Financial literacy is the knowledge and skills that help you make informed and smart financial decisions. To be considered financially literate, you need to understand basic financial concepts, navigate the services of financial institutions and use them with an awareness of the pros, cons and risks, correctly assess the market situation, manage finances: maintain a budget, plan spending, accumulate savings and, if possible, avoid debt .

Why financial literacy is important

Financial literacy is necessary to protect yourself and your family in unforeseen circumstances and improve your quality of life. This is important for each of us, in particular, as well as for the state and financial institutions. When people don't make smart financial decisions, consumer and consumer debt increases. mortgage loans, appears a large number of scammers, crime rates are rising, economic stability is declining, and people are investing in unreliable banks or using dubious instruments to increase their income. The state has to deal with the results: pay compensation and calm social unrest in society. For example, according to message from the National Bank, By November 1, 2017, almost 30 thousand applications for loan refinancing (changes in payment terms) were submitted to banks. To support borrowers we have developed state program: 130 billion tenge were allocated for this from the republican budget.

At the same time, it is worth remembering that the state’s money is taxpayers’ money, that is, the state is eliminating the consequences of low financial literacy at our expense. A logical solution suggests itself: spend money on improving the financial literacy of the population, so as not to deal with the consequences. This approach will pay off in the future.

What you need to know to be financially literate

We talked about financial literacy with Botagoz Zhumanova, a financial observer and founder of a project to improve investment literacy and monitor the activities of the Unified Pension Informant pension system.

Botagoz Zhumanova explained that there are several things that constitute minimum financial literacy:

"First of all, you need to control your expenses and income. If you consider a salary of 200 thousand as income, then this is not entirely true. The main resource is time. You need to look at how the market values ​​your time. Calculate how much an hour of your work costs. This will help take the next step: increase income for each hour of work. This depends on the specifics of the work: you can increase efficiency, use time more rationally and do more if income depends on this. Or take on additional responsibilities, acquire additional skills. Also, based on the cost per hour work, evaluate your expenses. This will help you to think sensibly about whether you can afford certain things or not. It is important to control expenses, otherwise you will end up in debt trap, from which it is not so easy to get out. Secondly, you need to train yourself to read all contracts and understand the essence financial services. If we are talking about loans, then for beginners I recommend comparing offers based on how much you will pay over the loan amount. Because besides interest rates There are also commissions for issuing and other conditions."

What is the situation with financial literacy in Kazakhstan?

It is difficult to assess the level of financial literacy in Kazakhstan because there is no high-quality, fresh research within the country. At the global level, such research is carried out by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). According to her latest in 2016, which involved 51.5 thousand adults (from 18 to 79 years old) from 30 countries, only 51-54% of respondents achieved the minimum level of financial literacy.

Rating agency Standard&Poors , which analyzes financial markets, studied financial literacy in 2014. The study involved a sample of 150 thousand people from 148 countries. According to this study, the indicator of financial literacy in Kazakhstan is 40%.

To determine the level of financial literacy of Kazakhstanis, the National Bank conducts survey . If you look at the results, it seems that everything is fine with financial literacy.

The majority of respondents claim that they study the contract for the provision of financial services, research the conditions and choose the service and financial organization depending on them, maintain a budget and know where to turn if their rights are violated.

However, at the time of writing, only 90 people took part in the survey: this is too few to draw any conclusions. In addition, most of the respondents are young people; they study services and organizations on the Internet on websites. It is unknown how the older generation acts.

Botagoz Zhumanova explained: “Judging on a ten-point scale, I would say that the overall level of financial literacy in Kazakhstan is at the level of three. The majority of the population does not understand many financial concepts, they do not evaluate and control expenses and income, and get into debt. People don't differentiate credit cards from debit. Many people take out loans and compare banks only by rates, without understanding the essence of the conditions. One of the most common financial instruments in our country is investing in gold. Some people scurry around to pawn shops: they have made the resale of gold their main source of income and invest only in it. The situation is only improved by increasing digital literacy. People are looking for profitable offer, for example on Aliexpress and Alibaba. At the sale on November 11 (Singles' Day in China), Kazakhstanis made 4.5 million purchases. There are categories that financial literacy higher. These are mainly people with above average income. They know how and where to invest, control expenses, increase income and navigate services. But there are not many of them."

Low financial literacy and the desire to get a high income also influence the fact that people consider investment (financial) pyramids, online casinos and slot machines as financial instruments.

Financial pyramids promise quick and high income: everyone brings money, they are supposedly invested in high-yield securities. Then everyone receives dividends and rejoices. In fact, according to the law, only second-tier banks and Kazpost can accept money from the population ( National operator mail) on the basis of issued licenses. No licenses, contracts or legal documents financial pyramids do not and cannot exist: since 2014, the creation of a financial pyramid has generally been a criminal offense.

In the case of online casinos and slot machines, the situation is even simpler: they say that they are almost giving away money for nothing. You don’t even need to strain yourself: play and get rich. Of course, it doesn’t work like that: no one will give you money for nothing, and there are no magical money waterfalls in life. Over the long term, casinos and slot machines are always in the black, and only a lucky random person, determined by the embedded program, can win money. It cannot be considered a financial instrument, and even a highly profitable one. Botagoz Zhumanova explains this situation by saying that the majority of people combine low financial literacy with gullibility: “In our taxi, they can offer to buy bitcoin at a cheap price. Network marketing is growing: people invest, and in order to somehow recoup the investment, they then push low-quality goods to everyone ".

Botagoz believes that it is very important to improve financial literacy not only among adults, but also among children:

"Every person accepts financial solutions several times a day. However, we do not teach children how to do this. In China, financial literacy has long been introduced into schools; it is taught at the level of understanding and knowledge of a child from the first grade. For example, what happens to the money in the piggy bank. When children learn to calculate interest in mathematics, they are told how to calculate the income on a deposit or evaluate the terms of a loan. It is very effective when such knowledge is integrated into everyday life."

How is the problem of financial literacy solved in Kazakhstan?

On the forum “Increasing financial literacy” on September 7, 2017, Dina Galieva, Deputy Chairman of the National Bank of Kazakhstan, spoke. She explained what has already been implemented since 2007 to improve financial literacy. These are mainly educational programs on television, children's competitions, cartoons and materials in the newspapers "Ulan", "Friendly Guys" and the magazine "Oyla". We also launched a mobile application of the National Bank, where you can get advice on financial matters. The website was a good initiative fingramota.kz , which, in theory, was supposed to become a reference book useful information about finances. But the site is practically empty: there are one or two articles in each section, the rest are left empty.

KMF and Homebank are conducting useful activities in this regard. KMF provided materials on finance to the Isker magazine, and it also held the forum “Increasing financial literacy.” Homebank held open meetings and seminars for everyone, at which they answered questions from the public and explained how financial services work.

The “Unified Accumulative Pension Informant” project, which was founded by Botagoz Zhumanova, is an initiative of UAPF investors. On website regularly publish materials that explain the pension system of Kazakhstan: how it works, what happens there and how these events affect our pensions.

Dina Galieva proposed creating a national strategy for increasing financial literacy, since the “Program for increasing financial literacy of the population for 2016-2018” will end next year. How the program’s activities affected financial literacy is anyone’s guess: there are no studies on this issue. In general, this is the biggest question: why have they been increasing financial literacy in Kazakhstan for so many years and have not conducted a qualitative study of its level? Dina Galieva said that sociological studies of the level of financial literacy are planned for 2018. It remains to be hoped that subsequent activities will already be developed taking into account the level of the population and information that will really be useful to it. She also proposed introducing financial literacy classes in schools to instill these skills as early as possible.

Today, great attention is paid to the financial literacy of the population, and this is done at the state level. Business trainings and promotions are often held that can attract people to improve their level of education in economic sphere. A financially literate person is a godsend for society and the state as a whole, since he is able to more successfully overcome the crisis and keep abreast of events taking place in the country’s economy. The ability to circumvent an economically unstable situation and be prepared to bear responsibility for decisions made- distinguish a financially literate person from an illiterate one, but the former, unfortunately, are the majority.

Minimum understanding of financial literacy

The art of managing expenses and income is not taught in school or in higher education. educational institutions They give only theoretical ideas, and business trainings provide exactly half of the knowledge. The best way become financially literate - engage in self-education and practice as much as possible. Financial literacy helps a person feel more confident in situations of economic instability, rather than rushing at the last moment under the influence of panic.

The minimum level of financial literacy includes:

• The idea of ​​fraud on financial market;
• Calculating your own budget;
• Making savings.

Having an idea of ​​financial literacy in countries around the world, you will be able to analyze your own level of preparation and decide for yourself how ready you are to keep track of your own expenses and income, how it is possible to make savings and increase their amount, spending minimal time on work.

Economically difficult situation The problem of financial literacy, or rather illiteracy, has become ripe not only in the regions, but also major cities. People lack financial knowledge! It is worth remembering the panic attack of household appliance stores, when consumers are buying up needed and unnecessary refrigerators, or clothing sales. Is not profitable investment into a discounted product, but on the contrary, a waste of funds.

Although Russian man most often focuses on the Western standard of living, there is not a single European country, in which residents know how to properly distribute their income and control expenses. Unlike the Asian regions, Australia and New Zealand far advanced in terms of financial literacy of the population. Chinese culture initially implied the presence of savings, however, analyzing modern economic situation, you may begin to doubt this. In Holland, over 60% of the population have not heard anything about the pension system, and in the UK and the USA, young people of 16-17 years old are already “indebted”, which, fortunately, is not allowed by law in Russia. If they want to buy another new gadget, young people don’t think about saving and decide to set aside part of their monthly profit to pay off their debt, but they don’t always have enough money. A person who grew up in the Soviet Union continues to console himself with the thought that the state takes responsibility for the decisions of private financial problems to myself. If it was done unsuccessfully investment deposit, 40% of Russians believe that the state should compensate for expenses - a common mistake that prevents many from untangling themselves from a web of debt.

Don't fall into the hands of scammers

Guaranteed honest earnings are funds received in exchange for your own labor. When there is a chance to get rich with minimal investment, be on your guard because it is most likely a scam. The only low-risk ways to invest are through stocks, bonds and investments. Financial pyramid is also alternative way earnings that bring up to 100% of the initial deposit every month. It would seem that the system is extremely simple: bring 100 friends who are ready to invest and get benefits from everyone. The question arises: is it possible to have time to bring the required number of participants before the closure of the financial pyramid? Having reached its apogee, the pyramid most often collapses, taking away all investments with it. You are left with nothing, having experienced the most unpleasant impressions. The only chance to benefit from this type of income is to calculate the time that is worth spending on promoting the pyramid and, anticipating its collapse, stop in time.

Today, financial pyramids are network games, the essence of which can be briefly described in two stages: investing a certain amount of money and inviting new participants. As in financial pyramids, games with real conclusion The one who is most active and is among the first wins money. People who come, as a rule, at the time of the heyday of the so-called “business” are left with nothing.

Financially literate people anticipate the possibility of ruin and do not settle for quick money. Only by waiting a long time would you have the opportunity to get rich, so it is better to opt for safe investments.

On investing: is risk a noble cause?

Since investing means long-term investment capital into the economy in order to obtain benefits in the future, you can always count on spare funds at a critical moment. Thanks to deposits, you have the opportunity to make a profit without working, but there are certain risks. If you decide to invest, invest only your funds, which are not the last, but reserve ones. The investor will suffer losses along with the company if it is unsuccessful. Technologies for risk management in last years improve, but even if something stops you, remember that risk is a noble cause, and even if the first experience is unsuccessful, it will bring you closer to a double win - it cannot be otherwise! Since investing has the triune goal of “saving - increasing - receiving”, you need to set priorities and decide for yourself whether you are ready to take a risk and make a profit that is ten times greater than your initial investment? Are you ready to secure an independent future for yourself, to protect yourself from financial risks and leave behind a real legacy? Using a simple calculation, you can find out that by investing just one dollar at 26% per annum today, you will receive 10 billion dollars in 100 years.

A financially literate person, having decided to try to live on deposits, must remember the following rules:

1. Rationally distribute your income;
2. Take risks in investments only after receiving a decent income;
3. Invest in risky investments only the money that you do not mind losing;
4. Invest 10-20% of income.

Mark Twain also said: “You can only avoid investing in two cases: if you have money or if you have no money at all!” If you decide that investing is for you, remember that the degree of risk depends on the size of the deposit and income.

It is no secret that about 90% of citizens do not keep a budget and do not see areas of spending where money “flows” in the literal sense of the word. People are surprised that literally in the first days after receiving a salary, funds go to no one knows where. It is certainly necessary to relax and pamper yourself with expensive purchases, but it is more important to know when to stop everything. Not everyone realizes that at least 10% of the budget can be saved. Refuse to pay at a restaurant for your colleague, prefer not to borrow from unreliable people and wait for a seasonal sale, and you will immediately feel how much your monthly income by cutting costs. Try to cut down on unnecessary expenses and start saving now by investing or making essential purchases.

Having savings is especially important in situations of economic instability, when a person is unable to predict what may happen to him in the future. Often even successful people may lose their job by taking out loans - a situation that absolutely everyone without savings can face. As shown international practice, you must have a minimum of three months' income in reserve as permanent savings. This is the so-called “financial airbag”, which you can turn to for help at any time. If you want to reduce the risk, use insurance services so that at any unpleasant moment you will have support in the form of insurance payments. If you are still confident in your place of work, do not let this stop you from saving every month in case of an emergency, or, conversely, if you have to make a useful contribution or organize a grand event.

​Since childhood, we are taught to go to work in order to earn money on which to live or survive. If you think about it, it's easy to understand that to get more profit you need to either improve the quality of work or the number of hours devoted to it. A person may encounter certain difficulties that may affect getting what he wants. wages. You must admit that not everyone can rise to the position of director of a company, and the quality of work of an ordinary employee, even the most successful, is significantly lower than that of a director. As it seems at first glance, the solution can be found in increasing the number of hours, but is it worth sacrificing free space to follow the lead of work? The meaning of life is not to leave early in the morning for work, come and go to bed. There is a limit to human performance that requires minimal fatigue, so it's important to reduce the time you spend working while increasing your income. Ask how? First, decide for yourself who you are according to Robert Kiyosaki, an expert in the field of financial literacy.

1. A person is an employee who has a job (working capacity for 40 years, 40 hours a week; by retirement, at best, receiving 40% of the total income for the entire life).
2. A person is a business owner with his own company and the people who work for him (minimum involvement in the company’s affairs; 99% of free time and full control of the funds earned by employees);
3. The person is the owner of his own company and works for himself (employment is approximately the same as that of an employee; a significant percentage of income for retirement is again invested in the business);
4. A person is an investor for whom money works (complete independence from money and time; by retirement you have substantial capital for yourself and your descendants).

Each of us is in at least one of four categories, our place is a source of cash. Some are employees and work for a salary, some rely only on themselves. The world of business is made up of different people, so it is unthinkable to imagine at least one of the categories empty. It is important to understand that financial freedom can be found in any of the four categories and does not have to be limited to just one.

Financial freedom is achieved from the categories of “a person is a business owner” and “a person is an investor,” and people from the categories of “a person is an owner of a company” and “a person is an employee” should also try their luck.

Financial literacy is a step to success

If you patiently read the article to the end, then you care about how much you are earning now, how you can save and increase your income and invest it in your future. If you patiently finished reading the article, it means that you are ready to slowly but surely wait for money to start working for you, and in the meantime continue to improve yourself in the field of finance. It's up to you to decide who to become now - an employee or a manager of your own business. Don’t fall for scammers and choose the most guaranteed way to earn money, and then you can ensure a happy future not only for yourself, but also for your descendants.

Where does financial literacy begin?

What is financial literacy

I have long had the idea of ​​writing a separate article on my blog about financial literacy in the broad sense of this concept. I am sure that it will be relevant for many readers, especially novice investors. Unfortunately, the stream of errors that I constantly hear about from readers proves this relevance. I could not get around the issues of a competent attitude towards one’s own people, culture and the psychology of investing before, repeatedly touching on various aspects of this issue. For example, in my April post about, as well as in reviews. Today I will try to approach the problem comprehensively and answer important questions:

• What does the concept of financial literacy include and where does it begin?
• How does financial literacy affect investor success?
• How can an investor improve his financial culture and how does this determine your path to financial freedom?

Origin and content of the concept of financial literacy

I've been running this blog for over 6 years. All this time, I regularly publish reports on the results of my investments. Now the public investment portfolio is more than 1,000,000 rubles.

Especially for readers, I developed the Lazy Investor Course, in which I showed step by step how to put your personal finances in order and effectively invest your savings in dozens of assets. I recommend that every reader complete at least the first week of training (it's free).

In order not to blur the subject of conversation, let's start with a definition. I prefer this formulation: financial literacy is a level of knowledge and skills in the field of finance sufficient for correct assessment economic processes and to make informed decisions related to savings, investments, insurance, and future retirement.

The concept of financial literacy should also include qualified consumer behavior of a person. It is unlikely that you will argue with the fact that former USSR, which built communism relatively recently, most of the population does not even have basic financial literacy. This historical legacy is difficult to overcome, and it affects even people working in financial sector. I personally know bank employees who, despite having good incomes by Russian standards, constantly fell into credit dependence and did not have a clear plan.

Alas, even having a higher financial education does not automatically guarantee financial literacy. Of course, the situation is gradually changing, but Russia is still in 24th place in the ranking for this indicator, next to Cameroon, Madagascar, Zimbabwe and Belarus (S&P study, 2015), and the number of financially literate people in our country is 38%. Population different countries the world was surveyed regarding understanding of three questions: % rate (including), . The study also revealed other sad details: Russians on average do not know where about 30% of their expenses go, but they plan family budget for more than a month 10% of the population. 77% of families do not talk to their children about money at all, considering it reprehensible. In a word, in our country there is neither a mass tradition of financial planning nor a widespread dissemination of practical skills.

The occasion brings to mind the gloomy stories of post-Soviet companies - MMM, Vlastelina, Chara-Bank, Russian House of Selenga, GK Khoper, which robbed millions of our fellow citizens, taking advantage of their naivety and frivolous attitude towards their own money. It is also true that Russians are not unique in this: just remember the sensational company of Wall Street billionaire Bernard Madoff, who bankrupted thousands of gullible investors around the world and in 2008 went to prison for 150 years. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on school to educate our children financially. Educational education lessons were introduced only on September 1, 2016, and even then they are optional. Therefore, it is important to constantly work on your financial self-education and set an example for all household members. And, of course, adhere to a managerial attitude towards money, as opposed to such a widespread consumer approach (earned - spent).

How financial literacy affects investor success

Investors are a small wealthy part of the country's population, and many of them have typical misconceptions about money. In any case, overcoming them and reaching a professional level is not so easy: this requires time, effort and diligent acquisition of useful knowledge and rules of behavior. Thinking about the topic of the article, I asked myself: what is the relationship between professional financial qualifications and financial literacy in a broad sense? Should an investor or experienced trader work to improve his financial culture or does this only apply to people of other professions and ordinary people?

The answer is given by life itself. All of you, one way or another, have witnessed situations where a quite experienced account manager or trader stock exchange not due to force majeure, but under the influence of stress, excitement, lack of where they should be. Often due to basic greed. We are all living people, but lack of restraint in emotions, impulsiveness, frivolous attitude towards our own investment strategy– this is a violation of the rules of financial conduct and neglect of risk management. And this speaks to gaps in overall financial competence.

Let's paraphrase Eastern wisdom: a financially literate person who does not have money will sooner or later acquire it; a financially illiterate person who has a lot of money will definitely lose it.

How can an investor improve his financial literacy?

We have come to the question of what methods and means private investor can improve your own financial literacy, as well as influence the upbringing of your children in the right direction. I offer my own set of rules.

1. A meaningful, serious approach to money. Getting rid of consumer thinking and moving to the formation of future ones that bring stable (preferably passive) income.
2. Accounting and planning of personal/family budget. Distribution of finances into income and expenditure, with itemized reporting, similar to balance sheet. Change the family’s attitude towards this process, make it an exciting quest, convince family members of the benefits and personal interest of everyone. Nothing motivates more than honestly earned bonuses and gifts, and most importantly, the achievement of a jointly set common goal.
3. Setting long-term financial goals that will motivate you to acquire financial knowledge and skills. It is desirable to provide additional income, allowing part of the proceeds (from 10%) to be invested. Even if your current income from your main job allows you not to look for a part-time job, an additional source can be both profit from investing and savings on existing expenses. The main thing is to start your investment practice as early as possible in order to develop stable useful skills and thereby improve your financial literacy. I believe that this is even more important than the profit received during this time.
4. Building the right relationships with financial institutions: insurance companies, tax service etc. The rules are simple: read the terms and agreement (even the small print). Do not take consumer loans without special need, do not allow overdue credit and tax debt. Do your own preliminary calculations, since now all calculators are available online.

1. Allocation of budget for self-development (). Self-education, reading, courses, trainings, webinars, paid consultations - all this directly works to improve your financial qualifications. Much of this can be found online for free, discipline and motivation are more important here.
2. Deal with financial instruments more often: nothing will improve your financial literacy more than real activity. It is the lack of practice that makes people financially helpless.

Please note that I am not listing recommendations here on how to invest or trade profitably and safely; these are topics for other articles. I'm talking about standards of behavior, without which conditions cannot be created for constantly improving your financial literacy. These are critical prerequisites for you and your family to make your way to financial freedom.

In simple words, financial literacy is a system of knowledge and skills on how to rationally manage your money, navigate financial services and not fall for the tricks of financial scammers.

Being financially literate today is not only important, but also prestigious. After all, proper management of finances is the sure key to financial well-being!

Threats to low financial literacy of the population are expressed in the increase in the number of financial abuses, the accumulation of excess loans that cannot be repaid, and the ineffective distribution of personal savings. This is an extra source of stress - why do we need it???

Financial literacy helps you and me effectively plan and use your personal budget, make personal finance decisions based on your long-term interests and desires, avoid excess debt, navigate the complex services and products offered by banks and other financial institutions, recognize threats and reduce fraud risks.

You and I, being financially literate, are generally better prepared for crisis situations and we can better protect ourselves, better navigate the global financial crisis: deal with tax returns, choose for yourself pension plans, save your savings, make investment and other financial decisions correctly and not give in to panic. Then you can not worry about finances and live for your own pleasure 😉 .

Financial literacy involves people's ability to live within their means, monitor their finances, plan their future income and expenses, especially pensions, choose wisely financial products and understand financial matters.

How can we understand whether we are financially literate or not? So, the image of a financially literate person (through the eyes of the Central Bank) is as follows:

1. Keeps records own income and expenses (i.e. it is important to know what income you received, what you spent the money on, what is the difference between income and expenses - ideally, something should remain and this “something” should be increased to achieve future financial goals).

2. Spends less than he earns - a financially literate person does not have a ton of loans different banks and/or MFO, he knows how to live within his means (spends what he earns) and saves free cash.

3. Is oriented in the world of finance (knows where to find the necessary information). Of course, it’s impossible to keep track of everything, but you need to know and understand where to get necessary information(from reliable sources) and use it with maximum benefit for myself.

4. Makes a rational choice of financial services. Reliability needs to be monitored financial organizations so as not to lose your money.

5. Has its own reserve fund - a “safety cushion” (in case of unforeseen circumstances). This is one of the most important rules financial literacy. You may lose your job, get sick and go on sick leave for a long time, and money from reserve fund will help you live and pay own needs And obligatory payments without significant damage to quality of life.

6. Knows how the rights of consumers of financial services are protected – i.e. a person knows where to turn if his rights in the financial market are violated.

And you shouldn’t completely rely on the state and maybe You need to think about your financial future today and improve your financial literacy. Moreover, there are now many materials available for self-education. So we came to the rescue :)

In this section (and throughout the portal) we share financial advice with you, discuss important issues from the world of personal finance, follow the news and help improve your financial literacy.

Learn, apply your knowledge in practice and achieve your goals!

Oh yes, now we will guide you through the section:

• Articles

  — interesting articles on financial literacy for every day (and night, if you don’t want to sleep).

• You can't fool us

  - Armed with knowledge, you can do a lot. Here we will tell you the nuances when using the most popular financial products and services (for example, what you need to know before taking out a loan and what you should pay close attention to).

• Personal finance

  - and here we have collected tips on personal financial planning and other features of your personal finances and how to successfully manage them (so that they do not decrease, but only increase, and income exceeds expenses). Eh, if only there was a wallet that you can charge it in the evening, and in the morning it’s full again! 😉 We will try to understand where to get such a charger (but it really exists, some call it “investment”).

• Education

  - our favorite section! Here we offer educational financial literacy courses for all. Upon successful completion of the course and passing all online tests, you will receive a certificate :) But the knowledge gained from taking courses (and applying them in practice) is the most valuable thing you can take for yourself.

- and here we have collected cool books, mobile applications, interesting films, economic board games - and everything on financial topics. Eh, someday this will turn into our gold fund...

• Financial Literacy Rating

You can also find useful materials on financial literacy in our groups in in social networks(click and join):

Ecology of consumption. Business: As a rule, one comes to financial literacy through a huge number of mistakes and trials, gradually gaining experience...

By managing your finances wisely, you can not only significantly reduce expenses, but also significantly increase the thickness of your wallet. As a rule, one comes to financial literacy through a huge number of mistakes and trials, gradually gaining experience and ignoring the wise advice of financiers.

Here are a few key points to consider on your path to financial literacy.

1. "Airbag"

The overwhelming majority of people believe that any savings are completely useless: you will lose everything anyway, so why save if you can spend everything now and buy some necessary thing?

Perhaps, for a specific moment in life, this decision may seem correct, but after some time you may need a certain amount for unforeseen expenses: minor repairs in the office, increased prices from suppliers, etc.

How to pay these expenses if there are no savings at all? The loan may not be issued, and it often takes several days or even weeks to receive it, and you may not have this time.

That is why it is important to remember the first rule: You should always have savings of 3-6 monthly expenses for emergencies.

2. Savings “under the mattress” instead of a bank

In Russia, less than 50% of the population uses bank deposits and up to 5% are investors in stock market. And all for the reason that few people trust any financial instruments, preferring to store savings at home under a pillow/mattress/in the nightstand, etc.

In fact, this type of “investment” provides a guaranteed income of minus 10-13% per annum! The reason is simple: inflation. So, your today's 500 thousand rubles, put in the nightstand, in 5 years will turn into 310 thousand rubles. with inflation of 10% per year.

Therefore, rule two: you should not store your savings in the nightstand - it is better to place them at least on a bank deposit to save them from inflation. Are you afraid of bank bankruptcy? Please note that when placing in one bank up to 700 thousand rubles. if his license is revoked, you are guaranteed to return your deposit safe and sound thanks to the deposit insurance system.

3. Incorrect loan parameters

Having decided to take bank loan, it is important to remember that it must be in the currency in which you receive your profit. Most often these are rubles. If you give in to the temptation to take out a loan in foreign currency at a lower rate, you can then see an increase in your monthly payments on the loan by 30-50% due to the depreciation of the ruble.

Not to be too big: take out a loan not “with a reserve” just in case, but exactly for the amount that you need. Please note that if you take an extra 50 thousand rubles. on credit, you will have to repay the bank 75 thousand or more.

Therefore, it is better to take out a loan in rubles, for the most necessary amount and for minimum term so that the loan payment is up to 20-30% of your income.

4. Investments without a deadline

It is impossible to invest wisely if you do not know for what specific purpose it is being done. At the same time, “earning money” is not the goal. The goal must have a deadline, cost, and priority. Only by clearly defining it can you competently select the right investment instruments for you.

So, if you are investing with the goal of saving up for some important goal in 1-3 years, then it is better to prefer bank deposits and high-quality bonds or bond funds.

If we are talking about a goal in 3-10 years, then, in addition to deposits and bonds, you can add up to 50% of stocks or equity funds to your portfolio. Well, if you invest for 10 years or more, then you can increase the share of shares to 70-80%.

5. Take smart risks

If your colleague or neighbor invests in stocks and enjoys returns of 20% per annum or more, this does not mean that you urgently need to buy them. The fact is that each person has his own level of risk appetite. And if your neighbor is sometimes ready to tolerate a drop in the value of his shares of up to 50%, then you may not be ready for this, you will sell shares at just the most inopportune moment, receive losses and be disappointed in your investment.

That's why It is very important to correctly determine your risk appetite: If you are not prepared for significant drops in the value of your investments, place most of your funds in deposits and safe bonds. If you're ready for sharp fluctuations the size of your savings - you can place a significant part of them in shares.

6. Financial plan

If a person only thinks about buying a car in a year, buying an apartment in 3 years and does not plan to pay for his son’s education in 10 years, then he will buy the required amount for a car, but will be left without down payment. Due to large loan payments, he will not be able to save the amount necessary for his son’s education, and he will not enter the best university in order to get into the free department. There is no need to talk about retirement. This entire unfavorable scenario was realized because the person had one goal in front of him, and not a full-fledged financial plan.

7. Neglecting insurance

In Russia, insurance of apartments, cars, and especially life, is unpopular, because... most believe that nothing can happen to them. The costs of renovating an apartment, compensating flooded neighbors downstairs, and restoring one’s own health are in most cases unexpected and require significant expenses, which not everyone is prepared for. Therefore, property, liability and life insurance is the key to confidence in the future of every person.

8. Start saving for retirement a couple of years before retirement.

You need to think about retirement at least 10 years in advance.

9. Neglect of tax benefits

Not many people know and use all types tax deductions. Meanwhile, anyone can receive up to 15,600 rubles annually into their account if they paid for education, treatment, invested in their pension provision or did charity work. If you bought an apartment or house, you can receive up to 260 thousand rubles into your account. plus additional compensation for interest on a loan for the purchase of real estate. published