TOPAZ HORIZON

My financial goal for this year? Well, I've been working freelance for three years and I just thought it's about time to find something feasible (read: FULL TIME) but of course I'll still do the first job and my online business to combine my earnings. In that way I can hopefully save up for something worthy--like filling my plan for a well-deserved dream trip to Disneyland by the end of the year.

my financial goal this year would be to save at least 1000 every pay day. we are a young couple who immediately had a baby and never really had financial plans before that. we are just lucky enough to both be employed with good salary and benefits but still, having a baby and moving out is just sooo crazy! We're often left with nothing! We were able to save a humble amount from last year's 13th month pay and I plan to keep on making it grow by saving at least such amount REGULARLY.

Aww! :) Thank you so much for accepting my request, F! :) I will definitely invite you when we have this blogger event so you'd know what those investing terms mean. I lost my mind, too, the first time I've heard of them but it really makes a world of difference when I finally understood :)

Thanks again! :)

Mine is very simple and very basic, and that is to replenish my now empty savings account.

Since I quit my job and took minimal work doing some freelance writing, I've been spending more money than I earned. And considering that I was paid well (by minimum-wage standards anyway, LOL) with my previous jobs, it wasn't easy cutting back on expenses when I'm out and about.

So that's my new financial plan. It's very basic I know, but my old savings did help me a lot these last two months. It was such a weight off my shoulders to have quit my job and still be financially independent from my parents.

Ways I plan on getting about that (because what's a goal without a plan, right) is to set up some small online business with my friend--it's not gonna be much, but at least our money's gonna grow, albeit slowly--and save a set portion of my future paycheck (when I hopefully get a job) to my savings account. Who knows, I might be able to save more than I did the last time and might be able to indulge more, like traveling to more places this year. :D

the first steps to financial planning is to set financial goals. Goals are financial targets that you would like to achieve sometime in the future. We can still improve our finances by saving money and investing carefully without any specific targets but it is a good idea to have at least some general goals. Goals with different time frames..
Short term goals
Pay off a small debt within 8 months.
Increase my retirement contribution like :sunlife insurance, sss, philhealth, health card..
Reduce my cable bill, credit cards etc.
Medium term goal:
Save up a P 2,000 from my salary.
Long term goal
Pay off all debt including mortgage
Save and invest enough money to retire at a desired age.

Hi Frances, first of all, I want to congratulate you and Vince for having a baby. Well, being a mother is really a tough job especially if you are working. When I decided to be a stay at home mom, hubby and I encountered some financial problems. Yes, we were not prepared financially although I got pregnant 2 years after our marriage. It is because we never expected that we’ll have a baby (for some health reason), and at those times we spend all our hard earned money once we received it because we were not thinking what might happen in the future. Now, I regret all that and I am now practicing to be frugal in every way that I can. When hubby received his 13th month and bonuses I immediately put it in my son’s bank account. I am planning to have at least 6 months emergency funds in case we’ll encounter any financial problems this year. Hubby’s job in Odesk is pouring out (Thank God!) and I am planning to put all the money he earns in Odesk in a Time Deposit and when the amount is enough, we plan to buy a small franchise business.

Hi Ms. Frances! Since I'm getting married this February, my bank account is seriously depleted. But still, I was able to save--just enough for myself but not for a family. So my financial goal this year is first to revive whatever we spent in our very first investment, the wedding. We're not planning to have a baby yet as we still want to enjoy and travel the world! It's true when they say that diamonds are girls' best friend. I plan to invest on it since I know a jeweler who allows installment for 6 months!! And maybe at the end of the year, we can invest on lots. I'm particularly eyeing on a 3000 square meter lot in our place and it doesn't even cost a million! I think these are SMART goals, good for this year. Oh, and I'll repost this one on my blog so I'll always be reminded. Happy New Year and Congratulations!! :D

This is a good topic Frances. We made our goals early and made some really wise decisions despite the crash last year (not all eggs in one basket).

I have an invisible account for each kid and I automatically put money there every month. This is on top of their trust fund, our life insurance etc. Funny though with the plans I have in Sunlife I never received any planner or whatever.

Another thing, I have a Pilates fund. Whatever money I save on not buying formula milk (bec I breastfeed) goes to pilates classes. Hehe

My financial goal is to make P100k per month this year with my business. I am also planning to have everything passive by having more employees. As with savings, I will stick with 500k.

For my 2010 financial goal, I intend to be debt-free by prioritizing credit card payments. I can't resist splurging on items I don't need during mallwide sales and payday specials with credit cards in handy.

I will work on saving up 20-30% of my monthly salary and invest at least 5-10% in pension plans. I want to be able to save enough for my retirement years and have capital to start a home business.

I am looking into acquisition of rent-to-own housing unit. Would love to have my own abode than continue to pay rent(I have been renting an apartment for 6 years).

For 2010, I intend to save up more in a bank by cutting down on smoking, relying more on home-cooked meals over dining out, taking the bus twice a week to save up on gas expenses and ditching sodas permanently.

I also would like to learn and invest 50% of my bank saving in effective financial investment tools, preferably those which are classified as low-risk.

As a Christian, I believe it is not only an obligation but a blessing to give back the "first fruits of our labor to our God." I would start tithing again or give back 10% of my salary to God. It's my lifetime investment and everything starts from there.

My husband and I plan to hit our ___ million by the first half of this year. We plan to build an attic by June 2010, so that means, we should have at least P200K budget for that, too.

My personal financial goal is to save at least 10% of my monthly salary and invest that in time deposit. How would I do this? 1) Curb my shopping by staying away from Midnight Madness; 2) Buy only the essentials; 3) Bring baon to office, as much as possible; 4) Continue to join contests so that the possibility of winning and getting free stuff would be higher.

Our 2 daughters will be celebrating their birthdays come June 2010. We would like to celebrate it simply, nothing grand and extravagant but a meaningful birthday. I would like to have at most P50K budget for that, good for 100 pax.

By the end of the year, we hope to have invested part of our income in the education plan of our 3rd daughter.

I took out my savings from our company's savings association last year and used some of it to zero out my credit card balance. My goal this year is to deposit at least 2k every payday to that account. It was easier when it was in automatic salary deductions, but now that I have to personally set aside the money for savings it's so much more difficult. My second goal is to reduce my phone bill. My third is to use my credit card sparingly.

Good luck to all of us!