Category: Budgeting

The class “Personal Finance for Young Adults” usually isn’t part of a high school curriculum – an unfortunate oversight that leaves many young people clueless about how to manage their money, apply for credit, and stay out of debt. Now that you’re in college, it’s likely that you’re in charge of your financial affairs more so than when you lived at home and mainly functioned in the realm of your parents’ economic universe. Indeed, you have more freedom to decide where and how to spend money.

But with that freedom comes the responsibility to spend money wisely. That’s what it’s like when you’re on your own – you get to decide. And you also get to experience the consequences of your choices, both good and bad. Soaring tuition costs coupled with financial unpreparedness spell a recipe for financial setbacks. Accordingly, it is crucial to understand basic financial tips for students and other core lessons about money.

9 Practical Financial Literacy Tips for College Students

While you may be forgiven for being nose-deep in your books, it’s time to reflect on how you manage your money. Do you have a budget? Or are you spending it on the go? Remember that the younger you are, the more time your savings and investments will grow – the sooner you start, the better. Here are some practical, real-world financial tips for college students you can take advantage of to reinforce your saving and spending habits.

Create A Budget

Carefree high school students frequently spend whatever is in their bank account, living off their parents’ generosity or the spoils of a part-time job. Once that student moves to college, a budget becomes indispensable. Making a monthly or semester budget is the first step toward staying on top of your finances. Budgeting gives you a big-picture view of your money, so you can make informed spending and saving decisions. Start by identifying your income for the semester or year, including paychecks if you have a job, loans, grants, and family contributions. Accounting for your inflows gives you an idea of how much to spend each month. Thereafter, plan for essential needs like transport and food. In whatever is left, you can save a fixed percentage and spend on other expenses like trips or simple pleasures. Remember to stick to your budget because straying from your financial blueprint defeats its purpose and risks pushing you into debt.

Practice Self-control

One simple but effective financial tip for college students is always paying with cash, not credit. You’re lucky if your parents taught you self-control. If not, understand that the sooner you learn the essential life skill of delaying gratification, the sooner you’ll keep your personal finances in order and as a habit. Put your money for everyday purchases on a debit card instead of a credit card. A debit card attracts no additional fees when making transactions, unlike a credit card with a high-interest charge. Use credit cards only for emergencies.

Track Your Spending

Write down every purchase you make or use a budget app. Create a routine that includes a regular accounting of your finances. Simply tracking what you spend can help you notice patterns and understand where your money is going. It also enables you to identify if you need to make a change. This financial self-knowledge will make your life calmer and allow you to focus on more important matters like your grades.

Exploit Student Discounts

College students should become masters in exploring ways their educational status can save them money. Restaurants, local venues, vendors, and services near college campuses often offer student discounts that can save you big money. What’s more, you should learn the value of hunting down great deals by looking for bargains. Being discount-obsessed is also an excellent financial tip for high school students since many companies offer discounts in the form of student memberships.

Use Cheap Essay Writing Services

It’s essential to make time for fun and relaxation even as you juggle academic work, family obligations, and social life. Sometimes students feel zapped from energy because they have too much on their plate and end up buying expensive college essays online. Luckily, you can use cheap but reliable and trustable professional essay writing help without breaking the bank. Custom Writings is a college paper writing service that offers affordable academic writing help from scratch for students in the USA and worldwide. Their writers deliver subject-savvy, content-rich custom college essays and research papers that help students fulfill their educational goals without blowing holes in their budgets. More free time, better grades, and financial wellness are three key benefits you get from using their services.

Set Financial Limits

Imposing financial limits for necessary items is another way to curb impulse buying. Setting a spending limit doesn’t necessarily prevent you from making impulse purchases but helps you pause and assess whether the new iPhone is necessary. By setting a relatively low limit, say $100 per month, you get a wiggle room without having carte blanche when it comes to spending power. Add the non-essential money into your student’s proposed budget, separate from basic expenditures on food and gas.

Avoid Full-price Textbooks

Ah, the textbook – the budget breaker for college students everywhere. While it’s true that some professors change and update texts practically every year, the vast majority use the same textbooks each academic year. Students shouldn’t have to shell out hundreds to shop for books before class. As a student, you can exploit many ways to save money on college textbooks, such as shopping for second-hand books from Amazon. You can also rent a book online or borrow local libraries. This financial wellness tip helps you recoup some of the cash spent on buying books.

Get A Job

Of course, college should be fun. The freedom of being on your own is something to be savored, and the social aspects of college are nearly as vital as classes. But if you can, adding a part-time job to the equation can significantly boost your income. Many college jobs have flexible schedules built to accommodate students. So, find a job that fits your workload without spreading yourself too thin. That extra cash can make a huge difference in managing a budget.

Collaborate with Roommates

Having roommates in college is pretty much a necessity. So, if you’re doing college solo, you have set yourself up for a much more expensive ride. Undoubtedly, living with roommates can be a challenge, but saving on housing can make it worthwhile. It’s crucial to go beyond having roommates to cut down on housing costs.

The Bottom Line

Your financial decisions during college have a lifelong impact, which is why it’s important to have financial literacy. You don’t need an MBA in Finance or even specialized training to become an expert at managing your personal finances. Following these basic financial tips for students can lead you to financial security, which forms the cradle for building the rest of your dreams. Remember, these ideas are not just for college students but also practical financial tips for high school students.

Your financial future depends entirely on several habits that may not seem to have anything to do with money or finances. Getting the right information from online tools like Velocity trader reviews is one way but are there other ways? The answer is yes. The journey to financial freedom can be shorter and less arduous if you adapt these six habits.

1. Remain Poised

Like many aspects of life, it is important to remain agile and poised through all aspects of financial situations, good or bad. Losing composure often leads people down a financial rabbit hole chasing high-profit, low-risk investment ghosts that leave them financially drained. Practice keeping a level head through tough times by learning and experimenting with low-cost situations.

2. Consistency

No habit will significantly impact your life unless you consciously and consistently implement it. It takes about a month to get acclimated to a new habit and start enjoying yourself. The first few days are always the hardest. Encourage yourself to stick to new habits, make bad habits hard to physically achieve, and implement visual reminders to keep yourself on track. In time, your efforts will pay off by being reflected in your bank account.

3. Use the Best Trading Tools

Trading tools are especially useful if you are looking to invest, which is a crucial habit to initiate in search of a brighter financial future. Tools like Velocity trader reviews give you an upper hand in making crucial financial decisions. Numerous financial tracking tools on the internet help you make the right financial decision for future gain. Make use of these free tools and any other that may require regular subscription fees but add actual value to your life.

4. Knowledge is Power

If you are determined to make a true difference in your financial journey, you will take measures to increase your knowledge base about money. It is common knowledge that schools do not teach us about money management, so it is important to enlighten yourself using free data littered across the internet. So instead of spending your lunch break scrolling through a social media app, grab a pen and paper and get learning.

5. Plan for Everything

Monthly or annual budgets and goals will save you a lot of financial chaos and turmoil. Making shopping lists is also a great way to plan for each aspect of your spending. The key to planning is using measurable and timed goals to create plans, so everything falls perfectly in place when the time comes. Planning may also involve identifying areas where the opportunity to save arises.

6. Discipline

Setting financial goals and making budgets are useless if you have difficulty sticking to the plan. Discipline is a habit that will put you in the top 5% of any crowd. Most people find it difficult to stay disciplined because of external forces, so it is important to forge your focus skills. Always keep your focus fixed on what needs to get done at the moment. One small at a time is the way to go.

The Takeaway

Your financial freedom is entirely in your hands, affecting you and your future generations. Don’t get left behind; take matters into your hands, start practicing these habits, and give yourself a financial leg up.

Cash flow management is necessary for startups and small businesses because it is the foundation of a business’s ability to operate. It’s managing cash resources to ensure that cash is always available for business operations.

We will explore why cash flow management matters, and how startups can make it easier to manage their cash flows.

What Are the Key Factors that Impact Your Cash Flow?

The key factors that impact your cash flow are the management team, venture capital investors, and revenue projections.

In growing your business, you need to ensure you have a strong management team. Your team should provide a clear vision for the company and be able to execute it. They should also have experience managing and running a business, helping them manage finances more efficiently.

Revenue projections are also important, as they can help you plan what you need for growth. It can also help you decide whether you should take on additional investment from venture capitalists.

Creating a Cash Flow Plan that Works for Your Business

Cash flow is a term that most businesses know but few understand. It’s turning revenue into cash, and then back into assets or investments. To create a successful cash flow plan for your business, you need to fully understand your expenses and how much money is required to succeed.

A cash flow plan helps track your money and identify growth opportunities. The first step is to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of your approach so far. What has been successful and what hasn’t? This will help you map out the next steps in your process.

Here are a few steps to creating a cash flow plan:

• Establish your business objectives. What are you trying to accomplish? Review the company’s goals and identify the milestones.
• Plan for growth: How will you get more clients or customers and increase revenue?
• Evaluate your momentum: How can you keep the momentum going and build on it?
• Plan for sustainability: How do you plan to continually expand what you’re doing?
• Create your budget: Break down expenses into categories. Create a budget based on projected cash inflows and outflows.
• Consider contingencies: What will happen in an emergency or if revenues don’t meet projections? What steps will you take to stay in business and get results?

Finance Tips to Enhance the Growth of Your Business

Having a financial strategy in place is critical, especially when you start with low capital. You need to be aware of your financial goals and how you can get there.

To start, understand the difference between your fixed and variable costs. Fixed costs don’t change, whereas variable costs fluctuate based on revenue. A business should carefully analyze its fixed and variable costs before deciding on which type of financing it needs if any.

There are different financing options available for businesses, such as invoice factoring, loans, venture capital investments, and equity investments. For small businesses with little capital, invoice factoring might be the best option for funding business growth.

1. Consider crowdfunding. If you have a product in the pipeline and need funding, crowdfunding is a great way to raise capital, especially for startups that don’t yet have strong cash flow.
2. Negotiate with suppliers. Suppliers may be open to more favorable payment terms. This will give you more time to pay without getting deep in debt.
3. Don’t try to grow too fast. Additional employees are an important asset, but investment and return must be evaluated. Consider salaries, employee benefits, supplies such as computers, and desk space. Outsourcing might be a better choice.
4. Explore invoice factoring. You can sell your outstanding accounts receivable to an invoice factoring company in exchange for cash. A factoring company is a quick way to get financing and free up working capital.
5. Run a lean operation. Find ways to do more with what you already have. This can be challenging due to a lack of time and resources, but small changes can lead to big results.
6. Use good tasking software. Task management software is a digital tool that helps organize, prioritize, and delegate your work and stay on track. Task management software is a must-have for any company focusing on productivity and saving money.
7. Plan for and invest in growth. Identify areas for growth, and reinvest in the company to compete at a higher level for greater success down the line.

Conclusion

Cash flow management is vital to all businesses, particularly for start-ups on a tight budget. Approaches vary depending on the company’s needs, but planning is essential. Startups can generate money in several ways, including invoice factoring with a reputable factoring company, equity crowdfunding, and planning for growth. By effectively managing their cash flow, startups can generate more revenue and become more successful.

When you’re a student, money can feel like it doesn’t go a long way and is incredibly hard to come by. Managing your money well while studying isn’t always easy, and many students struggle to keep on top of their finances. Whether you’re thinking about studying or you’re partway through your degree, there are several things that can help you to manage your money effectively.

Decide Whether a Student Loan is Right for You

Deciding whether a student loan is right for you can help you to prioritise what you spend your money on. Many students in the UK are eligible for a student loan, which can help to pay for tuition fees as well as accommodation and other student necessities. Some students may also be eligible for certain bursaries, which do not need to be repaid. Taking out student loans if you are eligible can take away some of the stress of studying and help you to cover some of the major costs associated with going to university. Furthermore, you can also ask your university whether it offers bursaries for low-income students, you can apply for government loans or you can look for the best private loans based on your income level.

 Look Out For Student Discounts

Many activities, from transport to dining out and shopping, often come with student discounts. This can help you to save a substantial amount of money over the course of your studies, particularly if you regularly travel home or eat out with friends and other students.

You will often need to show a student ID card in order to be eligible for a student discount. Make sure you are able to collect a card from your university to enable you to prove your student status and make the most of offers and deals. If you’re studying online, contact the university to ask how you can obtain your student ID card. 

Study From Home

Studying from home can save you a lot of money in a variety of ways. For example, you could save money on commuting to and from university every day, or reduce the amount of money you might spend on food and drinks outside of the home. You can consider studying online for a degree, which can reduce tuition fees while giving you the flexibility to study from home. Studying an online MBA programme at Aston University, for example, can enable you to attain the degree you want while enjoying the perks of studying from home. It is an increasingly popular choice with first-time students, as well as postgraduate students and mature students returning to education after several years.

Avoid Getting Into Debt

Debt will mean that you have to make monthly payments to pay it off, creating additional costs that can start to interfere with your studies and put you under financial stress. If you already have debt before you begin studying, try to pay off some of the debt beforehand. If this isn’t possible, consider contacting a debt helpline to find out how you might be able to put your debt on hold while studying. You may be able to reduce payments or commit to paying off the debt after you graduate.

Avoid getting into debt while studying, and if you need money for an emergency, ask trusted friends and family or look for credit cards that are offered specifically for students. Student credit cards will often have a lower credit limit, which means you can’t get into huge amounts of debt. Many banks also offer a lower interest rate for student credit cards, helping you to keep monthly costs lower.

Find a Housemate

Living on your own while studying can be financially impossible and cause stress and anxiety when trying to manage your finances. If you’re moving away to study or your income is being reduced while you’re studying, find a housemate who can split the rent and household bills with you. Many students choose this option as it enables them to save a huge amount of money each month. Finding another student can also reduce other household bills such as council tax.

Track Your Spending

Keeping track of your spending can help you to understand more about your spending habits and see where you can make savings. It can help you to monitor your spending if you’re making large purchases, or help you to see where smaller purchases really start to add up over a few weeks. You can keep track of your spending either by using an online platform or app, or by keeping a note of it using a pen and paper.

Sign Up For Student Deals

Some websites and companies offer deals especially for students. You can sign up to receive notifications and alerts when new deals become available, which can help you to stay up-to-date with all the latest savings on the market. You may be able to save money on subscription services and streaming services, shopping for books and clothes, and buying new electrical devices. Look online and ask friends for their top tips on how to save money and make the most of student deals.

Don’t Buy More Than You Need

When it comes to clothing, kitchenware, food and more, many people have a tendency to buy more than they need. This can create a surplus in your home, and it can also mean that you’re spending money on things you don’t necessarily need. Rather than buying a large quantity of food each week, assess how much you really need to buy. Don’t buy enough food to cook every day of the week if you plan to dine out for two or three days. By being honest and accurate about what you do need, you can help to manage your funds better while studying and save money in the process.

Being a student can take a lot of money away from you and make it feel impossible to ever save any money. But certain habits can help you to manage your money and keep on top of your finances in a better way.

Cryptocurrencies are on the rise. So many people are investing in cryptocurrency, as well as using it for spending regularly.

And of course, the most commonly purchased cryptocurrency is Bitcoin. There are many ways to buy Bitcoin. One of the most underrated, though, is by using Bitcoin kiosks. 

These are essentially ATMs that allow you to deposit cash or use a debit card to purchase Bitcoin, along with other major cryptocurrencies.

They are fast, efficient, and secure. So should you try using that Bitcoin kiosk located outside your favorite restaurant? Probably!

Here’s everything you need to know about buying Bitcoin using a physical kiosk.

Why Buy Bitcoin

Did you know that in 2010, the first purchase using Bitcoin was for two pizzas? Do you know how much that person spent on those pizzas? 10,000 Bitcoin.

Back then, Bitcoin was brand new, and no one knew what it was worth. Over the course of a decade, it started to catch on as a new form of internet currency. 

Demand for Bitcoin grew, and with it, the price per coin. So while you could’ve purchased a Bitcoin for a few cents back in the day, it would cost you around $40,000 as of late September 2021.

That’s a huge gain. Bitcoins’ price has constantly been rising. Especially lately as it’s become a mainstream investment class, people worldwide are investing in and using Bitcoin regularly.

Many experts agree that Bitcoin’s price is likely to move past $100,000 in the near future.

So why should you buy Bitcoin? Most people buy it in hopes of seeing some of these impressive gains. They would love to make a 100% profit. And doing so is likely, as long as you can hold onto your investment long enough and not panic sell when the price dips.

Bitcoin primarily acts as a hedge. It will protect your money from inflation, which is running rampant these days. 

If you’d like to invest in a unique asset that has provided far greater returns than anything else in the last decade, you should buy Bitcoin today.

What Are Bitcoin Kiosks?

One way of buying Bitcoin is by using a Bitcoin kiosk or ATM. These function just like regular ATMs.

But unlike a normal ATM, which puts cash in your bank account, a Bitcoin ATM uses the money you deposit to purchase Bitcoin at the current market rate.

So if you put a $100 bill into a Bitcoin kiosk when the price is $40,000, you would receive 0.0025 Bitcoin. 

You can also use a Bitcoin ATM to sell Bitcoin in exchange for cash. So if you want to sell your 0.0025 Bitcoin one month later, when the price is $45,000, you would receive about $112, minus any transaction fees.

When buying and selling Bitcoin, and any other cryptocurrencies, you’ll pay blockchain transaction fees. These aren’t charged by the ATM but are changed by the blockchain to record the transaction down, which proves ownership over your newly purchased Bitcoin. 

Benefits of a Bitcoin ATM

So why should you use a Bitcoin ATM over an online exchange? Bitcoin ATMs are fast and secure. Plus, they are easy to find these days. You can check out www.bytefederal.com to see where any of their 900 ATMs are located. 

When purchasing via an ATM, you’ll complete your transaction in a matter of moments. And once of the main benefits is that identity verification is instant.

When you sign up for an online exchange, identity verification is an in-depth process. While this is considered a good thing, it’s a sign of solid security; it’s definitely a hassle.

It can take users a few days before they can actually start buying and selling crypto on an online exchange. But with an ATM, the process is instant. 

Plus, your information and your Bitcoin are never exposed on an online exchange. These exchanges are the main targets for hackers since there is so much valuable currency and user data.

Attacks have happened in the past on all major exchanges. But with an ATM, you can bypass all of that. 

How to Buy and Sell Bitcoin Using a Bitcoin Kiosk

So what do you need to do to use a Bitcoin kiosk? First off, you need to have a cryptocurrency wallet. When you buy Bitcoin for the first time, you need a place to store it.

You don’t receive any physical Bitcoin, as cryptocurrencies are virtual currencies that live on the internet. So your wallet is a device that stores transaction files. 

You can either download a software wallet, which is an app on your mobile device or computer. Or, you can purchase a hardware wallet, which is the most secure option since it’s never connected to the internet. These are basically USB drives for storing crypto.

Regardless of what type of wallet you use, you’ll need a QR code, which displays your wallet address. When you visit an ATM, you’ll insert your money or debit card to make a purchase.

You’ll need to show the QR code on your mobile device, or even a printed version, which the ATM scans. Then, it sends your newly purchased Bitcoin to the wallet. 

Keep Your Details Safe

Because your Bitcoin is instantly sent to your private wallet, this type of transaction is considered very safe. The most important thing you can do, however, is keep your wallet details safe.

Each wallet address comes with a private key and a public key. The public key is what you use to receive crypto to your wallet. It’s what you show to your ATM.

If you purchase cryptocurrency online, you would input your public key to transfer it to your wallet. If a friend worldwide wants to send you some crypto for your birthday, you give them your public key.

Displaying your public key is safe, and no one can steal from your wallet using your public key.

Your private key, on the other hand, is what authorizes wallets to send and release funds. Never share this with anyone. Write it down and store it in a safe place because if you lose it, you may lose access to your crypto. 

Make Your First Bitcoin Purchase

Now that you know how to use Bitcoin kiosks to buy and sell this valuable cryptocurrency, it’s time to invest in some for yourself. First, set up your personal wallet, which doesn’t take very long at all.

Then, find your nearest kiosk and make your first purchase today. In a year’s time, you’ll be very glad you did.

Looking for more tips like this? Head over to our blog to keep reading.