TODAY’S BLOG

SO, WHAT WAS YOUR BUDGET FOR CHRISTMAS? DID YOU EVEN HAVE ONE? AND HAVE YOU KEPT TO IT?…

I have to confess … I’ve gone over mine ever so slightly. I always forget how expensive the ‘treat foods’ are … not just the turkey and all the trimmings, but the nibbles you tend to leave dotted around the place in the run up to the big day; the spare bottle of bubbly (just in case); the oversized tin of Quality Street – that seems to be devoid of toffee pennies within minutes of opening (I always feel a bit sorry for the strawberry creams that get thrown away in the New Year when I’m sick of the sight of the tin loitering on the kitchen worktop!); don’t even get me started on Turkish Delight (about which I find not one delightful thing!)

This year I congratulated myself for managing to stay within my budget for ‘gifts’, but then I chastised myself because I failed miserably (as every other year) to budget for wrapping paper, ribbons, tags, tape etc.  (Anyone who has ever received a gift from me will tell you that I take the presentation of gifts quite seriously, so this is a rookie oversight on my part!)

What does all this boil down to in the context of what we do at Solomon’s? Simple answer … contingency planning (you knew the P-word was coming surely?!).

It’s about knowing that you are never going to remember every little cost. And planning accordingly. Giving yourself wiggle room. It’s something that every builder on the planet will tell you to do. Every project manager. Every business executive. We all KNOW this. But knowing what is good for us is the easy part. It’s the following through on that knowledge that is the tricky bit!

When we talk about ‘budgeting’ in general here at Solomon’s – we are encouraging our clients to be realistic and to err on the side of ‘over-estimating costs’ … thereby giving that wiggle room to the numbers.

We recently had some new clients who put together a really detailed and carefully considered analysis of their ‘normal’ spending. The numbers revealed that they potentially have a considerable sum ‘left over’ each month. When we presented this to them, they were stunned as this was not a fair reflection of their lived experience. So they had to look again and see where they were spending and not accounting for things. It was a revelatory experience … for them and for us!  It was a really good reminder that this is an incredibly difficult but vital component of the financial planning process.

If you haven’t updated your expenditure figures for us recently – we would encourage you to be brave and have a go at this in 2022 (but maybe don’t use your December transactions as a reflection of your ‘normal monthly spending’!!)

If you need a template to work from – please click here or you can have a go at using our portal to record your numbers. Or you can just let us have your own budget/bank statements and we’ll do the legwork for you.

However you choose to do it; please just have a go. After all – it is the foundation stone of the framework that is your financial plan and it’s vital that we place it in the correct position for you, so that it can bear the weight of whatever needs to go on top.

Debbie Harris
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email info@solomonsifa.co.uk

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Bakery, 2D Edna Road, Raynes Park, London, SW20 8BT

Email – info@solomonsifa.co.uk 
Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Bakery, 2D Edna Road, Raynes Park, London, SW20 8BT

Email – info@solomonsifa.co.uk    Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?