How To Make Better Money Decisions

When it comes to handling your finances well, there is a plethora of information available online and in the nearby library. Educating ourselves and widening our financial literacy is the first step to making better financial decisions.

Often, there is no single path that will lead us to the “right” decision. Instead, we must walk the path using different strategies and methods to come up with the best financial decision. Start with these steps.

#1: EDUCATE YOURSELF

Gather as much information as possible to organize your options and action plan. Although you are inclined to make a gut-driven decision, educating yourself is an important first step. Research shows that gut feelings tend to be more accurate when they are made by experts. Thus, becoming an expert on a certain financial issue can make your intuition more reliable.

#2: INTERVIEW PEOPLE WITH SIMILAR CHOICES

Talking to people who have taken the paths that you are considering will help you see the bigger picture. Choose people who are willing to speak to you with all honesty. Study suggests that this approach can help you make more accurate predictions about your own reactions to potential future events. While no one’s experience will mirror yours exactly, you will be able to learn a lot from these people.

#3: ESTABLISH A LIST OF OUTCOMES

When making decisions, I make it a point to list the possible outcomes of each option. Writing down the outcomes can help you make better decisions. Write down a couple of ways your option can go wrong and highlight how you can potentially lose money. Then, write down the ways your option can go right. This option is a strong contender if you think that there is nothing that can go wrong.

#4: DISCUSS YOUR DECISION

Look for a person whom you trust and respect. Discuss your financial decision with that person. Discussing your decision with others will help you understand the situation at hand. Moreover, you will be able to get feedback from someone who does not have a vested interest or a personal involvement in this decision.

#5: CONSIDER BOTH THE PRESENT AND FUTURE

Improve the quality of your financial decisions by making sure that you strike a balance between what benefits you at the present and future states. Do this by listing down the possible advantages and disadvantages of an option for the short-term. The other list must contain the advantages and disadvantages of the same option in the long run.

#6: GIVE EACH OPTION A TEST RUN

When buying cars, most people take advantage of the test run. With a huge financial investment such as this, people want to make the best decision. Giving each option a test run will enable you to observe how it will impact your life.

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Research shows that people tend to make decisions differently depending on their mood. To bypass this bias, you can imagine that you have already made a decision and absorb that choice for a few days. This method allows you to determine how you will feel when you are in a range of different situations. Furthermore, you can gradually test the impact of a financial decision.

Sources: 1, 2, & 3

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What Happens To Your Finances When You Die In Singapore?

Technically speaking, all the monetary value that the deceased left behind belongs to his or her estate. This estate includes bank accounts, investments, and properties. The only exceptions are the assets held in the trust and the individual’s CPF money.

All the assets will be frozen once a person passes away. The professional assigned to go through the departed’s Will is known as an executor. An executor is usually a family lawyer or a trusted relative. He or she applies to be granted probate, which is a court order empowering the executor to settle all the remaining assets.

Say that the deceased did not make a legitimate Will and has an estate of about S$50,000. The surviving family members may go to the Public Trustee for them to divide the assets according to the Intestate Succession Act.

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This is why it is recommended to write your own Will while you are still alive. In fact, a straightforward online tool that can help you with that is called the WillMaker. It costs about S$89.

WILL YOU BE LIABLE FOR THE DECEASED’S DEBTS?

After the funeral costs are sorted out, the executor will liquefy the estate to pay off the deceased’s outstanding debts. Outstanding debts encompass the unpaid taxes, mortgages, credit card bills, utility bills, and so on. When the court is satisfied with all the debt payments, the remaining assets can be distributed to the beneficiaries according to the Will.

You are fortunate to know that the surviving family members are not legally responsible for the debts left behind by the deceased in Singapore. A surviving family member will only be held liable for the debts, if they have a joint loan account with the deceased.

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Now, let us move on to the HDB flat left behind. HDB homeowners have a signed a mandatory insurance known as the Home Protection Scheme (HPS). This insurance protects families from losing their HDB flats in the event of death, total permanent disability, and terminal illness. HPS insures members up to age 65 or until the housing loans are paid.

Sources: 1 & 2

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