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Maybe your ultimate financial goal is to pay off your mortgage and live debt-free. Or, perhaps your dream is to retire early and relocate to a remote tropical island.

Whether you’re dreaming big, small, or somewhere in between, achieving financial security can help make your vision of the future a reality.

But what exactly is financial security? Broadly speaking, financial security or wellness refers to a condition in which you are able to meet your current and ongoing financial obligations, have the capacity to absorb a financial shock, feel secure in your financial future, and are able to make choices that allow you to enjoy life.

While that may sound like a far-off concept, achieving financial stability often isn’t as far off as many people think. The key to getting there is to think about your short- and long-term financial goals, and then devise a savings plan that can help you reach them.

Here are five steps that could help you achieve financial security.

1. Setting Goals

Financial goal-setting can be like jumping ahead to the last chapter of a book.

Financial goal-setting can be like jumping ahead to the last chapter of a book. It starts with the endgame, such as paying for kids’ college, traveling, buying or renovating a home, or getting a new car.

From there, “reading” goes backward by breaking those goals into bite-size steps until the arrival at Chapter 1—an overview of the current situation and a plan to meet those long-term goals.

Short-term financial goals could include things like paying off credit card debt, student loans or car loans, saving for a downpayment on a home or a car, or growing an emergency fund (more on that below).

Once those are achieved, money you were setting aside each month for those goals could be shifted into longer-term planning, such as retirement, buying or upgrading a home, paying off a mortgage, or investing.

No matter how long it takes, checking something off a goals list can be a huge feeling of accomplishment, as well as motivation to start the next chapter.

2. Creating a Budget

One of the most important things you can do to achieve financial security is to live on less than you earn, since this enables you to siphon some of your income into saving towards your financial goals each month.

A great first step is to set up, or fine-tune, a monthly budget. To do this, you’ll want to grab the last few months of financial statements and pay stubs, then use them to determine what your average monthly take-home (after tax) income is, and what your average monthly spending looks like.

If you find that your spending is equal to, or exceeding, your income, you may then want to drill down into exactly where your money is going each month. You can start by making a list of essential expenses (rent/mortgage, utilities, insurance, car payments, groceries) and nonessential expenses (clothing, dining out, entertainment).

It’s often easiest to cut back spending in the nonessentials category. You might decide to cook more meals at home instead of eating out, for example. Or, you might cancel a streaming service or quit the gym and work out at home.

The money you free up can then be put into savings every month for your future goals.

3. Attacking Debt

If those monthly high-interest credit card payments didn’t exist, where would that money go instead? Paying off debt could free up a potentially big chunk of money to put toward those big dreams. Creating a debt-payoff strategy can be an essential part of a financial wellness plan.

One popular method for getting out of debt is the debt snowball. This calls for listing debts from smallest to largest amounts owed, then paying any extra money you have each month towards the smallest debt (while paying the minimum on the others). When that debt is paid off, you move on to the next smallest debt, and so on.

Another option is the debt avalanche method. This involves making a list of all your debts in order of interest rate (regardless of balance). You then put extra money towards the debt with the highest interest rate, while paying the minimum on the others.

When that debt is paid off, you start tackling the debt with the next-highest interest rate, and so on. As you continue paying off bills, you will be saving in interest payments and should have more and more money to put toward each debt as you go.

4. Building an Emergency Fund

An emergency fund is money tucked away that you can use in times of financial distress. Having this contingency fund can significantly improve financial security by creating a safety net that can be used to meet unanticipated expenses, such as an illness, job loss, or major home repair.

A good rule of thumb is to keep enough money in an emergency fund to cover three- to six-months worth of living expenses, but some people may need a larger emergency fund. You may want to keep this money in an account that earns more interest than a standard savings account, but is still easily accessible. Good options include a high-yield savings account, online savings account, or a checking and savings account.

Having this money available when you need it can reduce the need to tap high-interest debt options, such as credit cards or unsecured loans, or undermine your future security by dipping into retirement funds.

5. Saving for Retirement

Once you are free of high interest debt and have a solid emergency fund, you may want to focus on investing more of your income into a retirement fund.

The earlier you start saving for retirement, the easier it will be to meet your goal, thanks to the benefit of compounding interest (when the money you invest earns interest, that interest then gets reinvested and earns interest of its own).

One of the simplest ways to save for retirement is through a 401(k) program at work, since you can set up automatic pre-tax deductions from your paycheck (and may not even miss the money). If your employer is matching up to a certain percent of your contributions, you’re essentially getting free extra cash to save.

Another option is to open an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Like a 401(k), an IRA allows you to put away money (before taxes are taken out) for your retirement. However, there are annual contribution limits you’ll need to keep in mind.

The Takeaway

Reaching a state of financial stability means you feel confident and don’t feel stressed about money. You are able to pay your bills each month, have money set aside for any unexpected bills or emergencies, you are saving money each month, and you are also debt-free.

One of the easiest and most important ways to achieve financial security is to spend less than you earn and to put money aside each month towards your goals.

If you’re looking for a good place to start–or build–your savings, you may want to consider opening a SoFi Checking and Savings®️ checking and savings account.

With SoFi’s special “vaults” features, you can separate your savings from your spending while earning competitive interest on all your money. You can also set up recurring deposits to help you reach your financial goals faster.

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Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

Tax Information: This article provides general background information only and is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice or as a substitute for legal counsel. You should consult your own attorney and/or tax advisor if you have a question requiring legal or tax advice.

SOMN19086

When it comes to crypto exchanges, there are advantages and disadvantages in both a decentralized vs centralized exchange. Ultimately, the choice an investor makes will likely depend on factors like their trading goals, comfort level with newer technology, and the importance they place on things like security and anonymity.

What Are Centralized and Decentralized Exchanges?

A centralized exchange involves one central entity (e.g. bank, trading platform, government institution, etc.) controlling the operations of the exchange and its wallets for different types of cryptocurrency. This can make things easier for users but can also present all the problems centralization can entail, like a single point of failure.

Decentralized exchanges (DEXs) have no one entity controlling them—instead transactions are made peer-to-peer—and are thought to be more secure because they have no single point of failure. But these exchanges are still very new and can be more difficult to use, especially for those just learning crypto basics.

Recommended: 2021 Crypto Investing Guide

6 Key Differences Between Centralized and Decentralized Exchanges

Centralized and decentralized cryptocurrency exchanges are different in many ways. These are some of the major differences investors should know about.

1. Usability

One goal of centralized exchange platforms is to make it as easy as possible for new users to get started trading cryptocurrency. By design, creating an account and placing trades can be accomplished in very little time and with little technical expertise.

Decentralized exchanges, on the other hand, can make crypto investing somewhat more complicated. That’s primarily because 100% of the responsibility lies with the user, rather than a third party. If you make a mistake, there may be no way to fix it, whereas centralized exchanges sometimes have safeguards in place for certain user errors.

2. Security

Centralized exchanges, in their quest to make things easier for users, create a single point of failure. If hackers attack this single point with success and obtain private keys that protect users’ accounts, they can compromise the entire exchange and all of its funds. There have been several instances of this happening over the years, with ssers sometimes facing a total loss.

For those reasons, decentralized exchanges are thought to be more secure than centralized ones. Nothing’s ever for certain, and it might still be possible for a DEX to have some kind of bug. But for the most part, user error is a more common threat to DEX users than the exchange being hacked.

3. Fees

Centralized exchanges charge customers fees for their use of the service. Every transaction typically involves a fee and withdrawing coins may also come with a fee. For active traders, these fees may add up to large amounts over time.

Decentralized exchanges often have far fewer fees because they don’t have the same overhead expenses. Some decentralized exchanges don’t even have fees at all.

4. Liquidity

One of the biggest differences between centralized vs. decentralized exchanges is in liquidity.

Centralized exchanges tend to have more liquidity because they have more users, and these users are creating more orders. In-demand assets trade in higher volumes almost without fail. There are also market makers who further increase liquidity.

By contrast, because they typically have fewer users and no central entity organizing their order books, decentralized exchanges have less liquidity. The lack of liquidity in decentralized exchanges could pose problems for investors. For example, an investor may want to buy a particular asset but finds that high demand has led to a sharp rise in price compared to other markets, because other investors have bought up all the sell orders.

Recommended: What are Liquid Assets?

Liquidity and Slippage

Another example of a lack of liquidity causing problems for investors is if they attempt to sell an in-demand asset on a DEX—and end up falling victim to a lot of “slippage.”

Slippage refers to the losses that occur when selling large amounts of an asset, particularly in times of low liquidity. If someone wants to sell 100 tokens, for example, each at a price of $1, there may not be enough buy orders to actually sell them all at a price of $1. There might only be a buy order for 10 tokens at $1, then an order for 10 more at $0.99, 15 at $0.98, and so on. By the time a trader has liquidated their position, they wind up with less money.

Greater liquidity (such as one might find on a centralized exchange) means faster trades and less slippage.

5. Anonymity

Creating an account on a centralized exchange typically involves handing over lots of personal information. These exchanges might require a name, email address, mailing address, or even a selfie of the registrant holding their government-issued ID next to their face. This is typically done to comply with cryptocurrency regulations like know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money-laundering (AML) laws.

Decentralized exchanges, on the other hand, might not require users to even create an account to get started. Traders can convert their gains into a centralized cryptocurrency like a stablecoin (one of many altcoins) and move those funds off the exchange to another crypto wallet, without needing to link a bank account.

6. Speed

Perhaps one of the most noticeable differences between centralized vs decentralized exchanges from a user’s perspective is the speed at which trades occur. Decentralized exchanges perform much slower than their centralized counterparts.

According to some estimates, trades placed on centralized exchanges take about 10 milliseconds on average to execute orders. That’s as good as happening instantly from the point of view of the person placing the trade.

Decentralized exchanges, however, can take anywhere from 15 to 60 seconds to match and fill an order. For investors who create a lot of buy and sell orders, that can add up to a good deal of sitting around waiting for trades to settle.

What Are the Biggest Advantages of Using a Decentralized Exchange?

The two main benefits of using a decentralized exchange might be increased security and anonymity. Some users prefer to keep their trades private and not have their personal information and wallet balances in the hands of a single entity.

Furthermore, the reduced risk of hacking eases both privacy and security concerns. Not only are funds thought to be safer, but the threat of a user’s info leaking and being used for identity theft or targeting for phishing attacks might be nonexistent, since DEX users might not even have to make an account to get started.

What Are the Biggest Advantages of Using a Centralized Exchange?

Centralized exchanges are easier to use (which may be especially important to those just getting started with crypto), have greater liquidity, and execute trades faster.

The Takeaway

Both centralized and decentralized exchanges have something to offer crypto investors. For investors who value usability, liquidity, and speed, a centralized exchange may be the way to go. For those who prioritize anonymity and security, a decentralized exchange is more likely to appeal.

Decentralized exchanges are a new concept and are still a long way from being widely used. Still, their volume has been rising steadily and could one day outpace that of centralized exchanges, especially as their usability improves.

Photo credit: iStock/Vertigo3d

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Crypto: Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies aren’t endorsed or guaranteed by any government, are volatile, and involve a high degree of risk. Consumer protection and securities laws don’t regulate cryptocurrencies to the same degree as traditional brokerage and investment products. Research and knowledge are essential prerequisites before engaging with any cryptocurrency. US regulators, including FINRA , the SEC , and the CFPB , have issued public advisories concerning digital asset risk. Cryptocurrency purchases should not be made with funds drawn from financial products including student loans, personal loans, mortgage refinancing, savings, retirement funds or traditional investments. Limitations apply to trading certain crypto assets and may not be available to residents of all states.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.