Short-term and long-term goals might seem self-explanatory, but some cases aren’t exactly clear-cut. Here are a few ways to identify your goals, plus budget and save for them accordingly.
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Short-term goals describe your more immediate plans, beyond simply covering necessities. Although timelines vary, these are the things you’ll spend money on generally within a few months or years.
Long-term goals are usually big-picture items. These goals may take several years or even decades to reach. Your distant goals typically involve more money and regular attention than short-term goals.
There is often overlap between the two categories that can make things fuzzy. Medium- or mid-term goals fall between short-term and long-term goals and tend to take a few years to achieve.
Mid-term goal examples:
Buying a car.
Saving for a down payment.
Paying off debt.
Other goal periods can be tougher to estimate. For example, you might not need an emergency fund for several years, or you might need it right away. There’s no way to know when car repairs or medical bills will pop up. And the amount of time it takes to chip away at your debt depends on how much money you’re willing and able to put toward it.
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You’ll likely have a combination of short- and long-term goals to balance. Work your goals around your usual expenses, focusing on needs like food and shelter first. Emergency and retirement funds are also high priority; contribute to these funds and pay off debt next. Then you can decide how to allocate the rest of your money toward your wants and other savings goals.
How to budget and save
Know where you stand before you start to budget and save for your goals. Determine how much money you can spend and how much you can save per month based on your income. Use this 50/30/20 budget calculator as a starting point. Set a timeline for your goals, then work toward them.
Try to cut back on purchasing things you don’t need and set the savings aside for your goals. You might use some of this money immediately on short-term goals or to make a dent in your long-term goals.
Where to save
Find a safe place to store your nest egg until you need it. For short-term goals and your emergency fund, you’ll want to keep your money somewhere you can access quickly and without penalty, like a savings account. (NerdWallet has a list of the best savingsaccounts.)
You may reach your long-term goals quicker by putting your cash into a savings account or certificate of deposit with a high interest rate, or by investing, especially if you don’t plan to use this money for at least five years — say you’re starting a college fund for your newborn. That way you’ll allow time to build up a positive return.
Determine how much money you can spend and how much you can save per month based on your income. Use this 50/30/20 budget calculator as a starting point. Set a timeline for your goals, then work toward them. Try to cut back on purchasing things you don't need and set the savings aside for your goals.
The 50/30/20 budget rule states that you should spend up to 50% of your after-tax income on needs and obligations that you must have or must do. The remaining half should be split between savings and debt repayment (20%) and everything else that you might want (30%).
In his free webinar last week, Market Briefs CEO Jaspreet Singh alerted me to a variation: the popular 75-15-10 rule. Singh called it leading your money. This iteration calls for you to put 75% of after-tax income to daily expenses, 15% to investing and 10% to savings.
The 70-20-10 budget formula divides your after-tax income into three buckets: 70% for living expenses, 20% for savings and debt, and 10% for additional savings and donations. By allocating your available income into these three distinct categories, you can better manage your money on a daily basis.
If you have a large amount of debt that you need to pay off, you can modify your percentage-based budget and follow the 60/20/20 rule. Put 60% of your income towards your needs (including debts), 20% towards your wants, and 20% towards your savings.
The 40/40/20 rule comes in during the saving phase of his wealth creation formula. Cardone says that from your gross income, 40% should be set aside for taxes, 40% should be saved, and you should live off of the remaining 20%.
The 50/30/20 rule can be a good budgeting method for some, but it may not work for your unique monthly expenses. Depending on your income and where you live, earmarking 50% of your income for your needs may not be enough.
The 20/10 rule follows the logic that no more than 20% of your annual net income should be spent on consumer debt and no more than 10% of your monthly net income should be used to pay debt repayments.
These buckets are designed to handle living costs and other monthly expenses without draining your bank account. Seventy percent of your income will go to monthly bills and everyday spending, 20% will go to saving and investing, and 10% will go to debt repayment or donation.
The 50/40/10 rule budget is a simple way to budget that doesn't involve detailed budgeting categories. Instead, you spend 50% of your after-tax pay on needs, 40% on wants, and 10% on savings or paying off debt.
This budget follows the same style as the 50/30/20, but the percentages are adjusted to better fit the average American's financial situation. “70/20/10 suggests a framework of 70% of your income on essentials and discretionary spending, 20% on savings and 10% on paying off your debt.
Save 20% of your income and spend the remaining 80% on everything else. 60/40. Allocate 60% of your income for fixed expenses like your rent or mortgage and 40% for variable expenses like groceries, entertainment and travel.
The 80/20 budget is a simpler version of it. Using the 80/20 budgeting method, 80% of your income goes toward monthly expenses and spending, while the other 20% goes toward savings and investments.
When following the 10-10-80 rule, you take your income and divide it into three parts: 10% goes into your savings, and the other 10% is given away, either as charitable donations or to help others. The remaining 80% is yours to live on, and you can spend it on bills, groceries, Netflix subscriptions, etc.
Some Experts Say the 50/30/20 Is Not a Good Rule at All. “This budget is restrictive and does not take into consideration your values, lifestyle and money goals. For example, 50% for needs is not enough for those in high-cost-of-living areas.
What is a 'pay yourself first' budget? The "pay yourself first" method has you put a portion of your paycheck into your savings, retirement, emergency or other goal-based savings accounts before you do anything else with it. After a month or two, you likely won't even notice this sum is "gone" from your budget.
For a family of four (including two children under age 11) in 2023, your spending on groceries should be around $975 a month. You can also look at your recommended grocery spending based on a percentage of your income. Try and aim to spend no more than 15% of your take home pay on food and groceries.
Important reminder: The 50/30/20 budget rule only considers your take-home pay for the month, so anything automatically deducted from your paycheck — like your work health insurance premium or 401k retirement contribution — doesn't count in the equation.
Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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