Perhaps we are often amazed on how fast our salary evaporates with no good bye. We feel just yesterday we got the monthly salary but the day after, the money left is very little, not enough to live our life in the rest of the month. Why this tragedy could happen to us? How to overcome it?

Good estimation
No wonder if our salary just go away, we have no right and precise income and outcome estimation. Before we get our salary, make an estimation about our next month income (maybe we also have other side jobs, then predict the number of income you will get), and the outcome (list the things you will buy and you will do in details, for example: budgeting saloon routine, daily needs and many others. Good and precise estimation will make your life easier.

“wanting” and “needing”
How if today we want to buy new gadget, then tomorrow we want to buy new clothes. It is normal for wanting things, however, as thinking creature, we must think first before we buy stuffs. Please differentiate, “wanting” and “needing”. Make scale of priority, and then find out which one is you need the most, then buy it. Which one is you “mere” wanting it, you can postpone to buy it.

Money friendly life style
Spending weekend after being busy for five days is not wrong. Yet, it will be more “fun” for your financial if you are smarter in tricking the way to spend weekends. Just forget going to cinema, go shopping, or culinary walk, you can, from now on, rent DVDs and watch it at home with mates or family to make closer relationship or cooking together which will also train your cooking skill. Tempting right?

Saving habit
Our tradition is saving after spending some to buy stuffs. It is indeed wrong way to make your money remain much until the end of the month. You, then, should separate a number of money you will save (please decide the regular amount for monthly saving), and the rest of the money will be used for the needs in a month. So, however penniless you are, you still have savings, and your salary won’t merely evaporate in a sudden

Specific
Set specific targets, do not just say “Starting next year I’ll be more diligent saving.” Determine how much savings you want, start when you save money and in how long you will obtain the desired value. Thus, you can also become more disciplined to set aside some funds to be saved per month.

Easily measured
Defining measurable objectives can help you monitor whether you are on track to achieve goals. If your goal is to raise funds for the down payment for a new house next year, then determine how much money from your income should be set aside per month. Each month you can measure had reached where your financial position.

Will be achieved
Make goals you can accomplish and think long term, but still find the small goals that can help you achieve greater results. Suppose you want to have a USD 15 million in a year, then the small goals you need to accomplish each month is to save a minimum $ 1,250 n the next 12 months.

Realistic
Creating financial goals must be realistic, because if not, you could face a very big failure. For example, you aspire to reach the target 60% rate of return on investment within a year.

Goal Real
The real goal is the achievement of something that really exists, and can be measured. You will be motivated to set higher goals if you ever reach that goal ever before you decide.

Furthermore, said Sonitha, Involve family members in setting financial goals, because they too will support the achievement of these goals. Write down these goals and review from time to time, this will be very helpful in achieving your financial goals.

Fast time passed, did not feel the next day had entered the new year. Have you made New Year’s resolutions? Does that include your financial life in the year 2010? If not, maybe you should try to answer honestly the following questions are:

1. Do you monitor each month how much you spend?
2. Do you pay your credit card in full?
3. Did you already set aside some funds for retirement?

If you answered “No” to question 3 above, it’s time you unpacked about personal finances and prepare for the year 2010 with a new resolution.

Vice President of Corporate Affairs Head of Citibank, said Sonitha Poernomo initial steps to manage finances better is to evaluate your current financial position, namely the re-asset records (whatever you have) and how much debt you have. Good way to manage finances is used to create a budget where you can monitor the income and expenditure.

Did you know that, according to Financial Intelligence Survey (Financial Quotient) from Citi Indonesia, only about 29% of people who follow a monthly budget that they create, while 82% had at this stage of trying to create and follow a budget.

For the start of financial management and tidy up after you know the current financial position, then it is good you set goals and how to achieve your financial goals.
Sonitha express purpose and Financial Plan which the SMART ie Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Tangible.