Finances
Developing a Simple Plan

Developing a financial plan sounds intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be that difficult. A few simple strategies can help put you down the road to financial security.

1. Set Goals
Should you be saving for a down payment on a new home, the college education of your children, a comfortable retirement, or to provide a financial cushion in emergencies?

Figure out what you want out of life over the next five, 10, 20, 30 or more years. Then figure out what that’s likely to cost and how many years you have to build up your funds.

2. Start Saving or Investing
Figure out how much you can set aside each month for each goal, then do it -- no excuses.
The best approach is to put yourself on a budget and make saving and investing a part of your regular monthly expenses, right along with the rent and the phone bill.

If what you can afford to set aside is less than what you need to save and invest to reach your goals, you may have to reexamine your priorities and delay certain goals. But don’t abandon your financial plan. Even if you can’t do everything, whatever you manage to set aside now will reduce the amount you need to set aside later.

3. Match Savings And Investment Products To Goals
Now, the big question: Where should you put your money?
The answer depends on how much time you have to meet your goal, your income, your ability to tolerate risk, and how you intend to use the money.

Start by learning the key characteristics of each of your goals and narrow your selections to savings and investment products that have those characteristics.

Keep in mind: It’s more important to choose the right type of product for your goal than to choose the very “best” product of any one type.

4. Do An Annual Checkup

• Have your goals changed?
• Are your savings and investments performing as expected?
• Do you need to adjust your product mix?
• Could you be saving more money?
• Could you be investing more money?

These are the questions you need to ask yourself at least once every year.

Pick a specific date and spend an hour or two giving your financial plan a good close look for possible improvements or needed adjustments to your plan.

5. Choose Help Wisely
You may be able to put together and carry out your financial plan on your own using discount brokers and no-load mutual funds. Public libraries, book stores, and the Internet are all good sources of information about financial planning strategies and saving and investment products.

However, if you decide you need or want the help of a financial professional -- either in developing a plan or in choosing the products to implement that plan -- determine in advance what services you want. Then narrow your selection to two or three properly licensed professionals who specialize in your needed services, are experienced, and have clean disciplinary records.

Make sure you know how your financial adviser is going to be compensated. Those who earn commissions selling products have a potential conflict of interest that can bias their recommendations when it comes to giving advice. However your adviser is compensated, make sure you know the total cost of getting his or her advice and putting it into action.

-- These five steps will put you on the right track to creating a simple financial plan.

Information abbreviated from the Nations Bank and the Consumer Federation of America