Money Matters: How To Manage Finances In Your 30s

Financial planning in your 30s is taking the learnings of your 20s, a step forward. While in one’s 20s, most are looking at clearing student loans (if any), establishing healthy savings habits, and entering the world of investments, in their 30s, people are looking at making their foundation stronger.

Harsh Jain, co-founder and COO, Groww, an investment platform, doles out the following tips to manage money effectively in this decade. “First, create or re-work on your monthly budget as your lifestyle is bound to have changed in all these years. It’s imperative you re-align your budget accordingly. Second, boost your retirement savings. Every time you get a raise, ensure that you increase your retirement savings amount, too, as you can benefit from compounding. Third, increase your emergency fund. While the importance of an emergency fund can never be understated, it is of crucial significance in your 30s. As you grow, your parents grow older, and you start taking responsibility for a lot of things. As unpredictable as life is, this means you need to be prepared for unexpected events putting a strain on your finances. A recommended amount is a fund that helps you manage around six month’s living expenses with ease. Fourth, make smart investment decisions. One of the essential requirements of building wealth in your 30s is investing according to your financial goals, risk tolerance, and investment horizon. There are many investment avenues available like stocks, bonds, mutual funds, derivatives, commodities, and real estate instruments. Finally, minimise your debt. While this was true in your 20s, it remains true in your 30s, and probably will hold true for the rest of your life. Debt is a double-edged sword. It hampers your investible sum, and paying interest is a waste of hard-earned money.”

It is no secret that investing from the time you begin earning is wise. A strategic investment plan will not only help you build wealth as you go along, but also help you reap its benefits post retirement. When one talks of investing, diversification is another aspect that needs to be addressed for it allows you to maximise returns while keeping the risks minimal. So, what are your options? “Look at diversifying across various asset classes and within each asset class too. For example, you can invest in equity, debt, and gold. Within your equity investments, you can further diversify across sectors, market capitalisations, and geographies. The idea is to ensure that if one set of securities underperforms due to an external situation, others don’t get adversely affected and continue generating returns. This can help you achieve your financial goals without long delays,” explains Jain.

It is also important to mention that while you may have made the right investment choices so far, you can make mistakes with your hard-earned money if you aren’t careful. Jain suggests that staying away from debt trap and not investing in properties you can’t afford are key during this decade. As Jain puts it, “We keep learning about how to effectively manage our finances all through our lives. While some people learn it at a younger age, others need more time.”