First Things First: A Few Financial Basics from zero percent car loans pros Watch Video

⏲ Duration: 12:21
✓ Published: 18-Apr-2024

Description:
1. Create a Financial Calendar<br/>If you don’t trust yourself to remember to pay your quarterly taxes or periodically pull a credit report, think about setting appointment reminders for these important money to-dos in the same way that you would an annual doctor’s visit or car tune-up. A good place to start? Our ultimate financial calendar.<br/><br/>2. Check Your Interest Rate<br/>Q: Which loan should you pay off first? A: The one with the highest interest rate. Q: Which savings account should you open? A: The one with the best interest rate. Q: Why does credit card debt give us such a headache? A: Blame it on the compound interest rate. Bottom line here: Paying attention to interest rates will help inform which debt or savings commitments you should focus on.<br/><br/>3. Track Your Net Worth<br/>Your net worth—the difference between your assets and debt—is the big-picture number that can tell you where you stand financially. Keep an eye on it, and it can help keep you apprised of the progress you’re making toward your financial goals—or warn you if you’re backsliding.<br/><br/>How to Budget Like a Pro<br/><br/><br/>4. Set a Budget, Period<br/>This is the starting point for every other goal in your life. Here’s a checklist for building a knockout personal budget.<br/><br/><br/><br/>5. Consider an All-Cash Diet<br/>If you’re consistently overspending, this will break you out of that rut. Don’t believe us? The cash diet changed the lives of these three people. And when this woman went all cash, she realized that it wasn’t as scary as she thought. Really.<br/><br/>