My relationship with money? Love/hate. I love to have it, hate not having it.
Anna told us that her Mum is a 'super cautious spender' but her Dad was 'an awful spender'. At the risk of blaming our parents for everything, many of you told us that their attitude to money has been a major influencer for you.
Tips for impulse spenders or people who don't know where to start
If you know that you have an unhealthy relationship with money, here are some ideas to consider:
- Pay Yourself First
Set up a direct debit or a transfer into a savings account on payday. The idea is you siphon off your savings immediately before you're tempted to spend it.
- Act on any pay rise
Set yourself a rule. If you get a pay rise, choose a manageable % of the increase to go into a savings account from Day One. You can't miss what you've never had. So your monthly pay packet goes up by £300? Can you put £100 of that into a savings account and automate this on the last Friday of every month?
- Round-ups
If you are not a natural saver have a look at Moneybox which will let you round-up digital 'loose change' and funnel these individual tiny amounts into a bigger ISA pot. Good for the reluctant saver!
- Set and track a budget
There are lots of apps available on your phone which make budgeting easier than ever. Have a look at Plum and Cleo that offer A.I based financial assistance. New challenger banks such as Monzo and Starling Bank make it easy to see what you have spent and on what and Moneyhub brings a report of all your spending and financial affairs under one digital roof.
- Consider a pension
If you really don't trust yourself, then consider a pension as this money is locked away until you are at least 55. Some people hate this lack of accessibility but others love it as a 'save me from myself' measure. You can open and pay into an online private pension from amounts of £25 - £50 a month. Pension Bee is a new digital pension group which track down and consolidate old pensions into one account, making this single new account easier to track and control.
Holly's tip: "The best tip I had when I was in my early thirties was to set up a direct debit into a pension on payday. I put £50 a month into an online pension, it was all automatic so I didn't have to remember to do it and I have increased the amounts a little over time. And it was one of the best (financial!) things I ever did. Set and forget."
Investor Pulse - what you told us
Every year, BlackRock ask people from all over the world, including the UK, how they think and feel about their financial health.
This year, they went deeper than ever before to understand the connection between our financial health and well-being.
Conducted at a time of unique political, cultural and social upheaval, this edition of BlackRock’s Investor Pulse seeks to better understand how these forces affect financial health.
- 59% feel that your financial health impacts your well-being
- Only 4 out of 10 (40%) say you feel financially healthy
- 75% believe being financially healthy means having little or no debt and being worry free
Visit BlackRock to learn more about Investor Pulse.
