Elevate Your Finances with ATD Money's Smart Salary Loans

 Savings are integral to reaching your financial goals, helping you manage unexpected expenses that would otherwise strain your budget and hinder progress towards meeting those objectives. Savings also provide peace of mind as they enable you to be prepared financially for new life chapters like retirement or moving into a new house.

One way to increase savings is to set aside part of any unexpected income such as bonuses and raises rather than immediately spending it to avoid the temptation for impulse buys and prevent lifestyle creep that could derail your financial goals.

Make an investment plan to achieve financial security over time by allocating some of your salary for long-term purchases such as clothes, electronics, books and utensils that won't impact your monthly budget. Also, invest in instruments suited to your risk profile and financial goals to reach those goals while receiving steady returns on investments made over time.

Most of us understand the role our credit scores play in helping us secure loans and finance what we want, but many people may be surprised to know that having an excellent score could also save them money by cutting interest costs; one estimates boosting it from fair to excellent could save up to $200,000 over your lifetime!

If your credit score falls within the range of poor to fair, chances are higher interest rates than for people with better ratings may apply to you when borrowing for major purchases like a house, car or credit card. This cost can become especially consequential when borrowing to cover large purchases such as housing costs, auto purchases or credit card bills.

For maximum credit improvement, pay your bills on time, reduce debt and use no more than 30% of your available credit limit.

Low credit scores can make it more challenging to secure loan approval or qualify for rental apartments, car insurance and mortgages. They may also increase security deposits on utilities and credit cards which add up over time.

Traditionally, those with poor or no credit were forced to incur debt to establish credit scores. Now there are new methods of building credit without risking debt - like Experian Smart Money(tm) Digital Checking Account & Debit Card which connects with Experian Boost(tm), giving credit for eligible bills paid with your debit card, potentially helping increase your FICO(r) Scores.