to:
Save more - 48% of respondents
Pay down debt - 29%
Spend less - 15%
Those don’t strike me as particularly surprising, but it is interesting that three times as many people want to save more versus spend less. It seems to me that if 50% of the people making resolutions committed to spending less, they would wind up paying off their debts faster. Thus, they would also be able to save more money.
Spending less, however, is hard for most of us. It always seems so easy, in our heads. Cut out the coffee store latte and make a pot of coffee at home. Cook dinner instead of eating out. Take the leftovers to work for lunch the next day. What these things have in common is they require us to change our behavior, much like diet and exercise are part of losing weight.
Change is hard, as illustrated by another Fidelity nugget, only 27% of people surveyed felt they were successful in achieving their financial New Year’s resolution. If you or someone you know is looking to get in better shape financially, I’ve got a few tips that shouldn’t require much sacrifice.
Per the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, in their Consumer Expenditure Survey, a 2015 household earning between $150,000 - $199,999 had an average after-tax income of $139,555 and expenses of $113,272. Given peoples’ propensity to want to save more versus spend less, the following ideas should allow for less debt and more savings without sacrificing too much spending.
Pay your highest interest rate debt
First, if you don’t pay your debt balances in full each month, focus on paying off the highest interest debt you have each month. As that is paid off, apply those payments to the next highest interest rate debt, and then the next, and so forth until you are debt free. Once you are out of debt, or at least have it under control, you can then focus on your savings.
Use a cash back rewards credit card
The next idea also relates to credit, and it requires some discipline due to the usurious finance charges most of these products charge on unpaid balances. But if you can and do pay off the balance each month, a cashback rewards credit card can be a great way to save some money without making much, or any, cuts in your spending.
There are many choices, some that will suit some people better than others. The more straightforward options pay the same percentage on all purchases while others may offer higher rewards in certain categories. If an average $150k income household could put half of their purchases on a card that pays a 2% cashback reward on all purchases, it would equate to about $1,400 a year in cash back.
I’m a fan of the Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card, which has no annual fee and pays 2% back on all purchases. The only catch is that you have to have a Fidelity Investments account to deposit the awards into.
Seek out lower cost investments
The last idea doesn’t require much discipline, but it will use some of your time. Take that time to understand what you are paying for your investments and seek out lower costs alternatives, especially those in your 401(k) or other retirement accounts. I discussed the impact of expenses in this Accountable Update post, “How to Choose a Mutual Fund”.
If you no longer work at an employer with a high cost plan, rolling the account over to a lower cost plan or IRA can make a big difference. Similarly, if you rolled a retirement account over after leaving an employer and invested it in a high fee IRA or annuity, it will probably make sense to review the fees and seek lower cost alternatives.
If you have one or more of these old plans and would like to review them, get in touch for a free consultation. That’s a resolution that shouldn’t be too hard to stick to.