Guest Blog by Sandra Regalado, Marketing & PR + WISE Website Chair, sandraregalado.com
As we kick off the new year, I thought it would be important to make sure my finances are in order to start the year off on the right foot. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to attend the WISE “Financial Fitne$$” workshop at the end of 2019 to help make sure I was headed in the right direction. The event was held at the beautiful Oakland A’s HQ office, where we heard from financial planner, Leslie Pettinelli at Girls Just Gotta Have Funds.
No matter where you are financially, it's important to have a financial plan. As Leslie mentioned, “It’s never too early, or too late to start a personalized wealth building strategy.” Below are the key takeaways you and I need to make sure we are set up for success in 2020 and beyond:
5 Steps to Money Manifestations:
F - Figure out how you feel about money and why. Do you remember your first piggy bank? Did your parents teach you about saving and investing, or did they fight about not having enough money? Many money beliefs are set before age 10!
U - Understand where your money is going. Use the 50/30/20 Rule to divide your after tax income into a simple budget. 50% should go to necessities like housing and bills, 30% should be used for fun stuff like eating out, buying clothes, traveling and 20% should be saved for long term goals like buying a house and saving for retirement.
N - Name your goals. Do you want to pay off credit card or student loan debt, go on a safari, or change careers? Money is a tool that buys you choices, so let’s think about how to use it!
D - Dive into your credit score. Monitor your score for free at CreditKarma.com. Your goal should be a score of at least 760.
S - Smart investing. The Rule of 72. 72 ÷ interest rate = # of years it will take to double your money. For example, if you earned 8% each year, your money would double every 9 years (72 ÷ 8 = 9 years). Make your money work for you!
My biggest takeaway from the workshop, besides just contributing to an employer 401K is to diversify your portfolio, understand your current investments and how your money is being invested (stocks vs bonds), and open up an IRA or Roth IRA for supplemental investing. Although you should have a personal savings account with your bank, it’s important to have an additional source of savings and investment account that yields interest. Spend wisely, but also invest it!
As Marshawn Lynch emphatically shared in a recent post game conference:
