Finder.com.au
Savings Account Comparison Australia
Compare

How To Set Yourself A Financial Savings Goal

Posted May 28th, 2011and last modified December 29th, 2011

If you have always wanted to set up a financial goal for yourself but didn’t know how, take a look at this article to find out exactly how to do it. .

It isn’t hard to set a financial goal – best of all you will end up having some money set aside in savings.

it can be quite difficult to start saving if you have not set up a financial goal to work towards. You will find that you do not have the motivation required to save your money if you don’t know what you are saving it for or why. It is important to establish these basics in order to save money and this is why a lot of people fail at it.

Setting A Financial Goal

Here are some tips you can use to help set up a financial goal that is real and achievable.

  1. List your short-term, medium term and long term goals.
  2. Take a look at your budget and figure out where you can spend less and put the extra away.
  3. Take advantage of compounding interest by starting your savings as quickly as you can.
  4. Clear off your debts before you start saving. If you are paying interest on a loan get that paid off as quickly as possible to avoid paying a lot of interest.
  5. Set up realistic targets that you feel can be achieved.

Some people have a very difficult time looking at long-term financial goals. They need to start out by setting smaller short-term goals. This is fine to do because everybody needs to start somewhere. One of the short-term goals can be to try and figure out one simple long-term goal.

It is simple to reach your goals faster if you know what they are. You will be able to focus on them and keep them in mind when you are doing your shopping. You will remember to look for better deals on the items you need, and take the extra time to do comparison shopping.

Things like reducing energy costs by turning off light switches will come to mind more automatically if you have set up a financial goal. You will also think of it when you sign up for things like health or auto insurance. It’s all these small things that will add up to big savings in the end.

The crucial step you need to take is to deposit any money you have saved into a savings account before it gets spent on something else. You may want to set up an automatic direct debit to get this done.

Setting a realistic financial savings goal is the most important thing that you can do. If it is not realistic you will lose your motivation. Remember to budget in some money to have fun and get out once in a while. You don’t have to completely stop living to reach that goal.

This is the right way to set up and maintain a financial goal and a better future for yourself. If you follow the above advice you are certain to be better off and you will feel much more secure once you have some money set aside in savings.

The Key To Financial Freedom

Managing money is a difficult thing for most of us to do, and we need to be coached as to how to do it. Aside from making a budgets and remembering our savings, an excellent tool that will help you better manage personal finances is to prioritise your spending. This way, you always know who needs the most money, when it needs to be there and how much you’re going to spend on it.

Each person will manage their finances differently, and so each person will have a different set of priorities. For most, the biggest tip is to reduce your debt as fast as possible. You do this by making the largest payment that you comfortably can for each of your debts until they’re done away with. This along will make your finances that much easier to handle.

Here is an example of one way that many people can prioritise their spending so that that you make the most of your money.

How Should Your Money Be Prioritised?

The major thing to consider here is where are you losing money? For most of us, the answer is simple: interest rates. So, where do you have interest rate?

  • Your mortgage.
  • Any credit card debts, especially if you let them carry from month to month.
  • Personal loans
  • and car loans

All of these represent ways that you lose money. Every day that interest is added to these loans is another day that you’re losing money. For that reason, these should always be paid off as quickly as possible. Your mortgage, obviously, is going to take a long time to pay off, and your car loan may take a few years as well. However, if you put a good portion of your income toward paying these loans down, you’ll cut the term of the loan and reduce the mortgage or car loan much faster.

If you have credit card debt with a revolving balance or a personal loan, these can drain your money very quickly. It may be wise to consider consolidating these types of debts into one loan with a smaller interest rate, allowing you to pay them off faster and cheaper. By doing these things, you will be able to keep more of your money and grow your savings faster.

An Example of Financial Priorities:

This works for some people, it may not work for you. Figure out what’s best for you as this is simply an example.

  • First, pay your credit cards and personal loans. These debts typically carry higher interest rates, cutting into more of your money and costing you more in the long run. Typically, the shorter the debt, the higher the interest rate will be. By paying these off and keeping them down, you’ll save yourself a lot of money.
  • Put money in savings. By putting your money in savings first, before you pay your bills or spend money, you’re lowering the amount of money you’ll allow yourself to spend. This will keep you from making bad impulse buying decisions when you realise that you’re low on money.
  • Pay the bills. Obviously, this should come before you start paying for anything you may not need.
  • Whatever is left after you’ve paid all your bills, made your debt repayments and put away some money in savings is what you have to spend. This money goes towards groceries, entertainment, shopping and all the other incidentals of day to day life.

Ask A Question

Please note: Question moderation is enabled and may delay your question.
There is no need to resubmit your question. Once approved, your question will be public and appear on this page.





Top High Interest Savings Accounts

All of these accounts are FREE to open and require no minimum deposit. They all have easy internet banking access with no transaction fees.

Savings Account Account Details Maximum Variable Rate p.a. Standard Variable Rate p.a. Bonus Interest p.a. Fees Min Balance/Min Deposit
RaboDirect High Interest Savings Account
RaboDirect High Interest Savings Account
Limited time offer. Enjoy a leading rate on your savings.5.60%4.85%0.75%$0$0 / $0 Enquire
Enquire
UBank USaver
UBank USaver
High ongoing rate plus if you deposit $200 monthly you receive a bonus 0.60% p.a, taking this up to an even higher rate. Open online.5.51%4.91%0.60%$0$0 / $0 Enquire
Enquire
HSBC Serious Saver
HSBC Serious Saver
Enjoy an introductory variable rate for 4 months for balances up to $1,000,000. Limited time only!5.55%4.25%1.30%$0$0 / $0 Enquire
Enquire

Savings Account Alert! Subscribe to receive the highest interest and lowest fee savings accounts.
Name:
Email:
Australian Savings Account News | Sitemap | About & Contact Us | Secondary Providers