For Federal and Postal Employees, building a budget carries equal weight to building a financial plan.
Envision constructing a house – The financial plan is the front door to your dwelling and the budget is the back door, both are necessary if you expect to be safe and secure.
Having a sound financial plan and a budget are paramount to a successful retirement
- Also Read: New TSP Withdrawal Rules and What They Mean for Your Federal Retirement Plans
- Also Read: TSP Investment Moves That Could Help Federal Employees Retire on Their Own Terms
- Also Read: Early Retirement Myths Federal Employees Need to Stop Believing
Primary Elements of a Federal Employee Retirement Budget
There are two primary elements to a Federal Employee retirement budget – income and expenses. Income may be derived from various sources: employment, interests from savings and investments. Expenses are summed up in our wants and needs. There must always be a very careful balancing act between income and expenses. When expenses become more than income, we run the risk of running out of money and that is exactly what we don’t want to do in retirement or at any other time for that matter. The budget helps us to rein in spending and make wise choices that will keep our income and expenses in harmony.
As we approach retirement it will become even more critical that we recognize what our spending habits are and employ definite strategies to ensure they fit into our financial plan and are guided by a sound budget.
When we spend money it is generally for expenses that are either fixed, variable or occasional. Most of us spend money and then think about saving what ever is left over. When we mentioned earlier the concept of PYF or pay yourself first, it is meant to do exactly that. Pay yourself first in the form of savings right off the top of your income. It need not be a particularly large amount, but it must be defined and consistent. Savings must be entered in the budget as a part of “fixed” expenses. If we treat “savings” as a variable or occasional expense, it is very clear that we will be met with significant challenges in meeting our financial goals in the future.
Federal Employee Retirement Budget
Creating a budget is easy enough. We need only list all income against all expenses to see where we stand. If expenses outweigh income, then we need to make some immediate adjustments. Most of us simply run out of money or find that we don’t have enough, without outlining everything in a budget so that we can actually see how we are spending our money. SMART budgets must be updated regulary throughout our lives. Remember as events change in our lives, we will very necessarily have to adjust our budget, our financial goals and the way we spend money.
There are many software programs that will allow you to monitor your budget and to stay on track by keeping your expenses and income in a spreadsheet. A budget is your spending plan about what you can do with your money. Warren Buffet knows exactly how much money is coming in, how much will be spent on bills and day-to-day expenses and how much to set aside for meeting large financial goals. People who are SMART with their money, no matter how much or how little, know where their money goes because they have a plan.
Once you build a budget you will know that you have mastered the objective of creating a budget when your budget is balanced to show that total income equals total expenses and that your budget supports each of your financial goals. It’s your money. You have worked hard for it and now you must make it work SMART for you!
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know,
LiteBlue Related Pages
LiteBlue; Online Access to More Than Just Your USPS Earnings Statement
What Postal Employees Should Do On LiteBlue Before Retirement
Changing Your LiteBlue / PostalEase Password Through ssp.USPS.gov
eRetire for Postal Employees – Retirement Applications on LiteBlue
