Personal finance managers is a professional who helps you to get your finances right and to make sure you achieve your financial goals.
A good personal finance manager will encourage questions and raise issues if any during the implementation process. These are just a few of the responsibilities of a personal finance manager.
Contents
- 1 What is A Personal Financial Manager?
- 2 Personal Finance Software History
- 3 The Work of a Personal Finance Manager
- 4 Review Your Current Financial Health
- 5 Develop a plan to meet your financial goals
- 6 Creating a Budget is the First Step
- 7 Develop A Short-Term Plan To Meet Your Financial Goals
- 8 Look After Your Asset Allocation
- 9 Age is a Key Factor is Personal Financial Planning
What is A Personal Financial Manager?
A personal finance manager is a professional who specifically assists people in managing their financial affairs. These financial activities, which can be done offline as well as online, might include, but are not limited to, monitoring investments and balancing books.
Personal Finance Software History
Intuit’s establishment in 1983 marked the beginning of the development of personal financial management software. The company’s founders, Scott Cook and Tom Proulx, wanted to create personal financial software after realizing how popular personal computers were becoming.
Following Quicken, which was their flagship product and quickly became a household staple, came QuickBooks, a financial management tool for small businesses.
At about the same time, MECA Software unveiled and designed a similar competitor product by author Andrew Tobias called Managing-Your-Money (MYM) came out, first running on the Apple II, and later on the IBM PC.
Later, in 1990, Microsoft released its own personal finance manager platform called Microsoft Money.
Around 2006, a wave of online personal finance manager tools launched, with Wesabe and Mint at the forefront. Since 2008, personal finance management has expanded in scope, with tools on personal finance and lending sites.
The Work of a Personal Finance Manager
A personal finance manager can make life easier for its users. Most applications can be customized to a person’s financial goals and needs.
Review Your Current Financial Health
When you hire a personal finance manager, you are hiring an individual who will act as your financial partner. They can help you with investments and financial planning, and can help you build wealth.
In some cases, personal finance managers may even become an extension of your family. However, you need to take into consideration the manager’s credentials, experience, and long-term financial plan before hiring them.
A personal finance manager will review your financial health and curate a financial plan based on it. This is important because it will determine how your financial assets and liabilities will be allocated. They can also devise tax saving strategies and help you plan your investments and other financial activities.
Develop a plan to meet your financial goals
Once you have determined your goals, develop a plan to achieve them. These plans will help you keep track of your progress and reward yourself for meeting them. Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
You can also use this time to write down aspirations that align with your values. In addition, be sure to leave a little room for short-term goals, such as saving for an emergency fund. These funds can help you pay rent if you lose your job or become unemployed.
Short-term financial goals are those that can be achieved within a year. Mid-term goals may take a few years to accomplish. However, they shouldn’t be so ambitious that they will cause frustration. Mid-term goals can range from saving for a down payment on a home to paying off student loans. They may even include a dream vacation or starting a business. A long-term goal might involve more commitment and a larger amount of money.
Creating a Budget is the First Step
Creating a budget is the first step in developing a plan to meet your financial goals. A budget helps you to determine where your money is going, and you can use a budget calculator to determine where you need to cut back.
A budget also helps you to plug any financial leaks. Using a budget calculator is a great way to make sure you are not overlooking any expenses, such as real estate taxes or health care. You can also use a budget calculator to determine the amount of money you can afford to spend each month.
To begin your budget, separate expenses into two buckets: necessities, and nice-to-haves. The first bucket should include groceries and rent, while the second bucket should contain items you can afford, such as gym memberships and eating out.
Develop A Short-Term Plan To Meet Your Financial Goals
You can also develop a short-term plan to meet your financial goals. You should begin by eliminating credit card debt, saving a specific percentage of your income, and setting aside an emergency fund.
If you can afford to save for an upcoming vacation, you may want to consider a financial goal that will help you achieve your spring break dreams.
Look After Your Asset Allocation
Many people are confused about asset allocation, but knowing more about it can make it easier to make the right decisions. Asset allocation is the balance of risk and return in your overall investment portfolio, and it should be based on your personal risk tolerance. It’s important to remember that asset allocation is not a decision that you should make once, and it should be reviewed and adjusted as necessary.
It’s important to think about your risk tolerance and your retirement plans when choosing the right asset allocation. If you wing it, you’ll end up on a wild ride. Personal finance managers can help you determine an initial asset allocation and make recommendations for the future.
Before hiring a personal finance manager, however, check their credentials and disciplinary history. It’s important to take your time when selecting an asset allocation model, but if you’re unsure, you can always try to get an idea from an online asset allocation calculator.
Age is a Key Factor is Personal Financial Planning
Another important thing to keep in mind when choosing your asset allocation is your age. As you age, your risk tolerance becomes lower. In fact, your risk tolerance decreases dramatically as you get closer to retirement age. This means that you can’t afford to take huge risk swings in the stock market, and you’ll need to make adjustments accordingly.
Your asset allocation should be based on your age and retirement date. If you’re nearing retirement age, you’ll likely want to invest less in stocks and more in cash equivalents. You may also want to change your asset allocation based on your risk tolerance or your financial situation.