Blogging for Change

Make next year your best year ever

by Jesse Campbell on
12/9/2014
in Personal Finance

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) recently held a poll on their website. They asked visitors to predict the state of their financial situation one year in the future. Slightly less than half (49 percent) predicted that they’d be in better shape financially in one year’s time. About a quarter of respondents (23 percent) thought things would be essentially unchanged, while 17 percent worried that their finances would be worse.

It’s great that half of those surveyed feel positively about their financial future, but what about everyone else? Why do so many people think things are just going to stay the same? Or get worse?

One reason may be that a lot of people believe they don’t have control over their financial future. To some extent that may be true – most people don’t have a lot of control over the rise and fall of the national economy – but you have much more control over your personal finances than you may think.

If you want your financial situation to be better in 12 months then you can make that happen. Start taking steps today to make next year (and every year) better and better.

Increase your income

The best way to improve your financial situation is to add more income to the mix. It takes effort and time to create additional income, but it’s worth it if your current income doesn’t adequately support you and your family.

  • Ask for a raise. If you feel that you aren’t being paid competitively, be willing to do something about that. Make your case. Your boss may say no, but they may say yes. You’re almost certainly more likely to get a raise if you ask for one than if you didn’t say anything at all.
  • Get better at what you do. Whether or not your boss said yes to your request for a raise, if you want to be paid more you should strive to become more valuable. Learn additional skills. Grab every bit of training you can get. If your current employer can’t pay you what you’re worth, you’ll have an easier time finding someone who will.
  • Start a side business. Learn how to make money in your spare time. Pick something you’re passionate about and try to make a little extra cash out of it.

Control your expenses

The other half of your personal financial equation is your expenses – where is your money going? If you want to feel more comfortable with your finances next year you should probably strive to better control your expenses.

  • Create a budget. If you wish your financial situation was better, but haven’t even bothered to start budgeting yet, you really aren’t doing yourself any favors. A budget helps you maximize your available money by keeping expenses in check and purposefully directing your money towards your goals. If you want your financial situation to be better, start budgeting.
  • Set your priorities. What does an improved financial situation look like to you? More spending power? Less worry? You get to define what “better” looks like for you and doing so helps you decide what actions to take throughout the year.
  • Make a plan. Things don’t get better just because you want them to. You have to work at it. Once you pick your priorities you can set your goals. And once you’ve got goals you can create a plan to reach those goals.

There are never any guarantees about what the future will bring, but if you’d like your financial situation to improve you can take steps to make that happen. There’s no reason to assume things will get worse and then not do something about that. You control your financial future – so why wouldn’t you want next year to be your best year ever?

Jesse Campbell photo.

Jesse Campbell is the Content Manager at MMI, with over ten years of experience creating valuable educational materials that help families through everyday and extraordinary financial challenges.

Recommended Articles

Man sitting in front of pile of bills, trying to understand his options.
Professional Budget Advice
Make the most of every dollar and start building toward your dreams! Budget counseling is FREE and available 24/7.
Learn More
Learn more
  • Better Business Bureau A+ rating Better Business Bureau
    MMI is proud to have achieved an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), a nonprofit organization focused on promoting and improving marketplace trust. The BBB investigates charges of fraud against both consumers and businesses, sets standards for truthfulness in advertising, and evaluates the trustworthiness of businesses and charities, providing a score from A+ (highest) to F (lowest).
  • Financial Counseling Association of America Financial Counseling Association of America
    MMI is a proud member of the Financial Counseling Association of America (FCAA), a national association representing financial counseling companies that provide consumer credit counseling, housing counseling, student loan counseling, bankruptcy counseling, debt management, and various financial education services.
  • Trustpilot Trustpilot
    MMI is rated as “Excellent” (4.9/5) by reviewers on Trustpilot, a global, online consumer review platform dedicated to openness and transparency. Since 2007, Trustpilot has received over 116 million customer reviews for nearly 500,000 different websites and businesses. See what others are saying about the work we do.
  • Department of Housing and Urban Development - Equal Housing Opportunity Department of Housing and Urban Development
    MMI is certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide consumer housing counseling. The mission of HUD is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD provides support services directly and through approved, local agencies like MMI.
  • Council on Accreditation Council On Accreditation
    MMI is proudly accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), an international, independent, nonprofit, human service accrediting organization. COA’s thorough, peer-reviewed accreditation process is designed to ensure that organizations like MMI are providing the highest standard of service and support for clients and employees alike.
  • National Foundation for Credit Counseling National Foundation for Credit Counseling
    MMI is a longstanding member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling® (NFCC®), the nation’s largest nonprofit financial counseling organization. Founded in 1951, the NFCC’s mission is to promote financially responsible behavior and help member organizations like MMI deliver the highest-quality financial education and counseling services.