Creating an expense management strategy

Whatever stage of life you’re in, managing expenses is key to your financial well-being. As your income and lifestyle changes over time, so does your spending. And runaway expenses and unnecessary spending can hinder you from reaching your financial goals.

An Ameriprise financial advisor will help you ensure your expenses, income and savings align with your broader financial goals.

Here’s how to create an expense management strategy that can work for you:

In this article:

• Identify your net income and understand your spending habits
• Find an expense management strategy that works for you
• Make adjustments
• Take advantage of digital tools
• Regularly review your plan

1. Identify your net income and understand your spending

Spending less than you earn is a foundational financial principle, so having a clear picture of your net income and spending habits is where to start.
 

Calculating your net income

Net income is the gross amount of money you take home each month after taxes, employer-sponsored retirement plan contributions and other deductions. Here’s how to find and calculate it:

• If you’re a W-2 employee, you can find this amount by looking at your gross salary on your paycheck.
• If your income varies monthly, use the lower range as the baseline for your calculations.
• If you’re self-employed or have a second job, subtract any out-of-pocket expenses that will affect your after-tax income, such as taxes or regular business expenditures.

Understanding your spending habits

Start by tracking your expenses for a month or two (or more) — consider a budget tracking app or logging your purchases manually in a spreadsheet. If you use a debit or credit card for household spending, check your online account – some credit card issuers will categorize your expenses for you or let you download your transactions in a spreadsheet.

As you audit your costs, here are a few categories and different lenses to think about your spending:

• Essential: Recurring expenses that support your basic “needs.”
• Lifestyle:  Expenses that enhance your life (i.e., are dispensable to your day-to-day life) — “wants.”
• Fixed: Expenses that are approximately the same each month.
• Variable: Expenses that may change from month to month or are an annual expense such as insurance premiums.
• Savings: The amount of money you set aside for your cash reserve, retirement and other goals.

2. Find an expense management strategy that works for you

Most strategies for managing expenses have similar objectives, but each approach has different tactics. The key is to find an approach you can stick with. Many of these methods can be implemented with the help of digital budgeting apps and tools.

Here are a few common strategies:

Whichever plan (or combination of plans) you use, leave room for unexpected expenses. Life happens and it’s impossible to account for every expense you will encounter. A buffer will help you deal with unforeseen expenses without discouraging you or disrupting your plans.

3. Make adjustments

Once you’ve chosen and implemented a strategy, make changes based on your spending habits and financial priorities.

If you’re looking to reduce expenses, start with those that aren’t necessary (e.g., lifestyle expenses). Spending on restaurants, subscription services and other discretionary goods can add up.

You could also seek savings in variable expenses, even if they fall under necessary spending. For example, groceries are a necessary variable expense, but there are ways to minimize your spending — whether that be through buying in bulk, changing grocers or joining a rewards program that offers savings.

4. Take advantage of digital tools

Digital tools can make it easier to manage your expenses by tracking spending, paying bills and automating savings:

• Digital dashboards, budgeting apps and automated tools can help simplify the process of tracking your expenses.
  • Total View, an account aggregation tool located in the secure site on ameriprise.com, can help you and your financial advisor gain a more complete understanding of your overall financial picture. Connect accounts from other financial institutions, add physical assets such as homes or jewelry and view them all in one secure place.
• Online bill pay can help you stay on top of essential recurring expenses.
• Automatic bank transfers allow you to move money from one bank account to another at regular intervals to help meet your savings goals.

5. Regularly review your plan

Your income and spending are likely to change over time, as will your priorities. Make sure those changes are reflected in your expense management by reviewing your plan regularly and adjusting accordingly.

Also revisit what you save in connection with your expense review. Where do you save money when you have more after-tax income than you need to cover expenses Can you save more toward your goals?

Consider tracking your progress with your financial advisor to help make sure your spending and savings continue to serve your financial goals.