Financial Literacy: Do You Have These 5 Tested Finance Basics Down?
Working with a trusted financial professional is important when it comes to strategizing and preparing to meet your financial goals. But as most of us handle money on a daily basis, it’s important to have an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of financial literacy. Below we’ve identified five financial basics everyone should know. Understanding these important concepts can serve as a basis for your financial standings.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." James 1:5 ESV
Basics #1: Debt & Credit Scores
Understanding the ways in which credit or debt can work with or against your family should serve as the foundation of your financial knowledge. First and foremost, credit and debt are tools. Like all tools, they can be used for good and bad. Overusing debt can be harmful, but some families can also be at a disadvantage by avoiding the conversation altogether. Know how to balance these tools in your family financial life.
Debt
When used correctly, debt can be useful. But when misused, it can spiral out of control fast. Missed payments can accrue interest or penalties and may impact your credit score in a negative way. Debt that is managed responsibly can help you reach important goals like buying a car, purchasing a home, going to college, starting a business and more.
Credit Score
Your credit score is one of the factors lenders use to judge your trustworthiness and qualification for mortgages, auto loans and other lending opportunities. Landlords and employers may also check your credit before renting to you or offering you a job. Your credit score is dependent on a number of factors including previous credit history, current debts, history of payments and more.
Basics #2: Interest
There are two sides to interest that can make it a tricky concept to grasp - interest accrued on debt and interest accrued on savings.
When you take on debt (like credit card debt, an auto loan or mortgage), you’ll be responsible for paying back both the principal amount and the interest accrued on the loan. The interest is how a lender makes money on the loan and provides the borrower with an incentive to pay the loan back in full and on time.
When you have a savings account that accrues interest, the interest earned gets added to the principal. Then, interest is earned on the new, larger principal, and the cycle repeats. This is called compounding interest, and it can be an integral part in growing your retirement savings - as the longer the interest has to compound, the greater the savings will grow.
More on Compound Interest
Basics #3: The Value of Time
As a general rule of thumb, it’s never too early to start saving - for retirement, homebuying, a child’s education or whatever could be coming down the line. The earlier you start saving, the more you’ll be able to tuck away over time - especially with the power of compounding interest. This leverages the value of time to your advantage.
Saving for Retirement and the Bible
Basics #4: Inflation
Inflation has the potential to eat away the purchasing power of your money. That means, with inflation, the dollar you earn today may not be worth a dollar in the future. Below are two important concepts to remember regarding inflation.
Cash in a Mattress
Keeping all your cash under a mattress is not only unsafe, it literally costs you money. Assuming the annual rate of inflation is a hypothetical two percent, every dollar you keep under your mattress and not earning interest would shrink in value to $.98 next year.
Rate of Return
Because inflation erodes the purchasing power of your money, any returns you earn on your accounts may not be the “real” rate of return. If your account earned a hypothetical six percent rate of return over the last year, but inflation was 1.5 percent, your real rate of return was 4.5 percent.
What does the Bible say about Inflation?
Basics #5: Identity Theft & Safety
Especially as the world shifts to doing everything virtually, identity theft remains one of the biggest threats to financial and personal security. A cracked password or misplaced Social Security number can have big consequences on your family's future finances.
One simple, but overlooked safeguard is to use a unique password for each site or service you use. A password manager can make this easier by generating and storing strong passwords automatically.
8 Tactics to Avoid Getting Scammed
While this is a brief overview of some important financial basics, it’s important to work with your trusted financial professional to explore these topics further. Remember to take time and reevaluate your current financial knowledge as you identify potential areas for improvement.
Bonus Basic: Have an Emergency Fund
We help Christian families on their journey to financial freedom. If you would like more posts from us on how to balance what's truly important with your finances, please sign up for our free newsletter. If you’d like to hear more about how Intrepid Eagle Finance helps families manage their financial lives, click here to learn more and schedule a free consultation.