Family Finance Advice

            This semester at BYU, I am taking a family finance class. It has been very helpful in introducing me to multiple concepts about finances—some of which include compound interest, debt, taxes, credit, and loans. However, some of the most valuable advice I have received so far came at the beginning of the course when we talked about fundamentals of family finance and the time value of money. We discussed eight important ways to apply family finance to our lives.

First, pay your tithing! Even if you do not make very much money, giving back to the Lord in tithing will open the windows of heaven for blessings. Next, use a budget! Assign every dollar of your income to a category and track how much you spend each month, adjusting as you go. My professor recommends using mint.com (which he assures us is secure). Third, minimize and get rid of debt. This is important because debt is a cloud constantly hanging over your head, building up interest. The quicker you pay it off, the earlier you can build up your savings. Fourth, you should prepare for emergencies! This is important because you never know when tragedy will strike—you could lose your job or have huge medical expenses. Fifth, my professor advises us to invest early, wisely, and consistently. I asked my dad what he would change regarding his finances, and he said he wished he had started investing earlier. Sixth, my professor recommends insurance to protect those you love. Seventh, share responsibilities of finances with your spouse. Hold each other accountable—except regarding “mad money.” Mad money is a small, agreed upon amount of money each spouse gets that they are not accountable to each other with. Last (but definitely not least!) is that you should teach your children about family finances. If you teach them early on the importance of budgeting, saving, staying out of debt, etc., then the chances of them living with you when they are adults are slimmer!

One last thing—the importance of the time value of money. Money’s value differs with time due to inflation. That is—if you put 10,000 under your bed, it will not buy as much stuff fifty years later than it could have when you first put it under your bed. That is why it is important to invest money with an interest rate that is at least as much as inflation, but preferably higher if you want to actually make money over the years! Hope this was somewhat helpful. I found this concept very interesting and hope to start making investments of my own soon!