Financial Fitness by Jainie Fitness

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! I was running this morning and started to think of how frustrating it can be when your taking those first steps towards becoming financially fit. It's like not eating so many almond joys (my favorite) when you start to eat healthy. One thing that always helped me was knowing why I was eating healthier foods, and I think that applies to healthier finances as well! So starting at the very basic level, the first step for financial fitness is...saving your money. In today's times there are multiple ways to save, but again let's focus on the why, because without the why it's hard to care about the how.

• Emergency Funds: This is probably the first thing everyone thinks of in regards to saving your cash. No matter what your age we have all been hit by some sort of unexpected expense. This could be from a car breaking down, home repairs, or even medical expenses. A general rule of thumb is to have enough in your savings account to cover at least three months of bills.





• Retirement: Saving sooner rather than later is always the best when it comes to your retirement. The earlier you put money away, the more your money can work for you. This can be intimidating at first because now, saving is not as easy as just throwing some money under the mattress. There are 403b's, 401K's, and all kinds of other forms of retirement accounts with different pros and cons for each. Luckily there are plenty of financial planner out there willing to help you decide which one is best for you. Texas Trust has an awesome financial planner by the name of Jim Blazek who's services are available free of charge.





• School: I don't just mean education for your child. Many adults are going back to school to either finish a degree or start a new one all together. This is all in hopes of higher paying jobs, which I think is fantastic because the more you make the more you can save. According to USA Today, in 2009 a survey was compiled from 100 different community colleges by the AACC that showed adult enrollment had risen from 2% to 27% from the previous year.

What are some reasons to save that you can think of? These are some of the major reasons, but much like unexpected expenses there are always some we overlook. When it comes to money, the mint makes it first, it's up to you to make it last.

-Jaine-