Play your part in shifting the power and creating a sustainable future by taking care of yourself and your finances.
4 Tips on creating a sustainable financial future:
PAY YOURSELF FIRST
Creating your own rock-solid financial future is the best thing you can ever do for yourself. But if you are paying your bills every month, hoping there will be some money left to save at the end, you may be quite disillusioned and definitely poorer. So turn your budget on its head and place
yourself at the front of the payment queue! There are some great apps out there including the Budget planner, Expense tracker app, which is straightforward, allowing you to capture various income sources and expenses. You need to have a good idea of your actual monthly expenses before you start, and if you find that your income won’t cover them, rework the numbers to balance your budget. If you need to up your income, consider a side hustle. And remember, make your savings automatic – set up a debit order just as you would for other accounts and make yourself your preferred creditor!
CUT THE QUEUES
If you’re an international traveller, an armchair shopper, or need to send money offshore, buying foreign currency is expensive and time-consuming. Now you can buy, exchange and store USD, AUD, euros, ZAR and GBP at real-time live rates with the Standard Bank Shyft app. Its features make it a breeze – you can create multiple Shyft Virtual Mastercards for local and online shopping, pay global beneficiaries, and send money instantly with free Shyft to Shyft money transfers. Spend locally as well with a ZAR Shyft Rand Card or internationally, withdraw and spend cash with a Shyft Mastercard. Lastly invest in the top US stocks from your phone. With competitive fees and ease of use, what’s not to love about this app? Plus, you don’t have to bank with Standard Bank to use it.
CLOSE THE GAP
Sadly, the gender pay gap is alive and well: Globally women are paid 20% less than men on average for doing the same job, and we’re worse off in South Africa. Our average pay gap is between 23% and 35%, hitting women in the middle and upper wage bands the hardest.
Don’t be part of the statistics and get paid what you deserve. Keeping track of everyday successes can help motivate for that pay raise, providing potent firepower at review
time. But it’s easy to forget what you bring to the table, which is why the PepTalkHer app is so phenomenal. It keeps track of your successes, no matter how small, and you can upload images and text, which can be emailed to yourself as a PDF. You can also tag and categorise
your wins in areas of your choice such as project management. It’s like having a cheerleader in your pocket to help you showcase yourself when the time is right!
DRAGONS AND DOUGH
Habits are formed from a young age, and saving is one of the best to have. So, imagine having your very own dragon to show you the way? With the Sanlam Savings Jar app, kids become dragon masters who embark on a thrilling quest to collect coins in a virtual jar. The more coins they save, the more their magical dragon grows, and on this fun interactive journey, they are taught about needs versus wants, planning and goal setting. So give your kids a head start – download the app today and help create a money-savvy generation.
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