New Year a good time to get your finances on track

New Year a good time to get your finances on track

This New Year, there’s extra help available on sorted.org.nz for Kiwis who want to get their finances on track in 2009.

Retirement Commissioner Diana Crossan says this week many Kiwis are planning their New Year’s Eve celebrations, and it’s a good time to also make some financial plans for the year ahead.

“Make getting financially sorted one of your New Year’s resolutions. By taking a few simple steps to sort your finances out, you could finish 2009 better off than when you started.”

The My Goals worksheet on sorted.org.nz can help you get on track, and you can also sign up for TXT or email reminders, to help you keep on track. The budget calculator will also help you get ahead.

“None of us can be certain about what 2009 will hold, but I can predict that having a financial plan will make it easier to manage whatever comes along,” said Diana Crossan.

Many Kiwis are already using sorted.org.nz as they make their New Year resolutions. For example, Sean Parker from Feilding is a regular Sorted user.

“Before I went on that website, my finances could best be described as “loose” so it’s certainly helped me tighten my own pockets,” says Sean. He found it helpful to make the actions towards achieving his goals as specific as possible, for example writing down exactly how much money he will put into the hire purchase each week.

Another Sorted user is Bevan Bailey from Hamilton. Bevan’s goal is to stop spending more than he earns and he’s worked out the steps he’ll take to get there, including living within a budget and not using credit for day to day purchases. He’s starting 2009 with a weekly budget to follow.

“I have given unneeded spending the chop so now I have a budget that works for me.”

Lisa Corkill of Hamilton has also used the budget calculator on sorted.org.nz.

“It was pretty frightening to see it all down in black and white. Did I really spend that much money on entertaining over the last year? And the coffees! Setting it all down really brings it home and I can see that if I don’t want to be in this same position in a year’s time I have to do something now.”

There’s also a free step-by-step financial guide available. The 16 page booklet: ‘Sorted - Your guide to getting there’ is available from ANZ and National Bank branches and some Pak’n Save stores in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch. You can also order the free guide by calling 0800 SORT MONEY (0800 767 866) or online at www.sorted.org.nz/ordering.

Tips for getting your finances on track in 2009

Set goals
Write them down, put a timeframe on them, and keep them where you can refer back to them regularly. Use the My Goals worksheet on sorted.org.nz and you can sign up for reminders by TXT or email. http://www.sorted.org.nz/calculators/my-goals/

Make a budget
Making a budget that suits you can be one of your most powerful tools for getting ahead financially. The Budget calculator on sorted.org.nz makes it easy.
http://www.sorted.org.nz/calculators/budget/

Manage your cash flow
A budget helps you plan where your money should be going, cashflow shows you where the money goes in reality. After you’ve completed your budget, track your actual spending with the Cashflow calculator. http://www.sortedorg.nz/calculators/cashflow/
Or before you go shopping, find out the true cost of paying for your purchases with Sorted’s spendometer. http://www.sorted.org.nz/spendometer/

Control your debt
Debt isn’t all bad, but allowing it to get out of control is. Find out what your options are in Sorted’s Managing debt section.
http://www.sorted.org.nz/home/sorted-sections/managing-debt

Start saving
Regular saving can help you towards a specific goal (like a new car or a holiday) or longer term plans (like retirement or buying a house). The Regular savings calculator on sorted.org.nz shows how much your savings will add up to over time.
http://wwwsorted.org.nz/calculators/regular-savings/

ENDS

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