Debt

When it comes to money, your priorities, needs, and goals change as you move through life. In your twenties, you have a vastly different relationship with money than you do in your sixties, but it is important to recognise that at each stage of your life, the financial decisions you make can impact or enhance your financial future, regardless of how far away that might seem.

When the temperature starts to rise and the days lengthen, spring is clearly upon us. For many people, the changes of the season, from Winter to Spring, inspires them to declutter and spring clean their homes in preparation for the warm, sunny months ahead. This year why not also take the opportunity to give your finances a thorough dusting down, to ensure they are also in good shape for Summer and beyond? Here are a few tips to help you do it:

A group of people who are frequently overlooked when it comes to financial tips and guidance are those who fall into the “middle earner” bracket. Middle earners are neither the highest paid, lowest paid, or the poor and, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) around 60% of workers across Europe fall into this category.

Why is it that some people find money easy to deal with, regardless of how much they have, whereas for others it is a cause of stress and anxiety? Your relationship with money will be determined by the feelings and thoughts you have from your life experiences. It’s not simply about whether there was enough money in your household as you grew up though. If that were the case, people from poor backgrounds would always be bad with money, and the wealthy would always be good, which simply isn’t true.

At the beginning of the year many people take the opportunity to make changes. Some decide to adopt a healthier lifestyle; losing weight, stopping smoking, or reducing the amount of meat they eat. Others see the start of a new year as the motivation they need to look for a new job, start a new hobby or even move house.

A sad side effect of the Covid-19 pandemic is that the number of couples divorcing has steadily increased over the past 18 months. In the UK alone, one law firm recently reported that it has seen divorce instructions increase by around 30% since the pandemic began, and the UK’s Citizens Advice charity, which provides advice and guidance on a range of personal issues, has also seen a dramatic rise in visits to the divorce section of its website.

As is often the case when it comes to finance, the world of loans seems to have its own language and can get complicated, very quickly.

Here we aim to explain some of the language and answer some of the common questions about loans, to help you if the need to borrow money ever arises.

What is a loan?

Loans come in all shapes and sizes; from a friend lending you £5, to a mortgage to buy a home. However, the principle of all loans is the same. A loan is an agreement between you and a lender where they give you money, and you agree to pay it back.

In an age where offers of credit seem to be everywhere, and the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is increasing the reliance on credit cards and overdrafts for many people, it might come as a surprise that around half of the adults in the UK have never checked their credit score.

It may be because they are not planning on applying for a mortgage, getting a credit card or purchasing anything on finance, any time soon. Or it may be because they do not know how, or why, it is important to keep track of their credit score.

Is debt good or bad?

Most people will have some form of debt to manage their finances effectively and the key to a good relationship with debt is understanding which things are worth getting into debt for (good debt), whilst avoiding debt that has the potential to cause financial misery for you in the future (bad debt).