New
Year financial resolutions for uncertain times
The New Year is a great time to take control of your finances. Unfortunately, the income of many households across the UK have been seriously impacted by the pandemic, with many people having been made redundant and others having to manage on a reduced income. Even if you haven’t been directly affected, it will have highlighted the importance of having enough savings to support you through difficult times.
WEALTH at work – a
specialist provider of financial education and guidance in the workplace supported
by regulated
financial advice for individuals, has written a list of ‘New Year
financial resolutions for uncertain times’ to help people take control of their
finances in 2021.
WEALTH at work’s New Year financial resolutions for uncertain times
Review financial position and budget – Work out exactly what your income is, and if you are on furlough or reduced hours make sure you know what your take home pay will be. If you are facing redundancy you will need to consider how your income may change. Then look at what assets you have, pensions, savings, ISAs, property and investments, and what liabilities you have e.g. mortgage, debt, childcare, insurance and utility bills. Finally work out your household income and expenses. If the amount of money you need each month is more than the amount you have coming in, you can then work out what action you need to take to cover your costs. The Money Advice Service has a great budget planner: www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/tools/budget-planner.
Review
all your outgoings – It is
important to check bank statements and make a list of what is being spent each
month. It is helpful to divide these into utility bills (gas, electricity and
water), mortgage or rent costs, council tax, supermarket shopping, monthly
contracts for TV, broadband and mobiles, insurance, regular subscriptions, and
other spending. This will highlight where money is going and where savings
could be made.
It became clear during lockdown to many how much is
usually spent by households on nights out, day trips, holidays and experiences.
Whilst these have all been missed, it is useful to now be aware how much they
cost, and perhaps be a bit more discerning in the future when deciding where
your disposable income goes. Now is also a good time to cancel any unused
subscriptions, or unused memberships you have forgotten to cancel. If you can’t
afford them or don’t use them, now is the time to get rid of them.
Apply
for help if you are struggling to pay your mortgage or rent – The Government has agreed with mortgage lenders that
they should continue to offer a mortgage payment holiday. This can provide
homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgage with up to 2 payment
holidays of up to 6 months in total.
Each payment holiday can only be up to 3 months at a time before it must
be reviewed.
Taking a payment holiday will
not affect your credit rating however credit files are not the only source of
information that lenders can use in lending decisions. Keep in mind that monthly payments
will be recalculated when restarted after a mortgage holiday and may increase.
Those struggling with their repayments should contact
their providers as soon as possible to discuss the support they can offer. Those who do not qualify for a mortgage
payment holiday can request tailored support from their lender.
For those who
are renting their home, the rules have been extended to protect tenants from
eviction until at least 31 January 2021. Speak to your landlord about
your rent payments if you are in financial difficulty. Landlords and tenants
are expected to work together to establish an affordable repayment plan. Your
landlord may be able to take a mortgage holiday and therefore delay your rent
payments.
Make managing debt a priority – If you are in financial difficulty ensure you speak to your lender before any payments are missed. Lenders may discuss with you the option to transfer debt to alternative products that have more favourable terms.
When it comes to credit cards, personal loans and
motor finance, you may be entitled to apply for a payment holiday of up to 6
months, including any payment holidays you have received previously. Lenders will only offer a payment holiday of
up to 3 months at a time, however this may be extended to the maximum 6
months. If you are struggling with an
overdraft you should speak to your bank or building society about the support
they can offer. This may include waiving
or reducing interest and supporting you to reduce your overdraft use.
There are many different types of debt with varying
rates of interest, and it is often a good idea to pay off expensive debts first.
Credit cards and overdrafts can have rates of 18 – 40%, with payday loans
having rates of 1,500% and more! For example, a debt of £3,000 with a rate of
18% APR, could take 10 years and 10 months to pay off if paying £50 a month,
with a total interest paid of £3,495. If that monthly payment was increased to
£100 a month, the debt would be paid off in three years and four months, and
interest paid would be only £908.
A
good option could be to consolidate any debts into a 0% or low interest balance
transfer card, as more money will go towards paying the debt off and enable you
to clear it over a shorter time period. Whatever method you chose, it’s always
best to make paying off your debt a priority.
Take
control of your retirement savings – You may be tempted
to reduce or pause your pension contributions if you are in financial
difficulty. However, plan carefully before doing this, because if you can
afford to continue making regular investments this is likely to create a larger
pension pot for your retirement. Pension contributions for furloughed employees
will continue but these will usually be based on the reduced furlough payment.
Be a
savvy shopper – By switching brands it might be possible for you to
significantly reduce the price of your regular shop. In addition, by planning
for your weekly shop in advance, it may help you to search for deals and reduce
expenditure on non-essential items. Discount vouchers are often available
through voucher and discount websites, and some people have access to discount
vouchers through their employer. This could be crucial if you have to make a
big purchase, such as if your washing machine breaks.
Check
if you can save on your utilities and broadband deals – It
is possible to save a lot of money by shopping around for cheaper utilities and
broadband providers. There are many comparison services out there to help you
make the switch. For
example, by shopping around 50% of people could achieve a saving of £338 on
their dual fuel energy cost according to comparethemarket.com May 2020 data[1].
Watch out
for auto-renewals – Many insurance policies for cars, homes and
travel, automatically renew each year but people may be paying more than they
need to if they allow this to happen. To get the best deal and to avoid any
potential price hikes with auto-renewals, make sure you find out when your
contract is due to end, and put it in your diary for a few weeks earlier, so
you have plenty of time to shop around, and switch or haggle where appropriate.
Beware of investment scams – Unfortunately in turbulent times like these, scammers see an opportunity! It is important to be on your guard. Scammers tend to sound completely legitimate when they contact you. It’s easy to see why so many people are fooled and it isn’t small amounts of money which are being taken. If someone contacts you with an offer which seems too good to be true, it’s vital to check whether the company is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) https://register.fca.org.uk/. You can also visit the FCA’s ScamSmart website which includes a warning list of companies operating without authorisation or running scams www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart.
Take action – it’s easy to bury your head in the sand when it comes to sorting out your finances but any saving made now can make a big difference in the long term. If you are struggling, don’t worry if you don’t know where to start as there is plenty of help available. It’s always worth speaking to lenders to see if they can help if you are struggling with repayments and Citizens Advice can help you understand how to deal with any debts. Many employers offer their staff help through financial education and guidance, so make sure you speak to them to find out what is available.
Jonathan Watts-Lay, Director, WEALTH at
work, comments;“The
New Year is a great time to take control of your finances. Whether your
finances have been seriously affected due to redundancy or reduced household
income, or you have just realised that you would like to have more savings to
support you through difficult times, now is the time to take action.”
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