The three Golden Rules of money management (2024)

Money management advice is everywhere you turn these days. News programs, business news cable channels, online financial sites, and even your friends and family are eager to share their opinions about how you should manage your money. But despite all the advice, tips, ideas and new digital tools to manage your personal finances, these three golden rules will never change.

The three Golden Rules of money management (1)

Golden Rule #1: Don’t spend more than you make

Basic money management starts with this rule. If you always spend less than you earn, your finances will always be in good shape. Understand the difference between needs and wants, live within your income, and don’t take on any unnecessary debt. It’s really that simple.

Golden Rule #2: Always plan for the future

Get into the habit of saving money by paying yourself first. On payday, transfer money to your savings account even before you pay bills. Many banks will let you set up a recurring transfer from checking to savings through online banking, so you can save money automatically. Planning for the future means preparing for the unexpected, and building up an emergency fund is the best way to handle life’s unforeseen expenses. Having difficulty finding the money to pay yourself first? See Golden Rule #1.

Golden Rule #3: Help your money grow

Once your savings start to build, you should find ways to grow your money through investing. This is especially important for long-term savings strategies such as retirement planning. There are many investment tools available at various levels of risk, but always make sure you thoroughly understand the kind of product you’re investing in. Remember, time is on your side for your retirement and other long-term goals when you start saving and investing as much as you can as early as you can.

Your banker is one of your best sources of money management advice

Following these three simple rules will help keep your finances in good shape, but we understand that details about money can sometimes get a little complicated. Did you know that financial advice and expertise are as near as your local bank? Bankers are trained to answer a wide array of financial questions. They’re eager to help you reach your financial goals and dreams, so stop by one of our financial centers and talk with a banker today.

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The three Golden Rules of money management (2024)

FAQs

What are the 3 golden rules of money management? ›

Understand the difference between needs and wants, live within your income, and don't take on any unnecessary debt.

What are the 3 golden rules? ›

1) Debit what comes in - credit what goes out. 2) Credit the giver and Debit the Receiver. 3) Credit all income and debit all expenses.

What is the golden rule of financial management? ›

You must save at least around 10% of your income every month. Holding the funds and investing them in liquid funds will help you. Liquid funds are a type of debt mutual fund that invests money in fixed income instruments like FDs, paper, deposit certificate, etc.

What is the golden rule of saving money? ›

The rule of 25X is the thumb rule when it comes to retirement savings, where you need to save 25 times your annual expenses. This rule says that an individual can think about retirement when they have funds worth 25 times their annual expenses.

What are the 3 concepts of money? ›

To summarize, money has taken many forms through the ages, but money consistently has three functions: store of value, unit of account, and medium of exchange. Modern economies use fiat money-money that is neither a commodity nor represented or "backed" by a commodity.

Is the 50 30 20 rule realistic? ›

For many people, the 50/30/20 rule works extremely well—it provides significant room in your budget for discretionary spending while setting aside income to pay down debt and save. But the exact breakdown between “needs,” “wants” and savings may not be ideal for everyone.

What is total golden rules? ›

Total's Golden Rules. To prevent occupational accidents: Clearly explain the basic rules that everyone should know and apply. Strengthen prevention by encouraging people to step in whenever they see something being done wrong. Stop work if the risk is not being properly managed.

What is the Golden Rule in simple terms? ›

golden rule. noun. : a rule that one should treat others as one would like to be treated.

What is the Golden Rule for dummies? ›

The Golden Rule tells people to treat each other as they would like to be treated. It also asks people not to treat others in ways that they would not enjoy being treated.

What is the number one rule of money management? ›

1. Spend less than you make. This may seem obvious, and boring, but spending less than you make is by far the biggest key to financial success. If you struggle with spending, focus on this one rule until you're at a point where you have positive cash flow at the end of the month.

What is the Golden Rule to create more wealth? ›

Saving is the foundation of wealth creation. To build wealth, you need to save aggressively. Aim to save at least 10% of your income, and more if you can.

What are the three golden rules for financial analysis and reporting? ›

To apply these rules one must first ascertain the type of account and then apply these rules: Debit what comes in, Credit what goes out. Debit the receiver, Credit the giver. Debit all expenses Credit all income.

What is the 5 rule in money? ›

The 5% rule says as an investor, you should not invest more than 5% of your total portfolio in any one option alone. This simple technique will ensure you have a balanced portfolio.

What are the 4 golden rules investing? ›

They are: (1) Use specialist products; (2) Diversify manager research risk; (3) Diversify investment styles; and, (4) Rebalance to asset mix policy. All boringly straightforward and logical.

What is the first rule of money? ›

The first rule of financial independence is to never lose money. If you lose lots of money, you ultimately lose lots of time. And time is your most valuable asset.

What are 4 principles of money management? ›

It is important to be prepared for what to expect when it comes to the four principles of finance: income, savings, spending and investment. "Following these core principles of personal finance can help you maintain your finances at a healthy level".

What is the 50 30 20 rule of money? ›

The 50/30/20 budget rule states that you should spend up to 50% of your after-tax income on needs and obligations that you must have or must do. The remaining half should be split between savings and debt repayment (20%) and everything else that you might want (30%).

What is the 40 30 20 rule? ›

The most common way to use the 40-30-20-10 rule is to assign 40% of your income — after taxes — to necessities such as food and housing, 30% to discretionary spending, 20% to savings or paying off debt and 10% to charitable giving or meeting financial goals.

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