A couple sits down to sort out their budget before planning anything."The main point of financial planning is to use your money as a tool for life. As far as the budget goes, understanding what you actually want to do in your life is very important to build that plan."Find out where your money is going already
"Start tracking how much you save each year and aim to save 10% to 15% of your income as an 'investment' in yourself. You'll be amazed how quickly it will add up."Consider giving your credit cards a break — Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, certified financial planner and board chair and president of the Charles Schwab Foundation"A budget is essential, but it can be even more powerful when you have that support system of people who share the same goals. That's what we've seen to be extremely effective and powerful."Debt can feel like a heavy burden. But with a plan, you can begin to tackle it systematically."To quote my grandmother, 'Facts are stubborn things.
"It always seems like a bigger task at first than it really is. And once you get organized, you can kind of see the big picture a lot clearer, so you know who your loans are with, are they subsidized, are they unsubsidized, are they private loans, are they federal loans, and getting an understanding around that. And then just going and looking at your options.