Budgeting fundamentals young adults must understand  16^th February 2023

Young adults are at a nascent stage of life, beginning to understand and bear life's responsibilities. It becomes important for them to understand budgeting fundamentals to adequately control their expenditure against what they earn. It will help them avoid suffering a money crunch situation or a deficit by spending more than they can earn during the budgeting period.

A life without budgeting is similar to a rudderless ship in the middle of an ocean. A budget is a perfect plan to structure our investments and ensure financial stability by estimating our probable income and expenditure. Let's understand a few budgeting fundamentals that can encourage young adults to become financially independent individuals capable of making fruitful investment decisions. When we talk about investments, insurance plays a vital role. Investing in a reliable general insurance company can be a good kick-start for young adults.

1. Know your income:
Young salaried adults should know their net income after considering several deductions and taxes. They should not focus on their total salary but on what they will get in hand during the budgeting period. This will help them not to overspend.
A young adult with an irregular income stream, such as a freelancer, a contractor, or a self-employed, should plan and chart his probable earnings over the budgeting period. They should also consider income from other sources, such as interest and dividend earnings, rental income, etc.

2. Know your expenditure:
Young adults should then divide their expenses into two parts- fixed and variable. They cannot avoid fixed expenses such as rent, telephone and electricity bills, EMIs, etc. However, they can control and trim their variable costs according to their income. They need to track and categorise such expenditures so that they know which expenditures to curtail and which to completely avoid.

3. Setting goals:
The next step in budgeting is to set realistic short-term and long-term goals. Short-term goals are the ones that will take a year or two to fulfill. Young adults may budget to set up an emergency fund. Long-term goals will take a longer time to accomplish. They may budget to invest a certain amount monthly in a mutual fund through the SIP route to secure their future or plan for their children's future education. They may also budget to buy insurance policies such as term, health, or life insurance.

4. Plan effectively:
Effective planning is the key to implementing any budget. Young adults should plan how to increase their income in the coming time and set spending limits for the expense category that can be controlled. They should understand the difference between necessities, comforts, and luxuries. While necessities are a must and cannot be curtailed, spending on comforts and luxuries can be controlled through proper planning.

5. Review regularly:
Young adults should review their budgets regularly. Income and expenditure may go up or down due to several reasons such as a salary raise, fulfillment of some goal, new ambition, change in taste and preferences, etc. They should adjust their budget accordingly so that it stays relevant.

Young adults must understand budgeting fundamentals and their importance in their lives. This will help them to stay aligned with their budget goals. They can switch to using cash as the preferred mode of payment in case they cannot control their spending when using plastic money.

Young adults are at a stage of life in which general insurance policies also start gaining importance. They should divert some portion of their income towards buying insurance policies, be it health insurance, home insurance, or any other type of insurance per their specific needs. Insurance will ensure their secure and financially stable future and cover their entire family in emergencies. The right general insurance company can benefit young adults by streamlining their finances with protection.

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Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.