Monday, June 23, 2014

Spending too much? How to avoid it ?


Indulgent spending can lead to difficulties when financing mandatory expenses in the future. Before spending, bear in mind your income, and unavoidable monthly expenses.
Indulgent spending can lead to difficulties when financing mandatory expenses in the future. Before spending, bear in mind your income, and unavoidable monthly expenses.
uma Shashikant  ET 16 June 2014

Wealth building does not start if there are no consistent savings. Unless there is some balance in the bank, before the next salary comes in, we are not generating a surplus, and we will not be able to contribute towards our future financial well-being. Income tends to trigger expenses, not savings. But, without a handle on how we spend, we may not be able to move forward on financial planning.

How and why we spend is quite a complex subject. Psychologists have studied the power of persuasion, so amplified by advertisements and promotions that create needs where none existed. Brands have been built to sell products and services at premium prices that cater to the psychological needs of shoppers to feel important, socially accepted, privileged and exclusive. In the film Confessions of a Shopaholic, the protagonist, Rebecca, turns to shopping to deal with a range of emotional downturns — loss of a job, friend or lover conundrum. Retail therapy is a known remedy to get serotonin and oxytocin levels up.

Modern cognitive psychologists have used advanced technologies to map the brain. Antonio Rangel, professor of behavioural biology and neuroscience, Caltech, has conducted experiments that scan the brain when it makes money-related decisions. The ventral medial prefrontal cortex is activated when we judge a product on its immediate value to us. A rising stock, an appetising meal, or an expensive gadget appeals to this part of our brain, which is activated when we make impulsive decisions. Another part of the brain — the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) — deals with more abstract long-term consequences.

An active DLPFC would prompt us to check the stocks' fundamentals, remind us of the health consequences of a high-calorie meal, and warn us about the dent the gadget would cause to our retirement savings. The DLPFC is not always active; not for most spenders who seek instant gratification, or are looking for an immediate psychological high. It needs effort.

What can we do about our spending habits to bring some control into our lives? It is quite old-fashioned to make a budget. Many do not even care to know how much of their income goes towards essential spending that is unavoidable. The first step is to have a sense of the mandatory spending that we anyway incur, month after month. This tells us how much room we actually have to get impulsive with spending. A mental limit on what is available for indulgence can be set only if we know how much is not available to spend — we have to pay rent, grocery bills, fee and staff salaries, etc. If the mandatory spend is less then 50% of our incomes, we have the breathing space to spend without too much stress. The higher the mandatory spend, the greater the need to be careful about what we buy and why.

The second step is a financial strategy review of our spending on durables. A company that buys an asset evaluates how long the asset will be used and accordingly depreciates it. Since a household also buys durables for comfort and for enhancing its productivity, they can be similarly evaluated. A television bought forRs 1.2 lakh and replaced every two years, translates to spendings of Rs 5,000 a month. Keeping in mind its income, the family has to evaluate if it is affordable and worthwhile. The decision to upgrade the television should happen in this context. This would apply to all durables. If a Rs 6 lakh car is bought and used for four years and it has an estimated resale value of Rs 1 lakh, the household is allocating Rs 10,000 a month to it.

The third step is to measure expensesusing a percentage approach to provide a mental budget. If we assign 10% of our annual income to holidaying, the micro decisions about where to go, how to travel and where to stay are better managed within the context of how much has been allocated. A family that routinely eats out and finds that the smaller restaurant bills add up to a large expense, can bring in control if they decide what percentage of the income should go towards this indulgence. It is then easy to juggle an expensive brunch with a drive out to the eatery on the highway, when the limit for the expense is close to being breached. From birthday party to anniversary gifts, all spends can be assigned a share of the household's income. This approach enables roping in all members of the family, building consensus on what is available, and learning to make choices within agreed overall limits. It is likely to turn out to be a valuable exercise in teaching children about finance; after all, making choices within a given limit is a fundamental financial skill that needs to be acquired.

The fourth step is to see how we are funding our expenses. If most of our funding is from borrowings, the expenses are a charge on the future income. The discretionary and indulgent expenses of the present are then converting into mandatory and compulsory expenses of the future. That will leave behind even smaller amounts for other future expenses. This opens up the risk of credit card overuse, leading to a higher debt burden.

Households that find themselves in a debt trap are typically those that have incurred high big-ticket expenses on credit that curtail the ability to spend even on essentials on an on-going basis. Not all debt is bad, but debt that takes away more than 40% of the income leaves too little room for financial manoeuvring.

When financial planners ask households to shun debt, they warn about the possibility of debt building up beyond the ability to repay and leading to cash and solvency crises.

Spending tends to be mentally associated with fun, joy and power. It is easy to overdo it when the pleasure of swiping the credit card is isolated from the pain of paying the bills. Budgeting and savings are associated with boredom and routine. That is why they do not receive the attention they need. Long-term wealth, just as virtue and character, is built only when tougher choices are made over easier ones that bring instant gratification.

(The author is Managing Director, Centre for Investment Education and Learning.)

8 Mantras to know ....How to,,,,,, Control spending and start saving




TOI  Jun 23, 2014, 05.55 AM IST

The biggest challenge for young investors is to control spending. Here are eight ways you can transform from a spender to a saver.

You may have landed yourself a good job, earn a fat salary and have a bright future. Yet, none of this is quite evident when you look at your savings . This is not a one-off case and you are not the only one to have not paid heed to saving for the future. Young people often find it difficult to save in the initial years of their careers. Studies reveal that discretionary spending can be as high as 18-20 % of the income for young people. A 2011 study by Assocham revealed that almost 35% of the urban youth spend up to 5,000 a month on clothing alone. This is one of the reasons most young people have such low savings . "Gen Y usually focuses on their EMIs, but ignores their SIPs. They want to splurge on the latest smartphones and the newest cars but not save for their future," says Sudipto Roy, business head, Principal Retirement Advisors.

Discipline and self-regulation are the cornerstones of a successful investment plan. We know it is difficult to salt away money when everyone around you is spending as if there is no tomorrow. There is tremendous peer pressure and even the most level-headed youngsters can stumble. Our cover story this week looks at 8 secret mantras that can help transform a spendthrift into a saver.





MANTRA #1 

Save before you spend 

Many people are not able to save enough because they don't have anything left after all their expenses. Their financial equation is: Income - Expenses = Savings . Legendary investor Warren Buffett offers a simple solution. He says the equation should be changed to Income - Savings = Expenses. Instead of saving what is left after expenses, you should spend what is left after you are done with your savings for the month.
We know controlling expenses is easier said than done. However hard you may try, there will be some expense that will gobble up the surplus and prevent you from saving. The solution lies in automating your savings. If you give an ECS mandate to your bank for an SIP, the money will automatically flow into your mutual fund even before you can withdraw it. Ideally, the savings should flow into an investment option that does not allow easy withdrawals. This is one of the reasons that make the Provident Fund such an effective tool for long-term savings. Every month, the employee's contribution is deducted from the salary and deposited into his PF account. The money keeps growing till the person retires. He can access the corpus before retirement only in certain circumstances.

MANTRA #2 

Wait before you splurge 

The urge to buy something you like can be overwhelming. Easy financing options and plastic money prevent an individual from distinguishing his wants from his needs. Whenever you want to buy something expensive but not essential , follow the 30-day rule. Just postpone the purchase by 30 days. During that period, think hard whether you really want the item. At the end of the month, if you still want to buy it, go ahead and purchase it. However, if the item was not really essential, you will get over the urge to buy and will probably junk the idea. This simple rule works very effectively in case of gadgets, apparel, footwear and accessories. It's also not very difficult to follow because you don't actually deny yourself the item. You merely postpone the purchase by a month. As a fringe benefit, you also get to research the item over the next 30 days. There is another guideline that can help you know the difference between wants and needs. The 30-minute rule says that if you are unlikely to use an item for a least 30 minutes a day on average , you should not buy it. The fancy coffee maker is really no use if you take it out once a month. Of course, this rule is only for gadgets and appliances and should not apply to other essential household items.


MANTRA #3 

Avoid using plastic money 

Credit and debit cards are essential because an increasing number of our financial transactions take place online. However, plastic can be dangerous in the hands of a reckless spender. Studies show that people tend to overspend if they use a credit card for a purchase. If they have to make the payment in cash, they feel the pinch. Since the credit card user only signs on the slip, the full impact of the purchase is not felt.

To suppress the shopaholic inside you, leave your debit and credit cards behind when you go to the mall. Take cash instead. Experts recommend some extreme measures for serious shopping addicts. Some say you should just note down the card details and then cut the card into pieces so that you can't use it anymore. Others suggest you keep the card in a paper sleeve and stick pictures of your kids or spouse on it. You will be reminded of the other goals you may be jeopardizing when you swipe the card for an unnecessary purchase. "Keep in mind that every craving sets you back when it comes to reaching your longterm goals," says P V Subramanyam, financial trainer, Iris. One bizarre idea is to literally freeze your card inside a block of ice. It won't damage the card, but the user will have to wait for the ice to melt before he can access it. However, we believe the average spender won't have to resort to such extreme measures. Just keeping the card in a safe place instead of carrying it around in the wallet is good enough.




MANTRA #4 

Start small to save big 

At the beginning of your career, your income may not be very high. In many cases, there is a very small investable surplus after the all the expenses. Still, this should not hold you back from saving . For a young investor, the low quantum of investment is more than made up by the long period available for the money to grow. The magic of compounding ensures that even a small sum grows into a gargantuan amount over the long term. The investment can be scaled up as the income grows in the coming years. However, it is difficult for the average investor to maintain the discipline required for this approach over a long period of time. Mutual fund investors start SIPs but don't enhance the amount every year. Ulip investors pay the same premium year after year without any top-ups . Investors in recurring deposits and fixed deposit don't even have the option to increase their investment in the same account.

MANTRA #5 

Don't be pressured to spend 

Everybody's financial situation is different . Just because your colleague has bought a new car or booked a flat in a fancy location does not mean you should follow suit. Bangalore-based Rajesh Prasad (see picture) learnt this early in his career. "When I started working, there was a lot of peer pressure to go out and splurge. However, my father and senior colleagues advised me against blowing away my entire income," he says. When it comes to big-ticket items like cars and houses, do the math carefully before committing expenses. For instance , the total cost of ownership of a car is much higher than the price quoted by the dealer. You also have to include the cost of fuel, insurance, servicing, spares and repair. There are a few rules for buying a car. The price of the car should not be more than 60% of your annual household income. The EMI should not be more than 15% of your monthly income or 30% of your investable surplus after expenses. Besides, a new car should be used for at least 8 years for complete return on investment . Similarly, assess how much you really need the new smartphone before upgrading.

MANTRA #6 

Levy luxury tax on yourself 

The intention of this article is not to make you deny yourself the very luxuries that you have worked for so hard to attain. Every now and then, you need to treat yourself and your family to some some fun as well. Take the case of Punebased Vikas Mathur (see picture). He has found a novel way to boost his savings everytime he spends. No, we are not talking about credit card reward points here. Every time Mathur indulges in some discretionary spending, he socks away an equal amount for his savings. If a dinner and movie with the family costs him 2,000, another 2,000 is put into his savings. There is another advantage of this rule. The luxury tax that Mathur levies on himself helps him get over the guilt of spending on discretionary items.

MANTRA #7 

Don't spend to de-stress 

For many people, spending can be therapeutic . It is a way to unwind after a stressful day and gives the person a sense of control. However, the aftermath of this de-stressing exercise can be even more stressful if it burns a big hole in your pocket. Worse still, if the bills you pile up remain unpaid, because it will definitely hurt your credit score and you might find yourself denied a bank loan if you happen to require one. "You must use your credit card wisely and with caution. If you use more than 30% of your total available credit card limit, it will affect your credit score adversely," says Nitin Vyakaranam, Founder & CEO, ArthaYantra.com. Do you also frequently head to the mall and pick up stuff to fight depression and anxiety? Get a grip on the situation and look for healthier (and less costlier) alternatives to unwinding. When you feel overwhelmed by the urge to go on a shopping spree, go for a stroll in the park or do some light exercise. This will act as a distraction and ease the urge to spend.

MANTRA #8 

Fix a budget and stick to it 

This should have been the first mantra, but has been deliberately brought up at the end because Gen Y is put off by the B word. The fact is that setting up a budget is the first step towards prudent financial planning, and it's not too difficult . You have to just set a limit on how much you are going to spend on your clothes, travel, movies and eating out in a month, and stick to your budget. Budgeting also helps you keep tabs on the itsy-bitsy expenses, such as casual shopping for clothes, eating out, gifting, and entertainment. Most of the time, these smaller items go unnoticed even though they take up a large portion of the total monthly expenditure.

In the good old days, financial planners advocated the 'envelope' method, where the outlay for each head was put in separate envelopes. Now you can sign up with a money management portal. These websites aggregate all your finances, from savings bank accounts and credit cards to loan payments and mutual fund SIPs. They help you keep track of your money, alerting you when a payment is due or when you have overspent under a certain head



Management Tip of the Day: Give Someone Else Credit If You Want to Be Seen


THE MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE DAY: Harvard Business Review

HBR 23 June 2014
We all get trapped in the "credit game." 

Everyone focuses on what he or she personally did to contribute to a win and ignores the parts played by others.

 It’s a zero-sum game, leading to people feeling unappreciated and sapping everyone's willingness to sacrifice for a collective goal. Break the cycle by initiating a positive one: a culture of appreciation.

 If you share why you appreciate someone else, he or she will likely return the sentiment. Sharing heartfelt appreciation will spur collaboration and mend tense relationships, opening up space for real work to be done. 

The more unrewarded you feel, the more difficult this is to do – but the only way to get the ball to come back to you is by getting it rolling. 

Adapted from “ If You’re Feeling Unappreciated, Give Someone Else Credit” by Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer.

India has not received information on Swiss 'black money': Finance minister


New Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley speaks during a news conference in Srinagar June 15, 2014. REUTERS/Danish Ismail
Reuters -Buysiness :NEW DELHI Mon Jun 23, 2014 4:29am EDT

 The Indian government has not received any communication from Switzerland about "black money" suspected to be stashed in Swiss banks, India's finance minister Arun Jaitley said on Monday.

Jaitley's comments followed media reports that Switzerland has prepared a list of names of Indian account holders who they suspect of not paying taxes. Jaitley said he was writing to the Swiss authorities for more information.

(Reporting By Manoj Kumar; Writing by Sruthi Gottipati; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)


Modi govt's maiden budget on 10 July

Achhe din aane waale hain? Modi govt's maiden budget on 10 July

FP :Jun 23, 2014 13:25 IST
  
New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present the budget for the 2014/15 financial year on 10 July, government sources said, three days after the parliament begins its budget session.
The new government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will present the railway budget on 8 July and the country's economic survey on 9 July.
The budget session of parliament is scheduled to conclude on 14 August, but it could be extended further, the sources said.
India's previous government presented an interim budget for 2014/15 to parliament on 17 February, ahead of national elections to cover expenditure until a new administration was installed.
The rail budget will be held on 08 July, although the Modi government has already decided to hike rail passenger fares.
The CCPA, headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, decided that bills to replace ordinances, including the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities (Amendment) Ordinance, the one on Polavaram project, the TRAI Act (Amendment) Ordinance and the one on SEBI, will be brought on a priority basis for consideration in the session, official sources said.
The ordinances have to be converted into bills before third week of July.
The over month-long session will have a total of 28 sittings.
The vote-on-account budget approved by the previous Parliament ends on 31 July and a new budget has to be in place before that date.
The opposition is likely to rake up the issue of hike in rail passenger fares and freight rates ahead of the presentation of the Rail Budget. Naidu had recently said that the election of Deputy Speaker will take place during the Budget session.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has already said that she would take a decision on the issue of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha before the Budget session.
Congress, which lacks the requisite numbers, is seeking the post claiming that it is the single largest party in the opposition benches and its pre-poll alliance -- UPA -- has together more than the adequate numbers to claim the post.
Reuters