Smith Business and Finance

Yes, this is a good idea! I know you want to know what is mad money? Well, a long time ago this term came about when a young lady went out with her friend to a party and her friend left her at the party with no way home.  So, the young lady was mad with her friend that left her at the party and luckily for her, she had money stowed away in her shoe to take a cab back home.  She thought to herself on her way home in the cab, that it was good that her mother had taught her to always have money set aside for emergency situations such as this!

Thank goodness, this young lady had the forethought to stash her mad money away so she could take a cab back home, since her friend left her in a lurch.  Get the point? Having an emergency fund whether it be mad money or saved money is important for you to have.  You say, how do I go about doing this? Well, you can read these tips to help you learn what you can do:

1) Set up a savings account specifically for your emergency fund or mad money fund.  Whatever you want to call it, just establish one!

2) Deposit a certain amount of  money on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis in your account.  You may want to set up automatic deposits to your account via your payroll department. Or, you may want to have your bank automatically withdraw a certain amount of money from your checking account into your emergency or mad money savings account.

3) Try to save at least 2-3 months of your monthly salary to cover your bills for at least three months if you were to loose your job. This amount of time will hopefully allow you the cushion you need until you secure new employment.

4) The money you save in your emergency or mad money account should be used for household emergencies, personal emergencies or if you’re no longer able to work.  Don’t use it for other expenditures such as bills, travel, etc…  Get the idea? It’s a savings account that you don’t want to touch unless it’s absolutely necessary!

5) Make sure the bank account you put your emergency or mad money into, is paying you the most interest you can earn for this account! Research as many sources as possible on securing the best interest rate you can get.  Check with your bank, the internet, newspaper and other sources for the prevailing interest rate.  You want to make sure your money can be accessed easily and quickly if you need it for an emergency!

By establishing an emergency or mad money fund, this will give you a better peace of mind if you need access to money when there is an emergency in your life.  So, the sooner you start setting money aside for a rainy day, the better off you will be! Make sure the amount of money you contribute to your emergency or mad money fund, is realistic for your budget.  Save as much as you can without upsetting your overall personal or family finances.  So go ahead, get started today!

If you are a college student, you are probably concentrating on your studies and trying to get an education that will benefit you in the future. One thing that you may not be thinking about is how to handle your money, and failing to do so can leave you in a pretty big financial mess by the time you are out of college. It is important that you take control of your finances now if you want your financial future to be bright. The following are some tips that can help you with your finances to avoid any college financial disasters.

Tip #1 – Only Use Credit Cards in Emergencies – Once you get a credit card it can be all to easy to start racking up the credit card debt. This is a bad way to start out and you will probably end up with bad credit if you are using credit cards all of the time. Remember, the money you spend on credit cards will need to be repaid. It is best if you save your credit card for emergencies instead of buying that new pair of shoes or paying for an evening out.

Tip #2 – Pay Off the Balance Every Month – It is also important that you pay off your balance each month if you have a credit card. Leaving a balance on the card can result in you paying extra money on interest, so you will save money if you pay off the balance every month. This will also keep you from getting in credit card debt over your head as well.

Tip #3 – Pay Bills on Time – Now is the time to start building your credit history, and you can do this by always paying your bills on time. If you fail to pay your bills on time, it can get quite expensive. Many companies will charge late fees if you do not pay on time and your interest rates may go up as well, costing you even more money for being late.

Tip #4 – Start Saving Now – Many college students do not realize how important saving really is, but if you can start saving while you are in college, you can reap from great benefits when you are older. Saving now will get you in the habit of saving, you will earn money from the money you save, and you will have extra money set aside in case of any emergencies as well.

Tip #5 – Look for the Best Checking Account – You can actually save a great deal of money if you look around and find the best checking account. Look for an account that has no fee for starting an account and no minimum balance. You may also want to check into any debit card fees, and fees for deposits of withdrawals. Some banks will actually offer totally free checking for college students, so take advantage of this and you can save a great deal of money every year.