Tag Archive for: budget

Planning a Large Purchase? Tips for Saving

23-07-2020 | treasuryXL | XE |

When there’s a lot you need to save, it can seem daunting, and you might not know where to start. We want to help you with your savings plan.

Most of our purchases are pretty mundane. Think about the purchases you’ve made this week. They were probably more along the lines of swiping your card at the gas pump and paying your bills online than the lines of booking an extravagant trip or buying a new vehicle, right? But every so often, we will make those larger purchases.

Whether it’s a solid investment for your family and lifestyle (like a home) or a well-deserved bit of fun (like a hot tub), these purchases won’t be as easy. You may have enough saved up to make this purchase right now, but it’s more likely that this purchase is going to require a bit of saving.

When there’s a lot you need to save, it can seem daunting, and you might not know where to start. We wanted to share some of our tips to simplify the saving process for your next exciting purchase.

1. Figure out your timeline and use it to create your savings plan

Depending on the type of purchase that you’re making, there may be a specific date by which you’ll need to make your purchase. Even if you aren’t working towards a set deadline, it’s a good idea to set one for yourself so you can determine how much you want to save each month.

If there’s no rush, you can base your savings plan on how much you can comfortably put away each month, without having to make any changes to your current spending habits. But if you have a target date for your purchase or you’d prefer to shorten the process, read on to see how you can save more each month.

2. Make a separate savings account for this purchase

You may already have a general savings account (and if you don’t, try to open one as soon as possible). But creating a new savings account just for this purchase has a few benefits:

  1. You can visualize how much you’ve saved more quickly and easily;

  2. You won’t be tempted to pull from your emergency savings or other important savings (and vice versa);

  3. You can utilize accounts, tools, and services that you might not be using with your current savings account.

When you open this new savings account, take advantage of this opportunity to shop around your bank’s offerings or even other banks’ accounts. Some banks offer financial planning tools that can help you with your savings, or you could find a bank or account that will generate greater interest on what you’ve saved. Don’t just go with the first option available; take time to find the one that best suits your goals.

3. Reassess your budget

In general, you should revisit your budget on an annual basis, or any time you experience a change in your life or financial circumstances (such as starting or losing a job or combining finances with a spouse). Creating a savings plan is another time when you should take another look at your current spending. Determine how much you could comfortably put away each month, and how long it would take you to save at that rate. If you’re not happy with that timeline, try making a few changes to your budget to improve the efficacy of your savings.

There are some expenses that you can’t cut from your budget. Even when you’re saving up for a big purchase, you’ll still need to pay your bills, buy groceries, and put gas in your car in the meantime. But look at the subscriptions you pay for and the non-essentials that you buy and consider whether you need to budget for them

Even for the essential purchases, small changes like switching from name brands to generic, buying used, or comparison shopping online can add up to increased savings.

Need another currency for your purchase? Consider an Xe money transfer

You could be purchasing property in another country, or you could be making an investment. In these cases, your payment would. Sure, you couldjust make a card payment and let the exchange sort itself out in the payment process, or you could make a wire transfer. But when it comes to large purchases, there are a few unique advantages to using money transfer for your transaction.

When you’re exchanging a large amount of currency, the exchange rate can make a big difference in how much you need to provide. If you pay with your card or make a bank or wire transfer, your transfer will be made at their exchange rate. These exchange rates often come with hidden margins or are designed to favor the provider over you, meaning that you won’t get as much bang for your buck.

If you make your transaction through a money transfer provider, on the other hand, you can check the rates ahead of time and get a rate that you know you’ll be happy with. If you transfer money with Xe, you can guarantee that you’ll get a fair, honest exchange rate that comes from the live currency markets, with no hidden margins.

If you’re not on a time limit, there are a few tools you can take advantage of to ensure that you’ll get the best rate possible for your transfer. You can set a Rate Alert that will let you know as soon as your desired rate is live, or if you have the funds you can set a Market Order that will automatically purchase your currency when your ideal rate is live.

Or, if the rates are currently in your favor but you lack the funds or don’t want to make your purchase right away, a Forward Contract will allow you to lock in the current exchange rate and make your exchange or purchase at a future date.

Get in touch with XE.com

About XE.com

XE can help safeguard your profit margins and improve cashflow through quantifying the FX risk you face and implementing unique strategies to mitigate it. XE Business Solutions provides a comprehensive range of currency services and products to help businesses access competitive rates with greater control.

Deciding when to make an international payment and at what rate can be critical. XE Business Solutions work with businesses to protect bottom-line from exchange rate fluctuations, while the currency experts and risk management specialists act as eyes and ears in the market to protect your profits from the world’s volatile currency markets.

Your company money is safe with XE, their NASDAQ listed parent company, Euronet Worldwide Inc., has a multi billion-dollar market capitalization, and an investment grade credit rating. With offices in the UK, Canada, Europe, APAC and North America they have a truly global coverage.

Are you curious to know more about XE?
Maurits Houthoff, senior business development manager at XE.com, is always in for a cup of coffee, mail or call to provide you detailed information.

 

 

Visit XE.com

Visit XE partner page

 

 

 

5 Signs Your Budget Needs a Rethink

16-07-2020 | treasuryXL | XE |

We’ve all got some sort of a budget. Whether you’re the type to keep an immaculate record of every bit spent down to the last cappuccino or you prefer to keep a more general list of priorities for each paycheck, everyone has some kind of methodology for how they choose to spend their money. How did you create your budget? And when did you create your budget? Odds are, your current circumstances aren’t exactly the same as the circumstances in which you first created your budget, and that could warrant a revisit. In general, you should review your budget at least once per year. But that’s the bare minimum: if you’re experiencing any of the following with your budget, it might be time to take another look.

#1. Your income, expenses, or goals have changed.

These three things are the bare-bones basics of any budget:

  • How much money you earn each month
  • How much money you need to spend each month
  • How much money you want to put into savings each month

You’re free to add other features as you please, but those are the fundamentals. A change in your income (such as starting a new job or getting a raise), a change in your regular spending (such as paying off a debt or adding a new expense), and a change in your goals (such as deciding to save for a home) will impact how you budget. Maybe now you can afford to increase the amount that goes into your savings account each month, or maybe you’ll need to cut your spending to account for your new expenses.

Don’t wait until things become problems: as soon as your finances change, make the changes in your budget to reflect them.

#2. You can’t afford it.

Some things are out of your control, and there might be periods where you’re in a tight spot, financial. But during ordinary times, if you find yourself:

  • Living paycheck to paycheck
  • Regularly spending more than you earn
  • Frequently dipping into your savings
  • Habitually relying on credit cards to cover necessary expenses
  • Not being able to consistently put money (any amount) into savings

…then your current budget isn’t working for you.

Take a look at your budget and see why these things are happening. It could be as simple as setting up an automatic deposit into your savings account each month. Or, you might need to critically examine your spending habits and reallocate your monthly income.

#3. It’s too restrictive.

Keeping a specific, organized budget isn’t a bad thing. But budgeting yourself so tightly that you don’t have any wiggle room can lead to trouble later on. Do you have the emergency funds to purchase a new dishwasher or make unexpected repairs to your car or home? Or would you be forced to dip into your retirement savings or take out a loan.

It’s important to save and spend responsibly, but allowing yourself the leeway for an occasional takeout meal or latte won’t derail your financial future (unless you genuinely don’t have the funds for these things). When it comes to your budget, you should feel disciplined, not restrained.

#4. You’ve noticed some unfavorable patterns in your spending.

Some spending is inevitable. You know you’ll always need to spend a certain amount on things like rent, mortgage, utilities, bills, and groceries. Once you’ve taken care of the essential spending and your savings, you’ll hopefully have a bit left over for fun, frivolous, and miscellaneous purposes.

Take a look at your nonessential spending too. It’s normal to spend a little more than usual during the holidays, for example, but are you consistently going over budget on things like online shopping, nights out, or takeout food? If you’re spending more than you can afford on these things, it’s time to reassess: either reallocate your budget to account for more spending, or make the choice to reduce the amount you spend.

#5. You’re stressed.

Finances are a common worry for people all over the world. But if you’re constantly stressing about whether you’ll be able to pay your bills at the end of the month, or stay up late each night worrying about potential disasters that could empty your bank account, making some changes to your budget could help you to find peace of mind and feel more comfortable with your finances.

Source

Get in touch with XE.com

About XE.com

XE can help safeguard your profit margins and improve cashflow through quantifying the FX risk you face and implementing unique strategies to mitigate it. XE Business Solutions provides a comprehensive range of currency services and products to help businesses access competitive rates with greater control.

Deciding when to make an international payment and at what rate can be critical. XE Business Solutions work with businesses to protect bottom-line from exchange rate fluctuations, while the currency experts and risk management specialists act as eyes and ears in the market to protect your profits from the world’s volatile currency markets.

Your company money is safe with XE, their NASDAQ listed parent company, Euronet Worldwide Inc., has a multi billion-dollar market capitalization, and an investment grade credit rating. With offices in the UK, Canada, Europe, APAC and North America they have a truly global coverage.

Are you curious to know more about XE?
Maurits Houthoff, senior business development manager at XE.com, is always in for a cup of coffee, mail or call to provide you detailed information.

 

 

Visit XE.com

Visit XE partner page

 

 

 

EU Budget – the effects of fiscal policy

| 20-02-2018 | treasuryXL |

Every year the EU raises money by applying a levy on member states that represents a percentage of their Gross National Income (GNI). The EU Budget operates on a 7 year plan and then an annual budget is proposed and agreed. The EU strives to use 94% of expenditure on policies and 6% on administrative costs. As with all budgets, there are 2 sides – income and expenditure. There are 4 main sources of income – traditional own resources, VAT (BTW) based resources, GNI based resources, and other resources. There are 6 main sources of expenditure – growth, natural resources, security and citizenship, foreign policy, administration, and compensations.

Furthermore, there are a number of correction mechanisms designed to rebalance excessive contributions by certain member states, including – the UK rebate, lump sum payments, and reduced VAT (BTW) call rates. On the expenditure side, Growth and natural resources – which include the common agricultural and fisheries policies – account for more than 90% of expenditure. Every country within the EU makes contributions and receives expenditure within their state from the EU. The difference represents the net contribution per country per year.

When a country pays a net contribution, the excess funds are redistributed within the EU to other member states. This payment to other member states is a fiscal transfer. Information relating to the sum of fiscal transfers used in this blog were sourced at – www.money-go-round.eu

This website shows gross payments, gross receipts and net balance per country per year from 1976. The top 5 net payers since 1976 have been Germany, France, the united Kingdom, Italy and the Netherlands. These 5 countries have contributed a net balance of EUR 925 billion. Conversely, the top 5 net receivers since 1976 have been Greece, Spain, Poland, Portugal and Ireland. These 5 countries have received a net balance of EUR 410 billion. This is a redistribution of both income and wealth.

Classically, the objectives of redistribution of incomes are to increase economic stability and opportunity for the less wealthy members of society. This should lead to a society where financial wealth is more evenly divided, increasing the standard of living among the poorer members. Without this mechanism, there is more risk of economic crises and less harmony between citizens of different social classes. One of the main questions has always been how long and beneficial this transfer should be. There is a danger that some people become permanently dependent on the transfer and do not actually improve their own living standards – they are seen to consume more, but not to improve their standard of living.

So how does it look within the EU?

The country that has received the most from fiscal transfers has been Greece. They ascended to the EU (in its previous incarnation) in 1981. They have been a net receiver of the EU budget for every year since 1981. In total, they have received EUR 118 billion in transfers. What Greece ever did with all this money is the subject of many articles – but it does not appear that the money was used to raise the living standards of the poor or invest in the infrastructure of Greece.

And therein lies the major problem for the EU – the mechanism used for redistribution has had no long term beneficial effect on the economy. There is no system of checks and balances to control what is done with the money. The ECB published a report at the start of 2017 about household finance and consumption in the EU. Its findings were that disparity was growing within the EU. Other reports have highlighted that whilst eastern Europe has seen large rises in GDP per capita growth, this added wealth has not been distributed evenly among all residents.

The ideals of the EU are worthy and noble – their implementation and management however, are not creating the society that they dreamt and spoke about.

Next – can fiscal union work?

 

If you want more information please feel free to contact us via email [email protected]

Budget, een jaarlijks terugkerend fenomeen

| 21-09-2016 | Maarten Verheul |

budgetNa de vakantie is het tijd om de eerste stappen te zetten voor het budget voor het volgend jaar. Toevallig kwam budget ook aan de orde in de discussie over CF Planning. Kosten overschrijdingen in het budget verstoren de CASH. De CF Planning is grotendeels op het budget gebaseerd. Het banksaldo moet aansluiten op de gebudgetteerde balans, want maak niet alleen een budget op W & V niveau, maar ook op Balans niveau. Denk daarbij ook aan uw Investeringsbudget voor de balans, investeringen, desinvesteringen en afschrijvingen.

Pas je niet goed op je budget dan wordt je CASH slechter. Daarom is een strak budget belangrijk met maandelijkse controle van budget en actuals. Met de nodige maatregelen op de vergelijking.

Bij budgetoverschrijdingen heeft dat gevolgen voor de Winst en Verliesrekening, maar vergeet ook niet dat nog belangrijker is, dat de Cash Out scheef gaat lopen. Hoe ga je daar mee om? Dat kan als het budget een flexibel budget is en dus geen zak met geld voor het hele jaar, die je op mag maken. Na het snijden in het budget is het de bedoeling om zodoende alsnog de EBITDA voor het jaar te halen.

Dat de werkelijkheid altijd anders is en dat weet je alleen als je een begroting maakt en real met budget vergelijkt. Weten is meten. Dus binnenkort toch maar weer aan het budget 2017 beginnen!

Nog even waarom het belangrijk is, dit is wat ik schreef voor FP & A( Engelse versie):
“You can’t improve what you don’t measure” – Lord Kelvin” Therefore not only the ratios are necessary, but also monthly statements and analyses and proposals to improve. Also good analyses monthly of budget/ real/ last year, that monthly and cumulative and than again budget/real/last year. With again analyses and proposal to improve. For the analyses go to the details in the GL. Catch the evidence.”

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maartenverheultxlMaarten Verheul – Treasury Consultant

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How to: Opstellen van een Cash Flow overzicht

| 31-08-2016 | Maarten Verheul |

cashflowprognoseCash is king, en met een goede liquiditeitsprognose kunnen financials inzichtelijk maken hoe een bedrijf er nu en in de toekomst voor staat. Dat deze liquiditeitsprognose veel vragen oproept, blijkt uit het feit, dat slecht 10% van de bedrijven zo ’n overzicht maakt. Daarom 10 tips voor financials die zich met de liquiditeitsprognose willen bezighouden.

Een betrouwbare liquiditeitsprognose – ofwel planning van ontvangsten en betalingen – is van groot belang om tijdige maatregelen te nemen als er liquiditeitskrapte dreigt te ontstaan. Maakt men wel of geen gebruik van Excel? Begint men top down of bottom up? Hoe groot is de betrouwbaarheid van zo’n forecast eigenlijk? Volgens mijn poll op LinkedIn besteedt slechts tien procent van de bedrijven aandacht aan een liquiditeitsprognose. Dit komt onder meer omdat bedrijven de waarde ervan onderschatten en omdat er geen kennis in huis is om dit te doen. Hieronder tien tips die de financial kunnen helpen bij het opstellen van een liquiditeitsprognose.

1. Begin op tijd

Als leidraad kan worden aangehouden dat in oktober het eerste concept budget klaar moet zijn. Dan kan tegelijk de eerste concept liquiditeitsprognose gemaakt worden. Realiseer, dat als uit de prognose blijkt dat er extra krediet bij de bank nodig is, dat dit tegenwoordig lang duurt( 2 á 3 maanden).

2. De basis is een goed budget

Voorspellen doe je meestal op basis van oude gegevens en de bestaande budgetten. Als de gegevens waarmee de liquiditeitsprognose wordt gemaakt niet juist zijn, is de gehele forecast verkeerd. Een liquiditeitsprognose start altijd vanuit de jaarrekening; die dient dus te kloppen.

3. Zorg voor aansluiting met de balans van het afgelopen boekjaar.

Naadloze aansluiting met de (eind-)balans van het afgelopen boekjaar is voor de prognose essentieel. Door met historie te werken worden er immers ook bepaalde seizoenspatronen meegenomen.

4. Verhouding met gebudgetteerde balans

De liquiditeit moet aansluiten op de gebudgetteerde balans; de balans oud boekjaar en daar in verwerkt budget P &L. Met andere woorden: het beginsaldo bank is het eindsaldo bank aan het einde van het oude boekjaar, en het eindsaldo bank liquiditeit prognose is het banksaldo geprognotiseerde balans. Dit moet aansluiten; anders is de liquiditeitsprognose onjuist.

5. Houd het simpel

Een forecast blijft een forecast; daarom doe je er goed aan om niet volledig accuraat in de details te zijn en niet teveel aandacht te besteden aan relatief kleine verschillen. Houd de liquiditeitsprognose zo simpel mogelijk. Een kolom ‘Real’ naast de forecast kan helpen om te signaleren of het krediet de komende maanden voldoende is. Zo niet, dan kan er actie worden ondernomen richting de bank. De liquiditeitsprognose staat en valt met een betrouwbare verwachting van de omzet. Als die verwachting niet voldoende betrouwbaar is, is het maken van een uitgewerkte liquiditeitsprognose in feite zonde van de tijd.

6. Maak de prognose zelf

Een liquiditeitsprognose is zo sterk afhankelijk van onder andere de aard van het bedrijf, de wijze van rapporteren en hoe men bepaalde cijfers interpreteert, dat een standaard prognose in feite niet bestaat. Daarom is het aan te bevelen het opstellen van zo’n prognose altijd in huis te doen. Natuurlijk zijn er externe partijen die dit goed kunnen maar kennis van de business en branche is essentieel voor een juiste forecast.

7. Garbage in, garbage out

Het opstellen van een liquiditeitsprognose is een zeer intensief karwei waarbij regelmatig de grootboekrekeningen geraadpleegd dienen te worden. Dat leidt vaak tot nieuwe inzichten en correcties. De kwaliteit van de liquiditeitsbegroting hangt volledig af van de kwaliteit van de maker. Aan de controllers is het vervolgens de taak om zowel begroting, realisatie als forecast goed te verwerken. Dit geldt ook bij Excel: de gemiddelde kennis van de mogelijkheden van dat programma ligt onder de 30%. Fouten zijn snel gemaakt en garbage in? Garbage out.

8. Excel is gevoelig voor fouten.

Een Excelsheet met een liquiditeitsprognose bestaat grofweg uit de volgende drie componenten: Cash In, Cash Out en Banksaldo. De meningen lopen uiteen over het al dan niet inzetten van Excel voor de liquiditeitsprognose. Mocht Excel de voorkeur hebben, let dan goed op de juistheid van gegevens. Die kunnen namelijk door één verkeerd getal of formule compleet verkeerd uitkomen.

9. Wel of geen specifieke software hangt af van de financial

Met software die specifiek voor een liquiditeitsprognose is ontwikkeld kunt u de gehele financiële situatie van een bedrijf in kaart brengen; het wordt dan bijna onmogelijk om posten te vergeten en de liquiditeitsprognose rolt dan bijna als vanzelf uit het programma. Hoewel veel financials zich graag vasthouden aan het werken in Excel kunnen programma’s als Diamond FMS, Ten Solutions, Vision Planner, Liemar, Prophix, Tagetik of Professional Planner helpen om de liquiditeitsbegroting te automatiseren. Bedenk wel; software is een tool, geen doel.

10. Voorspellen kan top down en bottom up

Een liquiditeitsbegroting kan top down vanuit de verlies- en winstprognose opgebouwd worden, met een verfijning door de balansfluctuaties mee te nemen. Bottom up is echter ook een optie. Let bij bottom up op specifieke BTW-aspecten en stromen die net voorbij maandeinde gebeuren; die kunnen een afwijking genereren ten opzichte van de top down benadering. Een combinatie tussen top down en bottom up is ook mogelijk, door eerst de winst / verlies te berekenen en daarna de maandmutaties en eindstanden binnen de balans. Op die manier krijgt u een exact overzicht van de begrote liquiditeit, gedurende het jaar.

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maartenverheultxlMaarten Verheul – Treasury Consultant
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