Dear Entrepreneur, Here Are Top 10 Money Skills To Learn In Your 30s

By Getrude Mathayo / Published May 10, 2022 | 11:48 am

KEY POINTS

Developing good spending and saving habits, learning to budget, and investing in your 30s can help you prevent needless debt, put away money for the things that are important to you, and take advantage of compounding to amass a fortune in the future.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

To reach your lifelong dreams, you need to set financial goals. By setting long-term, mid-term, and short-term financial goals, you'll be one step closer to being financially secure. Estimate how much money you'll need to meet each of your goals.

The money decisions you make in your 30s can affect your finances for years to come. That’s why it’s important to work on building healthy financial habits now so that you’ll benefit later.

When you’re in your 30s and 40s, you’re likely well established in your career and may now be undertaking new personal and financial milestones like buying a home, having children, or paying off your student loans.

And while retirement may feel like a long way away at this point, that’s also something you should be financially planning for. It’s also a great time to pick up healthy money habits and learn new financial skills.

Working toward financial security need not be an exercise in self-deprivation, though many people assume it to be. Attaining this goal even has some immediate benefits given that financial insecurity can be a serious source of stress.

Learn To Create and Live by a Budget

Getting on a budget is the foundation of building wealth and understanding where your money is going. This is especially important in your 30s, when you may have competed short- and long-term financial goals, such as saving for retirement or saving for a house

Get in the Habit of Tracking Your Spending and Expenses

Tracking your spending is often the first step in getting your finances in order. By understanding what you spend money on and how much you spend, you can see exactly where your cash is going and areas where you can cut back. It’s easy to make this part of your everyday routine

Have a budget line called “Things that I forgot to Budget for”

A budget forces you to map out your goals, save your money, keep track of your progress, and make your dreams a reality. It helps you figure out your long-term goals and work toward them.

Learn to live on less than you make.

Keep your standard of living below what your earnings can accommodate. As you advance in your career and gain more experience, your pay should increase. But rather than using this excess income to live a more luxurious lifestyle, the best move is to put the money toward reducing debt or adding to savings

Learn to save consistently toward your life goals

When you’re in your prime of life, it’s easy to think that the future will take care of itself and you can worry about retirement costs as they come up in the future.

However, if you take the time to sit down and calculate the actual cost of your current standard of living in retirement, you may discover the reality that you may not be as financially prepared as you thought

Be Disciplined About Maintaining an Emergency Fund

Keep three to six months of expenses in your emergency fund so you’ll never have to dip into your retirement fund or go back into debt when an emergency happens.

Learn the Basics of Investing

Investing is different from saving or trading. Generally investing is associated with putting money away for a long period of time rather than trading stocks on a more regular basis.

Learn To Ask for Help When You Need It

If you don’t have a financial advisor, look into getting one that will guide you through the process of setting up retirement accounts. You should also have a tax consultant and estate planner on your pro team.

Figure Out How to Get Out and Stay Out of Debt

Your most powerful wealth-building tool is your income, and when you spend your whole life sending loan payments to banks or credit card companies, you end up with less money to save and invest for your future.

Set Financial Goals

To reach your lifelong dreams, you need to set financial goals. By setting long-term, mid-term, and short-term financial goals, you’ll be one step closer to being financially secure. Estimate how much money you’ll need to meet each of your goals.