The Importance of Setting Goals

Most people find that financial troubles happen occasionally. This is especially true if you are young and just starting out in the world. One of the options you have for getting out of debt is bankruptcy. However, this is not the best option, nor should it be done by the majority of people. Bankruptcy is the legal declaration that you cannot pay back your debts and do not see a way to do so in the future, at least not in fully. Individuals can declare chapter 7 or chapter 13 bankruptcies depending on how much debt has been acquired and how much money is made every month. An important part of this financial process is setting goals. By setting goals you can both stay out of debt and reduce the risk of having to declare bankruptcy and rebuild your credit after you’ve already declared bankruptcy. Your guidance counselor in junior high wasn’t kidding—if you set goals and reach for them, you can live a happy and successful life.

You should begin setting goals as soon as you are responsible enough to start making your own financial decisions. For most people, this occurs around the time of high school graduation. Set aside a savings account into which you can deposit money but from which you will not withdraw money unless you have an emergency (and beer money is not an emergency!). Make this your first goal. Depending on how much you work, set a number you’d like to save in a year’s time. Try to exceed that number if you can.

Take that goal setting with you as you been to accumulate debts. It’s a good idea to have at least one credit card, but a financial goal that makes a lot of sense is to pay off this credit card in full every month. This will help you begin to build credit without putting you deeply into debt. If you find yourself overwhelmed with bills every month, set goals as to how to save money by reducing spending. All of this will help you to manage your debt and you hopefully won’t have to declare bankruptcy.

If you have declared bankruptcy in the past, however, it is important to help yourself set new goals to once again begin building a good credit history. You should do this by working to pay the debts you have that were not dissolved due to the bankruptcy. If you fall behind on those payments, work with your lenders to negotiate a better deal. You can also slowly begin saving money again, using the technique you used before bankruptcy. When you set goals, you show others that you are trying to improve your financial situation and that you can be responsible with money.

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