Long-Term Goals (complete in a year or more)
An example of a long-term financial goal might be to reduce your credit card debt. Make the goal specific by listing the total amount of debt you plan to pay off and setting a deadline (month and year) to repay the debt. Make it measurable by listing each credit card that has an outstanding balance, the name of each credit card issuer, the annual percentage interest rate, and the amount owed on …
To get where you want to go in life, it is important to decide in advance how you will get there. Goals are signposts on the highway to the future. They serve as your road map to personal, career, and financial success. By keeping specific goals in view, you can direct your energies toward achieving your goals.
SMART goals need to be written down on paper to reinforce their importance. Use the SMART Goal Setting Worksheet to set some short-term …
Whether you have a home office or a kitchen table for paying bills and keeping records, your job will be more difficult if you accumulate stacks of papers. As you open your bills or deal with important papers, it’s best to handle each one only a few times and to file it immediately. If that’s not possible, use a box, basket, or envelope to temporarily hold mail you don’t yet have time to open or papers you’ve gathered but haven’t …
Lifestyle transitions requiring financial decisionmaking range from job loss, changes in work status, caregiving responsibilities, divorce, retirement, chronic or acute illness, disability, death, long term care, to estate planning. Making sound financial decisions during these times can impact financial security in the future as well as the present.
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