Financial Steps to Take After Discovering You’re Pregnant
Did you know that raising a child costs upwards of $200,000 from birth to adulthood? While it shouldn’t put a damper on your pregnancy news, it should prompt you to prepare. As any parent wants nothing more than to provide a healthy, safe, comfortable, and happy lifestyle, ensuring that your finances are in order is essential. With nine months or less to get ready for your new arrival, these financial steps can assist you in providing a solid foundation.
Lighten Your Load
Having too many financial obligations when you have a child on the way isn’t ideal. As children have a lot of needs, you want to ensure you can cover them. The first thing you want to do is evaluate your finances and eliminate unnecessary spending and debt. It might be challenging to let go of your fancy lattes, brand name fashions, luxury vacations, and expensive hobbies; it’s an effective way to save more for your baby.
If you’re drowning in debt like credit cards, personal loans, and medical bills, you’ll want to devise a repayment plan to reduce or eliminate these financial burdens. Debt consolidation through financial sources like MemphisAssociates.com is another practical solution as it reduces your monthly payments and improves your credit over time.
Update Your Budget
Your existing budget won’t work once you have a baby, as there are added expenses. Therefore, you’ll need to create a new one. For accuracy, it is ideal to research and identify those additional costs. You’ll be responsible for covering the cost of clothes, shoes, diapers, food, childcare, and healthcare for your baby. Research the average price of each and add it to your household budget. With the ever changing job market, tax, and debt situation in America people’s income and savings can fluctuate wildly, and quickly. It’s best to plan ahead and save more now in case you need it later.
Create A Nest Egg
You never know what could pop up that requires you to make a sizeable purchase on the spot. With the added responsibility of caring for your child, money won’t be as accessible. That’s why you must have a nest egg. An emergency savings account with at least three to six months’ worth of income tucked away is useful for everything from an unexpected trip to the doctors to rising tuition for private school. A nest egg also eliminates the need to take on unnecessary debt.
College Savings Plan
It might seem a bit strange to start thinking about college before your baby is born. Be that as it may, college tuition can range from $21,000 - $48,0000 per academic year. The sooner you begin saving, the more money you have to support your child in their future educational and professional goals. Start researching college savings plans to determine which will yield the best return on your investment.
Wills and Life Insurance
No parent wants to think about a day they won’t be here for their children, but it’s essential to securing their future and lightening their financial load. If you don’t already have one, now is a good time to draft a will that includes your children. You’ll want to consider things like the division of assets, legal guardianship, and any last wishes you have for your family.
Next, you should invest in life insurance. A nice-sized policy will assist your family in caring for your children, covering your funeral arrangements, and outstanding debt. If you don’t have experience with wills and insurance or have a very diverse financial portfolio and plenty of assets, it may be ideal to work with an estate planning attorney to ensure you’ve covered all your bases.
While most couples start planning gender reveal parties, baby showers, and babymoons once they discover they’re pregnant, these aren’t the only things you want to focus on (Though they’re a lot of fun to plan.). If you’re going to give your baby the best life possible, getting your finances in order is necessary. Completing the financial steps listed above will ensure that you and your partner have the money you need to accommodate your growing family.