MANAGING YOUR MONEY

Personal Financial Planning





Personal Financial Planning

Introduction

Financial planning is often thought of as a way to manage debt, but a good financial plan really is a way to make certain that you have financial security throughout your life. Many small business owners consider their business as their investment in their future, but that is a huge risk to take. The essential components of a good financial plan are investing, retirement planning, insurance, borrowing and using credit, tax planning, having a will, and ensuring the right people receive your assets. Financial planning is the process of meeting your life goals through the proper management of your finances. Life goals can include buying a home, saving for your child's education or planning for retirement.

Income and expenditure account: This is the account which is prepared for record the inflow's and outflow's of the income and expenditure of the individual, firm, company, and any organization.

I am taking this tool of accounting for managing or recording the inflows and outflows of my family and myself also. We have our family business running by my father and brother. A key component of personal finance is financial planning, which is a dynamic process that requires regular monitoring and reevaluation. In general, it has five steps:

Assessment: One's personal financial situation can be assessed by compiling simplified versions of financial balance sheets and income statements. A personal balance sheet lists the values of personal assets (e.g., car, house, clothes, stocks, bank account), along with personal liabilities (e.g., credit card debt, bank loan, mortgage). A personal income statement lists personal income and expenses.

Setting goals: Two examples are "1. Retire at age 65 with a personal net worth of $1,000,000," and, "2. Buy a house in 3 years while paying a monthly mortgage servicing cost that is no more than 25% of my gross income." Having multiple goals is common, including a mix of short term and long term goals. Setting financial goals helps to direct financial planning.

Creating a plan: The financial plan details how to accomplish your goals. It could include, for example, reducing unnecessary expenses, increasing one's employment income, or investing in the stock market.

Execution: Execution of one's personal financial plan often requires discipline and perseverance. Many people obtain assistance from professionals such as accountants, financial planners, investment advisers, and lawyers.

Monitoring and reassessment: As time passes, one's personal financial plan must be monitored for possible adjustments or reassessments.

Typical goals most adults and young adults have are paying off credit card and/or student loan debt, investing for retirement, investing for college costs for children, paying medical expenses, and planning for passing on their property to their heirs (which is known as estate planning).[citation needed]

The six key areas of personal financial planning, as suggested by the Financial Planning Standards Board, are:

Financial position: this area is concerned with understanding the personal resources available by examining net worth and household cash flow. Net worth is a person's balance sheet, calculated by adding up all assets under that person's control, minus ...