SoFi Blog

Regardless of your opinion of President Trump, his administration, and the infighting in Washington, times like these present real financial challenges to Americans. Are we in for higher inflation or another recession? What will happen to interest rates? Will unemployment grow or shrink?

Everyone is feeling this uncertainty, particularly young people who are making investment decisions for the first time. Here are a few ways to take control of your money, and avoid making some common money mistakes.

There’s everyday finances, and then there’s the big hurdles—changing careers, starting your own practice, having a baby, or buying your first house. For major life milestones like these, you’ll need a plan, so big events not only go over smoothly, but impact your wallet in ways you can anticipate.

As a financial wellness expert, I often counsel people experiencing major life transitions. Although most who come to me know they have to adjust their financial lives accordingly, they either don’t know how, or are using strategies that don’t work for these situations.

The good news is, I’ve got a seven-step plan to help anyone steer a course to success through any major life milestone. Walk through this, and you’ll be in a much better spot to enjoy accomplishments and avoid financial stress along the way.

Picture this: It’s the end of the month, you’ve paid all your bills, and even had a little fun. You’ve made ends meet, as you always do, but your savings account isn’t growing and there’s nothing left to fund an emergency should one arise. Sound familiar? If you’re just breaking even—or worse, excess spending (spending more money than you’re taking in)—you’ve got a personal cash flow problem.

Maybe you’ve been living this way for a while, and it now feels normal. But here’s the deal: Without a positive cash flow (meaning you earn more than you spend), it’s hard to get ahead financially. Until you’re in the black, you could be shut out of good financial opportunities—including getting low interest rates on personal loans, or a mortgage loan, or even student loan refinancing. You’re also missing out on the money you could be earning by investing what you save.

The good news is, it’s possible to turn that around. You’re the Chief Financial Officer of your life, so it’s up to you to learn exactly how to improve your monthly cash flow. It will take some work, but by increasing your income and lowering your expenses—both fixed (rent, utilities, and car payments), and discretionary (entertainment and clothing)—you can make dramatic shifts in your financial life. Follow this six-step plan, and you’ll see your monthly cash flow move from negative to positive even faster than you’d expect.

You’ve been offered a fantastic new job with the company of your dreams—and, on top of that, it’s thousands of miles away. Along with the excitement and anticipation that comes from uprooting your life and starting over, you’ve got to think about how this will affect you financially.

Should you accept the position, you’ll need to make some major financial decisions and changes. So you can breathe easy while working on the other aspects of the move that will keep you busy—like packing away your whole kitchen into a few boxes—try these four money moves to help you avoid any financial bumps on your road to relocation.

Editor’s Note: This new series on Financial Fitness comes from personal finance expert, and new SoFi content partner, Dr. Tony Pennells, founder of The Freedom Club. Using proven tools and systems, Dr. Tony demystifies “financial freedom” with common sense solutions to help people create true wealth (the type that makes money that you don’t have to work for!).

Do you have every intention of setting money aside for your future, paying down debt or creating an emergency buffer, but never quite seem to get there? Do you find that no matter how much money you earn, by the end of the pay period you have almost nothing? If so, you’re not alone. A recent study showed that 47% of Americans couldn’t come up with $400 to cover a financial emergency (via The Atlantic)