The Ultimate Guide to Financial Literacy

The Ultimate Guide to Financial Literacy

Liberation from financial constraints is a type of empowerment which women are often prevented from reaching. Women have to deal with pay inequality, domestic responsibilities, and a limited access to financial resources. Although there are encouraging societal initiatives that promote gender equality, entrenched social institutions are tough to change.

Strategies for Retaining Financial Freedom: Women are more capable of handling their financial affairs than they give themselves credit for. Some choices about one’s money should only be made at a given point in one’s life, while others may be made at any time. Increasing financial literacy is often the most effective means of formulating a plan for financial future.

Only 20% of women polled by Fidelity believed they were given adequate financial preparation by their parents to manage their own finances as adults. Making plans for your money and learning how to invest in the short, medium, and long-term may provide you with security for the rest of your life.

A strong foundation of financial literacy can help support various life goals, such as saving for education or retirement, using debt responsibly, and running a business.

(1) Budget.

Create a budget and an honest assessment of your spending habits.

Spending less than you earn and putting away money for the future are both made possible by budgets. Women are typically more adept at financial management than they give themselves credit for, but it never hurts to take stock of spending habits.  To begin, keep track of how much money is coming in each month, and then proceed to classify monthly expenditures into required and discretionary groups.

2) Invest.

Investments are a great way to ensure that your savings continue to grow while also protecting you from the effects of inflation. It’s common knowledge that investing can pay off, but many women either don’t believe they have what it takes to be successful or aren’t sure how to get started.  In actuality, women are as capable as men when it comes to investing, and their portfolios are often even more successful. Educate yourself about the various available investment opportunities. Investing in the stock market, government bonds, hedge funds, and real estate can change your financial trajectory immensely if you do it right.

(3) Save.

It’s crucial to plan for regular savings by allocating a certain sum each month. Experts advise maintaining three to six months’ worth of living costs in a rainy day fund. A health scare, the loss of a job, or a family emergency are all situations when having such funds might be a lifesaver. 

One of the best ways to ensure that you save your money regularly is to set up an automatic direct debit  arrangement with your bank. That way, the money will be reaching your savings account before you even touch it. With such an agreement, you will not need to practise intense self-control when it comes to saving.

One strategy to advance financially is to work on improving one’s credit rating by maintaining a zero balance on all credit cards at all times.

(4) Set Aside.

According to the World Health Organization, women have a lifespan that is 6-8 years longer than men’s. However, because women typically save less than males, they often outlast their financial resources. Women may improve the quality of their retirement years by setting aside money now. 

(5) Protecting Financial Identity 

This is one facet of literacy that is often not focused on but of equal importance. Personal documents need to be kept in a safe place, preferably in a lockable drawer or cabinet at home. Consider storing valuable financial documents such as share certificates with your bank. Don’t throw away entire bills, receipts, bank statements or even unwanted posts with your name on it..

Money impacts every decision we make in life, from where we live to the careers we pursue to the schools we send our children to and even how we prepare for retirement. Prepare.