When the New Year rolls around, people make all kinds of resolutions: Exercise more, eat healthier, stress less. While it’s often difficult to follow through with New Year’s resolutions, Ironworkers USA Credit Union is here to help you with one of the most important resolutions you can make this year: Improve your financial life.
By establishing some solid financial goals, you’ll take the health of you and your family’s finances up a notch.
Here are 3 great financial resolutions to make in 2022:
BUILD AN EMERGENCY FUND
An emergency fund could be the one thing that gets you through a work stoppage, unplanned medical bills or a global pandemic! It is ideal to have enough money in savings to cover three to six months of living costs. To figure out how much you need, add up all your essential monthly expenses (housing, utilities, food, etc.) and multiply it by the number of months you want to be prepared for.
Yes, it may seem like a lot of money, but it’s better to save now than to have to skimp when your income is tight or non-existent. If you have some savings but think you could use more, boosting your emergency fund, from three months’ worth of living costs to five months’ worth, is a great goal to have.
REDUCING OR ELIMINATING HIGH-INTEREST DEBT
Having some debt isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but drowning in high-interest debt can take a toll on both your mind and your pocketbook. Getting rid of high-interest debt like credit cards will not only take a weight off your shoulders, it will put dollars back in your wallet.
The problem with using credit cards is that they charge interest whenever the balance is not paid in full so the longer you carry a balance forward, the more interest you accrue. Getting rid of that debt should be high on your list of priorities because it could save you a lot of money in the long run.
If you purchased a new car from the dealer and used their financing option, bought your home when interest rates were higher, or have credit card and medical debts that you’d like to consolidate, Ironworkers USA Credit Union can help you refinance or consolidate your debts in order to lower your monthly payments.
SAVE FOR RETIREMENT
Whether your retirement is fast approaching or you just started your apprenticeship, now is a great time to start saving for your future. You can’t rely on Social Security to sustain you after you retire so it’s important to plan ahead for additional income.
The sooner you get started, the more time your money will have to grow. Ironworkers USA Credit Union has multiple retirement accounts options for you including Traditional and Roth IRAs and high-yield certificate accounts. Your retirement won’t pay for itself, so it’s a great idea to begin saving today!
Ironworkers USA Credit Union is your partner in all aspects of your financial life. Give us a call at 1-877-769-4766 or stop into one of our branches to speak with one of our member representatives or loan officers. We’re here to help you make the most of your financial life in 2022!
