5 Tips to Improve Finances in One Week

Editors Note: This post is adapted from “Clark Howard’s Living Large in Lean Times: 250+ Ways to Buy Smarter, Spend Smarter, and Save Money” by Clark Howard.

If you are someone who wants to save money and properly manage their finances, then these 5 tips, adapted from Clark Howard, will definitely set you in the right direction financially.

You may have money that you don’t know about

You might have an untouched bank account or brokerage, or be the unknown beneficiary of an insurance policy. Eventually states will just seize this unclaimed money as they will rule the account as dormant. Fortunately, you can utilize websites such as MissingMoney.com and/or Unclaimed.org to claim whatever money you may potentially have.

Unlimited TV and Movies on Demand

More people are ditching their cable and satellite companies and switching to streaming platforms such as Netflix and Hulu. You would roughly be paying the same amount for a Netflix subscription in a year than the average cost of a cable package per month. More recently, Youtube has started to provide their own service which gives you access to TV networks such as NBC and FOX.

Get a Cash Back Credit Card

If you are someone who pays off their balance in full every month, wants to earn rewards as part of their spending, and has a good credit score, then getting a Cash Back Credit Card is definitely a good idea. The Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature Card takes the 2% cashback that you earn and deposits it into your IRA, 529 college savings plan, or Fidelity brokerage account.

Don’t pay for something you didn’t pay for

Companies will sometimes throw in a random charge to your statement without you noticing, just so they can rip you off easily. Doing something as reading your monthly statements could potentially save you some money and prevent the company from stealing your money without you noticing.

Free Phone Service for Life

The Ooma device is able to provide you with free phone service and save you money that you would normally pay for your landline. It’s priced at $200-$250, depending on where you get it, and looks just like a normal house intercom. Visit Ooma.com for more info.

Rohan Sakhardande is an intern for Future N Focus “Dream Catcher” Enterprises. He is currently majoring in Mechanical Engineering at Rutgers University – New Brunswick. His purpose in life is to help as many people as physically possible, no matter what challenge or struggle they may be facing.