From slashing your monthly outgoings to protecting your loved ones, this guide will ensure your 30s are spent focusing on the things that matter and not worrying about money.
Sections
- Buying your first home
- Watch those household bills
- Keep a lid on wedding costs
- Having a baby
- Don't put yourself under too much pressure
- Guarantee your income
- What insurance do you really need?
- Introduction to investing
- Retirement planning: what you should you be doing at this stage
- Slash your tax bill
Buying your first home
The average Brit is 30 years’ old when they make that all important step onto the property ladder, so chances are this is probably high up on your list of priorities.
As it’s one of the biggest financial commitments you’ll ever make in your life (we’ll get to a couple more in a minute), it obviously takes a load of time and planning.
Whether you’ve just set aside your first monthly contribution for a deposit or are already house-hunting, our complete guide to buying your first property has all the tips you need.
In the meantime, make sure you brush up on your rights as a tenant to ensure your landlord isn’t taking advantage of you.
Watch those household bills
Whether you’re renting or buying, household bills will make up a sizeable chunk of your outlays.
The good news is it’s really straightforward to keep on top of these. Set aside a couple of hours one weekend and you’ll be able to save thousands of pounds each year.
Before you pick up the phone or fire off an email, get clued up on switching to a cheaper energy deal, saving on your Sky or Virgin media bundle, slashing your weekly supermarket bill and finally, if you have one, bagging a cheaper mortgage.
Keep a lid on wedding costs
Congratulations on your engagement! It’s going to be a wonderful day. Chances are, it’s also going to be a very expensive one.
Costs can easily spiral out of control, and the last thing you on your honeymoon is to be worrying about how you’re going to pay it all back.
Here are 23 ways to have your dream wedding without a nightmare bill, and here are a few more practical tips for keeping costs down.
Having a baby
Becoming a parent is a life-changing event quite like no other.
Here’s a look at all the financial assistance on offer, including Maternity Pay, Paternity Pay and Child Benefits, to ensure your finances don’t take too big a knock when the little bundle arrives.
It’s a cliché, but kids really do grow up fast, so you’ll want to know all about raising a child without spending a fortune.
You might also be thinking about setting some cash aside for when they’re all grown up. Planning for their future is far easier than you think, provided you get an early start.
Don't put yourself under too much pressure
It’s the decade of your life where you’ll likely buy a home – and the mountain of debt that comes with it – get married and become a parent.
These are all huge commitments, both emotionally and financially.
With that in mind, be wary of trying to do everything at once. Take your time.
Guarantee your income
Now that you have all these responsibilities, losing your income could have a devastating impact.
Having an income protection plan in place in case you lose your job or become sick and unable to work can offer vital peace of mind.
What insurance do you really need?
Boring as insurance may be, you now have more to lose than in your 20s so you should give serious thought to protecting those things.
Here’s are the policies that’ll prove most valuable at this stage in your life.
Introduction to investing
If you’ve set any money aside you’ll be only too aware how rubbish savings rates are at the minute – we’ve rounded up the best of a bad bunch here.
To build up a sizeable pot, investing your money in the stock market is almost certain to provide more value in the long run.
There’s obviously risk involved and, unlike with savings accounts, you could actually end up losing money.
So make sure understand all the basics and take some tips from the experts before you invest a penny.
Retirement planning: what you should you be doing at this stage
You’ll no doubt have more outlays than ever before, but that doesn’t mean you can forget about planning for your future.
You might be planning to simply use your home as your pension, but that’s not without its risks.
Pensions are boring but vital. Head this way for a steer on how much you should be setting aside right now – and don’t forget to make the most of your company pension.
Slash your tax bill
Chance are, those lovely folk at HMRC are taking an ever-larger cut of your income these days.
While paying tax is absolutely vital, what’s equally important is that you don’t pay more than you should be.
Let’s take you through 20 guilt-free steps to ensure your tax bill is kept to a minimum.