Financial Tips

A Beginner Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well Being

Thinking about making your side hustle a full-time thing? A good place to start is having the financial resources to support yourself and your business, especially if you are no longer receiving a paycheck. Understanding the basics of personal finance will help you save money and create a solid financial foundation to start that business

Written by Intuit Blog Team
Published Aug 14, 2018 - [Updated Nov 22, 2022]
3 min read

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1. Learn to Budget

Budgeting is arguably the most important aspect of personal finance. A spending plan starts with your income and comparing it with all the money going out of pocket. Writing out a detailed budget allows you to make smarter decisions with your finances on a daily basis.

When you have to make a spending decision, a budget helps you stop and think about the purchase. If you spend more in one area, whether it be groceries or home supplies, you won’t have that money to spend in another area like on eating out, or leisure.

2. Cutting Expenses

Cutting back on the little things is a great way to save. Ideally, once you have created a budget, you can identify areas where you are overspending, and focus on saving in those areas. For example, it might make sense for you to cut back on eating out or on unnecessary subscription services that you don’t use. After cutting these expenses, you’ll have a few extra bucks in your pocket that you can spend on that side hustle you’ve been having trouble getting off the ground.

3. Get Out of Debt

If you are struggling with debt, it’s a good time to start focusing on strategies to get out of it. Getting out of debt is hard, especially when you’re facing high interest rates on credit cards or loans.

One common form of debt is credit card debt. To pay off credit card debt, try and pay more than the minimum amount during each month. Because of ongoing interest and finance charges, if you are only paying the minimum, it will take an incredibly long time to pay off the debt and end up costing you thousands of dollars.

4. Save That Money

Saving is one of the most basic concepts of personal finance. The rewards of saving money are obvious, but following through on saving can be tough. A good way to start saving is through a scheduled savings method. This method automates savings for you, such as a fixed amount of money that is taken out of your paycheck each pay period. This system is great because it removes the guesswork from the process. It’s a process that just happens with you barely noticing and helps you gradually build wealth over time. This is a saving method for those with a steady and sizeable income preferably.

5. Insurance, Insurance, Insurance!

Sometimes things happen. You’ve already worked so hard to build a financial footing for yourself, and you should protect it. You need insurance to protect your life, your ability to earn income, and to keep a roof or office over your head. Life insurance, disability insurance, and homeowners’ insurance can help with those scenarios. Make sure you set some time aside to research the different insurance types and what might make sense for your lifestyle.