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How to Make a Financial Plan

When the Pandemic Has Made Planning Seem Impossible

 

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So far, 2020 has been unpredictable to say (the very) least. And it doesn’t look like the second half of the year or even 2021 can promise a return to normalcy.


With everything so up in the air, it can be hard to make any sort of plans, whether it be a vacation or even a trip to the movie theater. But a financial plan is one you probably want to work on, or revisit, especially if you have been financially impacted by the pandemic. And despite the uncertainty, planning could be a way to reduce some of your anxiety about the situation, experts say.


“It’s sort of taking back that control that you feel you lost when you’re watching the world unravel in front of your eyes,” says Jody D’Agostini, a financial planner at Equitable Advisors.


Reassess your situation


It can be hard to know where to start, so start with what you know. The first thing to do is to figure out how this pandemic has impacted your family’s situation, says D’Agostini. Initial questions may be fairly obvious: Did someone in your family lose their job or are they in danger of losing it? Did anyone take a salary cut?


This could affect how much you want to save in your emergency fund, or continue contributing to your retirement (both of which we’ll get to in a bit).


Then, go back to the basics, she says. Determine what your monthly budget is, and how it might have changed as your life has adapted to the rollercoaster of 2020. (For example, many of her clients say they might never go back to working a full five-day week in the office — that’ll cut down on the cost of professional clothing).

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Source: msn money

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