Tuesday, 07 June 2022 01:31

Key tips to improve your financial education

Written by Evelyn Alas

If anything positive has come out of the previous crises, it is learning about the importance of saving at home and becoming familiar with key financial terms that help to understand the fine print of a bank contract (floor clause, IRPH...). However, financial education is still a challenge for spanish. If we are not used to saving, comparing and understanding what we are signing, it will be difficult to pass this need on to our children.

1 - Control your expenses

Keep track of what you spend to discover which expenses are dispensable, which will help you save more easily. Locating the hormiga expenses (small unnecessary expenses) will allow you to analyze what is really important and what is not and you will be able to elaborate budgets and strategies to become a better saver.

2 - Try not to spend more than you make

You can resort to credit through credit cards or loans, but using them frequently will not help you save if that is what you are looking for. Developing a budget will help you keep your expenses in check and not need more money at the end of the month.

3 - Do not over-indebt yourself

Following the golden rule "do not devote more than 35% of your income to the payment of all your debts", in order to have a healthy savings capacity, over-indebtedness must be avoided. However, nowadays, it can be a challenge for many, since the prices of renting and buying a house are very high and it is more complicated to keep the debt ratio below 35%. Try to over-indebt as little as possible.

4 - Personalize savings goals

Set a goal for your savings if you are going to give 100% to achieve it. The purchase of a car, that trip you've always wanted to take, the master's degree that could turn your professional life around or the apartment on the beach.