en English
en Englishes Spanish
TBSS logo

The BEST Financial Decisions a Senior Could Make

Senior woman with a pen and notepad on a yellow background

How you can bring yourself some peace of mind

Published: August 12, 2021

Category: Educational, Featured, Retirement Planning

All throughout your life, you’ve been responsible for making financial decisions. Whether it be determining where to go on vacation or when it is best for you to retire, you’ve had to take some time to make these choices. You’ve worked hard to enjoy your senior years, but those days can be hard to look forward to if you don’t have a stable handle on your finances.

This article is designed to tell you the best financial decisions that a senior can make, so that you can go into your retirement knowing how you can bring yourself some peace of mind.

 

  1. Budget carefully. You’ve heard this time and time again, especially from us, but this is advice that will never expire. Set limits. Think ahead. Be mindful. These are all quick and simple ways in which you can budget carefully.

 

Your income is likely to be lower during your retirement years than when you were working, so this means you will have to save more and spend less. You can do this by drafting a list of things you want — like new clothes or a quick get-away trip — and things you need — health insurance, nutrition, transportation and more. Determine how much money you are realistically willing to spend on the things you want and how much money you will have to spend on the things you will need. This will help you begin your budgeting phase.

It is also always safe to partner with a financial specialist who can help you determine how to budget your money.

  1. Establish a good relationship with your bank. There’s nothing better than having a good relationship with your bank, and there’s nothing worse than having a bitter relationship with your bank. You can maintain good grounds with your banking institution a number of ways: being open and honest, display financial strength and clearly define how your bank can help with financial goals. Doing this will significantly help you in the long run — especially if you find yourself in a financial emergency and need all of the help and support you can get. Trust us, your bank is something you will want to have on your side.

 

  1. Enact fraud safeguards. Older generations are more likely to be scammed, or experience fraud, for a number of reasons. The most obvious reason is because they’re trusting and don’t understand that people are solely after their hard-earned money. Luckily, there are ways in which you can prevent yourself from being scammed. One of these ways is to get your family involved. If you have children, download apps that will alert you and your children in the result that there was a large sum of money withdrawn from one of your accounts.

 

Another way you can protect yourself is to not believe everything you read, especially if it’s coming from the internet. Be careful about what you read online because that is where a lot of seniors are targeted.

Being scammed, or having fraud committed against you, is a scary experience. That’s why one of the smartest financial decisions you can make is to be to protect yourself and always beware.

  1. Prioritize paying off high-interest debts first. When many think about their debts with high interest, they think of their credit cards. And they wouldn’t be wrong. Prioritizing these debts is an important thing to keep in mind. Doing so will provide two major benefits. First, prioritizing your high-interest debts will let you pay off all loans and debts faster. Yes, you read that right! Second, you will end up saving money. That’s because you will pay less in interest if you pay off your high-interest debts before your low-interest debts. So, keep this in mind: the quicker you pay off your high-interest debts will result in lower interest payments.

 

  1. Consolidate any debt you can. You’re familiar with what it means to consolidate your debt. It’s even possible that you already consolidate some of your debts. If so, keep it up! Not only will this reduce the number of payments you will have to make, it’s also possible that it will lower your interest rate and monthly payments. Monthly payments can be lowered because your payments will be spread out slightly further into the future.

 

Other advantages to debt consolidation include:

  • Your credit score could be improved.
  • Your budget will be simplified and easier to manage because you will have fewer monthly bills.
  • Less stress because of the aforementioned benefits.

 

  1. Research, research, research. Did we mention research? Seriously, do it. Making any financial decision blindly increases your chance of facing financial disaster or being scammed. If there is a new insurance policy that your spouse wants to try out, or if there is the opportunity for you to become a part of a deal, you will want to do as much independent research as you can before you make any final decisions. The worst thing you can do is dive head-first into a deal without any research invested into it, and it end up being a terrible one.

 

You can conduct this research by talking with a licensed agent or referring to government-approved websites to see what potential advantages and disadvantages are. You’ll thank yourself later.

 

  1. Take on at least two mindsets when faced with a deal. If there is a deal being pitched to you, put yourself in at least two different pairs of shoes. Think about what you would be coming away with, but also think about what the person pitching to you will also walk away with. Doing this comes with a lot of benefits: not only are you slowing your pace and taking more time to consider this offer, but it also allows you to weigh the pros and the cons.

 

If the person who is pitching this service or product to you is very obviously getting the better end of the deal, whereas you benefit by only a little, then it may not be the smartest move. Make sure that you come away from every offer feeling equally as empowered as the seller. This may require negotiation, or it could mean that you turn the offer down altogether.

 

  1. Utilizing The Best Senior Services. One of the best financial decisions that you can make throughout your senior years is getting into contact with The Best Senior Services (TBSS). Not only will you gain education on Medicare and other financial services, you can also be connected with a local licensed agent who can answer any questions or concerns you have. TBSS works for seniors because we care about your well-being and financial success.

There are a number of financial decisions that you can make, and each will come with advantages and disadvantages. Before coming to any conclusion, you will want to slow down and consider your options. Conduct research, think about everyone involved and how it can help you with our budgeting plan.

 

If you want to learn more about how you can get in touch with TBSS, then we have you covered. You can get started with us today by visiting our website or calling us at 855.979.8277. We look forward to getting in touch!

Important Financial Decsions