Ready to Learn More About Managing Your Money? Start Here

Is reducing debt and saving for the future on your to-do list? Then you've come to the right place. If you're ready to start managing your money more effectively, check out our top beginner articles on taking control of your personal finances.

You'll learn about breaking the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck. Also, find practical ways to reduce monthly expenses and start with a basic budget. These articles can help you go from feelings of overwhelm with your finances to having an adequate emergency fund to pay for unexpected expenses.

Managing Your Money

1. Financial Foundations. You can spend a lot of time searching online for help with money. But you may not be sure what is helpful and what's just “noise” that will confuse you. This is one reason we level our posts into beginner (100-level), intermediate (200-level), and advanced money topics (300-level). Check out the detailed article on How To Build Your Financial House to learn about creating a strong financial foundation all the way to growing your net worth and reaching financial independence.
2. Budgeting. One of the first things you can do to take control of your money is to start using a budget. Budgeting requires you to make a plan for the money coming in and going out of your household each month. If you need help figuring out where to begin, read this step-by-step article – What Is A Good Way To Get Started With Budgeting?
3. Breaking the Cycle. It's difficult to think about managing your money better when there never seems to be enough for your bills each month. So, if you are stuck in the paycheck to paycheck cycle check out this article, How Do I Start Saving Money Living Paycheck To Paycheck?
4. Making it Fun. Gamifying your saving, investing, and paying down debt can lead to more significant changes to your financial situation – changes to help you reach your financial goals. Find ways to make money management more enjoyable in, How Can You Make Managing Your Money More Fun?
5. Save on Expenses. It may take some time and energy to find ways to cut back on your monthly expenses. But when you think about it in terms of an hourly wage for your effort, it may surprise you at how much you can make! Check out this article for some practical ideas – In What Ways Can You Cut Monthly Expenses And Reduce Spending?
6. Emergency Fund. You've probably read that many people can't afford even small emergencies. Replacing a water heater or putting new brakes on the car, might seem impossible. So, one of the most important things you can do is start building an emergency fund. Then you won't have to put surprising expenses on a credit card you can't pay off. Learn more in the article – What Are The Best Ways To Start Building An Emergency Fund?

Tools to Help Manage Your Money

1. What Apps Can Help Me Manage My Money Better?
2. Tiller Review: A Fast and Easy way to Manage Your Money
3. Personal Capital Review: The Best Free Financial Tools
4. Do You Need A Budget? A YNAB Review

Ready for more? Find additional 100-level articles here, or check out some 200-level or 300-level articles.

Please also feel free to contact us if you have any questions or a specific topic you'd like answered in an article or a review.