{"id":10262,"date":"2024-01-16T09:46:51","date_gmt":"2024-01-16T17:46:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/?p=10262"},"modified":"2024-10-15T09:27:13","modified_gmt":"2024-10-15T16:27:13","slug":"the-best-money-moves-to-make-when-starting-a-new-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/blog\/the-best-money-moves-to-make-when-starting-a-new-job\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Money Moves To Make When Starting A New Job"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

The Best Money Moves To Make When Starting A New Job<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve just started a new job or you\u2019re new to earning an income, congrats! You may be intimidated by the idea of finally getting your finances in order, but you shouldn\u2019t be. Starting a new job can be an incredibly exciting time, and the good money habits you establish today can put you on a path to true financial independence.<\/p>\n

Of course after buying a new work wardrobe and putting down a deposit on a new apartment, you (and your wallet) may already feel exhausted but keep your eyes on the prize. With a little financial planning, you\u2019ll be adding \u201cmoney pro\u201d to your resume in no time!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Create A Budget Based On Your Priorities <\/strong><\/h3>\n

When that first paycheck deposits into your account, it\u2019s time to start budgeting. If you learn to keep track of your spending, set intentions for how you want to use your money in the coming months and years, and then stick to that plan. You will feel much more financially secure.<\/p>\n

But where do you start with a budget? To make sure you can meet all your financial goals, your budget will need to include all the necessary spending categories, such as housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, insurance, and entertainment. Depending on your financial situation, you may also need to add a category for debt, including student loan payments and credit card debt.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll then need to compare your expenses to your income, and see where things are aligned, or where you may need to cut back. For example, if you notice that you don\u2019t have enough money leftover every month to contribute to your retirement account, then you may need to cut back on entertainment or make a few more affordable swaps when grocery shopping.<\/p>\n

In a perfect world, your budget will also have a category for savings, including retirement, emergency fund contributions, and maybe even a savings account for that fun vacation you\u2019ve been wanting to take. For more on budgeting tips, check out our article on How To Create A Budget.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Have A Plan For A Rainy Day <\/strong><\/h3>\n

When you\u2019re first starting a new job, you\u2019ll likely have a ton of competing priorities including student debt repayment, a new car payment, or other one-time expenses like furniture for your new place. Yes, it\u2019s a lot, but this doesn\u2019t mean you should skip creating an emergency fund. You’ll want to put aside a portion of your paycheck in a savings or money market account as a rainy-day fund until you accumulate six to nine months\u2019 worth of expenses that can be used for emergencies and\/or opportunities that you couldn\u2019t anticipate or prepare for in advance<\/p>\n

If six to nine months\u2019 worth of expenses sounds impossible right now, don\u2019t let that stop you from getting started. Even just a few dollars every month can get you closer to your goal of having financial security should anything ever happen to your job.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sign up for Employer-Sponsored Retirement Benefits (Or Open Your Own IRA)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If your new employer offers a retirement plan<\/a>, like a 401(k) or 403(b), sign up ASAP. If your employer offers a match on your 401(k), you should treat it as free money and leverage this benefit as much as is feasible for your financial circumstances. In other words, you should maximize your own contributions to ensure you don\u2019t leave money on the table. This may mean making a few sacrifices here and there to prioritize your savings, but we promise your 50-year-old self will appreciate your efforts!<\/p>\n

Remember that every dollar you save in your early years will grow significantly more than dollars saved later in life. If your employer doesn\u2019t offer a retirement account, don\u2019t worry. Look into opening an IRA, and try to contribute as much as you can. For IRAs<\/a>, the contribution limits for 2024 are $7,000 if you\u2019re under 50 or $8,000 if you\u2019re 50 or older. For 401(k) and 403(b)s, contribution limits are $23,000 for people under 50, and $30,500 for people 50 and over.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Eliminate Debt <\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you left college with a mountain of student loan debt, take a deep breath. It can feel daunting, but creating a financial strategy to keep it under control is vital. The key here is to be as aggressive as your income allows. If you\u2019re not sure where to begin, start by prioritizing debt with the highest interest rate.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Resist The Urge To Upgrade <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Have you ever heard the saying, \u2018Keeping Up With the Joneses\u2019? The story goes like this: You find yourself with wealthy neighbors \u2014 the Jones family. They get a new car, so you<\/em> have to get a new car. They remodel their kitchen, so you<\/em> want a new kitchen, too and so on until you find yourself completely broke. Of course these days, we may be more influenced by the people we see on social media than our next-door neighbors, but the impact is the same: Spending too much money on things we don\u2019t need can be detrimental to our financial safety net.<\/p>\n

As you receive promotions, raises, or bonuses in your new job, try to save the majority of them. It can be tempting to get a bigger house or a newer car, but saving this money serves two purposes. It prevents lifestyle inflation and keeps your expenses lower. This means you will need less money to replace your current lifestyle in retirement and it allows you to save more money which can be invested and grow over time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Check In On Your Finances Regularly And Keep Learning<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As your job and your life evolve, you\u2019ll continually need to re-assess where your money is going and check in on your accounts to ensure you\u2019re making progress towards your bigger life goals. Your annual salary and life needs will fluctuate, which is why it\u2019s so important to adapt your budget accordingly.<\/p>\n

A big part of learning to adapt financially at every stage is continuing to learn and empower yourself with knowledge. Every year, try to allocate a small portion of your budget towards education. This can include books, classes, or financial education programs. Remember that anything that enhances your money skills and helps you increase your long-term earning potential is never a bad investment!<\/p>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Starting a new job can be an incredibly exciting time, and the good money habits you establish today can put you on a path to true financial independence. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":10263,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-finances"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10262"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13019,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10262\/revisions\/13019"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}