Easy Ways to Push Money Matters up Your to Do List

​When you’ve got a to-do list as long as your arm, some things are constantly put aside until later, never making it to the top. A new survey has found many of those tasks are to do with managing your money.

Top of the list by Standard Life is DIY, followed closely by gardening and household cleaning. Next on the list of things people put off till later is checking your pension, checking any loans and reviewing your mortgage.

Other common financial tasks people avoid include organising their budget, reviewing household bills and checking their bank account. In fact, money makes up seven of the top 12 in the list.

Life Admin – most likely to be on the “I’ll do it later” list

• DIY – 86% Gardening – 82%
• Household cleaning – 77%
• Checking my pension – 64%
• Checking any loans (incl. student loan) – 62%
• Reviewing my mortgage deal – 59%
• Checking my investments/savings – 55%
• Cooking – 50%
• Grocery shopping – 49%
• Organising my day-to-day budget – 49%
• Reviewing my household bills – 48%
• Reviewing my bank accounts – 47%

Unlike the first three which seem hard physical work, some of these others are no doubt avoided because they seem far too complicated. The rest possibly out of fear of what the statements might say.

Well, they don’t have to be difficult or scary. Here’s how to take out the effort and help make them a priority.

Pensions

A great way to start is to work out what you think you’ll need when you retire. The Money Advice Service Pensions calculator will give you an estimate of your income, including pension schemes and the basic State Pension.

If you need advice on the best course of action to take or just want to talk through your pension options, please get in touch with us. Our team of Chartered Financial Planners are on hand to provide expert advice and recommendations.

Loans

The Money Advice Service Loans calculator will show you how long it’ll take you to pay off a loan – and how much it’ll cost you. Then you can use the sliders to work out how much you could save if you pay a little more than you already are.

Mortgages

Could you be paying less? With so many options available it can be a little confusing. Get some advice to secure the best deal.

Budget

If you’re put off by the maths involved, try the Money Advice Service online Budget planner. Simply type in how much you earn and how much you spend and you’ll get a sense of where you might be overspending, and where you could possibly cut back.

If you would like to talk about any of the issues in this article or need more general help with your finances, please get in touch with us.