Did you know that small changes in your financial rituals and investing in exchange traded funds (ETFs) can improve your personal finances in three months?
Dayana Yochim, co-adviser for "Motley Fool Green Light," says 12 weeks isn’t that much time, but it can be plenty for turning around your financial life. She offers some advice on how to tackle some financial goals within 90 days, reports Ellen Bowman for The Motley Fool:
- Get it together
Check out your situation: What do your assets look like? Your liabilities? Are you behind, ahead or balanced? The more detail, the better. - No monkeys on the back
How much is on your "bad debt" list? If you have credit cards, IOUs or car loans, attack the highest interest loans first with passion. Give all spare change and bonuses to these and pay them down. "Snowball" your higher interest debt onto lower interest cards, if possible. - Set it and forget it
Set new savings goals and stick with them. Sock away money and forget it’s there in a high-yield interest account. Also, reward yourself with small things once major debt is paid off. - Meet the market
Get involved in some simple, but broad and well-diversified ETFs, such as Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) and SPDRs (SPY). Currently, VTI is up 9.0% year-to-date, and SPY is up 8.9% year-to-date. - Get set for the golden years
Start saving for retirement now through an IRA or 401(k). - Get it done- NOW
Commit to doing one thing per month now. Open an IRA, up your 401(k) contribution and track your progress. You’ll be amazed if you keep track, and hang your progress on your fridge where you can see it.
The opinions and forecasts expressed herein are solely those of Tom Lydon, and may not actually come to pass. Information on this site should not be used or construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any product.