How to be Financially Secure

Do you have a job? If yes, then good for you. But did you have any savings? Do you spend almost all of your money during payday? Yes? That's a problem, but we can still do something about it.
Most people, especially young professionals, only thought about having fun. Never did they ever think of saving and preparing for their future.

There are 2 steps for you to manage your money.

1. Save
2. Invest

A lot of people have this VERY wrong idea of saving. They thought that whatever is left from their salary after paying all of their expenses is their "savings." For example, you earn P10, 000 a month, and your monthly expenses reached P9, 999, you only saved 1! What if there are emergencies, can your P1 do something for it? NO!

Savings

Is an expense to your future. For example, you earn P10, 000 a month, and you want to save P1, 000 per month, you must only fit all your expenses in P9, 000 a month. How? Maybe you have to cut off all the unnecessary buyings. If you used to buy Starbucks coffee everyday, why not buy cheaper ones, or those 3-in-1 packs?
And you have to be sure that you don't spend your Savings for something you just want to buy. If you really have to use the money, then make sure you pay for it on the next month. For example, you have to use the P1, 000 from your savings, make sure you give P2, 000 to your savings on the next month.

Saving is when you work hard to earn money. Investment is to let your money work for you.

Investment 

Is something people think that only businessmen can do. There are many types of investment. And you have to start young when you invest for greater return of income when the time has come for you to get it. Getting an insurance is one way of investing. There are many types of insurance that may fit your needs. In that way, you are sure that when something bad happens to you or to your beneficiaries, your insurance is there to back you up with all the expenses. What if nothing happens? You can still get the total face amount of your insurance when it reaches maturity. And no matter how many times you try to count all the money you have been paying monthly/quarterly/yearly for your insurance, the total face amount is still a lot more bigger. But, of course, getting an insurance means you have to be very responsible in paying for it monthly. So if you think you cannot pay the monthly payment it needs, then try to lower your face amount until you are confident that you can pay for it monthly.

Investing your money means you have to give time, effort, and a capital. Time to, at least, check the economic status of your country, effort to read a lot about investments (knowledge is power), capital for the money you need to put in your investment.
What if you don't have the time and effort, but you have the capital, how can you invest? That's where mutual funds come in.

Mutual fund 

Means that your money will be managed by professionals and it is a great mechanism to save and let your money work for you. How much your money will grow depends on the status of your economy, there may be a time that the economy is very low, but do not panic, because the economy will surely rise up again. For example, you joined a mutual fund and invested 10, 000, the economy last year made your investment earn 12%, that means that you earned 1, 200 last year, without working for it! But again, the percentage varies. If you started young, and you stopped working when you turned 65 years old, imagine how many years and how much your investment could have earned throughout those years. So probably, by the time you redeem your shares, the money is more than enough for you to live 20-30 more years of your life without working. Not to mention, your insurance may still be effective up until you're 80 years old, there's nothing to worry if ever you get sick. Isn't that great?

And I would like to tell you, it doesn't matter how big or small your monthly salary is. It's about how much you save, how much you spend and how much you manage your money wisely.

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3 Reasons Why We Procrastinate and How To Fight Them

Everyone is tempted to the dark side of procrastinate and most give in. Let's see some of the reasons why we procrastinate and how to combat them.

We procrastinate because the tasks are too overwhelming

Sometimes tasks are too difficult and broad that we don't know where to start, so we end up putting these off until we find out it's piling up like a mountain of dishes.

• Break down your work into little parts. As they say, every huge step is made up of humble beginnings. Create a detailed, realistic and manageable schedule and focus on one part at a time. If it's still a bit too big, then break it down further. You might say that it's a waste of time, but it actually helps you plan the things you need to do in order to accomplish this specific task effectively. 
• Get organized. Don't rush over things and "get it over with". Doing the same thing again after you've messed up is worse than not doing anything. It requires more effort, time and work, which could lead you to procrastinate. 
• Monitor your progress. Keeping track of where you are is essential in completing a task. It helps you determine whether you're ahead or behind the schedule. Mark each small part as a completed short-term task.

We procrastinate because we are afraid of failure or unable to make a decision

• Don't wait for the perfect timing. Stop overly complicating things as they normally are. There are always two sides in a tablet, no matter how thin you slice it. So weigh down all the pros and cons and see if the pros outweigh the cons, without being biased. You don't need everything to be perfect. Just put your best foot forward and get a grip!
• Take action. People always have dreams, goals and things they want to achieve, but the problem is they only talk, and not do it. So get your gears on, plan, and implement how you want to do it.
• Visualization works. Focus on your desired outcome, how you'll feel after doing what you really want to do. Inject positive thoughts into your system. 
• Tackle psychological issues. Fight your doubt and low self-esteem as they will only pull you down. Go out of your comfort zone. It won't be easy, but it will be worthwhile.
• Talk it out. Share your goals with someone who has achieved the same thing if that convinces you more to do it and motivates you. Surround yourself with positive people and get encouragement.

We procrastinate because we are burnout and distracted

• Don't overwork yourself. We want to achieve things we planned to do in the shortest time possible and we end up beating ourselves. Being too tired to work can result to not working at all. 
• Give yourself a little break. Reward yourself for the good job you've done once in a while. Take a rest. Some of us are just itching to do something and can't stay put, but having a peaceful state of mind, and freeing yourself from the clutter help you better think of ways on how to do the things you want to do.
• Change your environment. Having a messy workplace can decrease your productivity. Transfer to a place in your house where it is not as noisy if you get distracted to noise easily. Clean up your room and desk. This will give you more peace and clear your mind so you can do your thing better.

Time is precious. So let's do our best to maximize it the best way we can and not kill it by putting off the things we ought to do.

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