Dealing with Uncertainty: How to Budget for 2021

How can you plan and budget for a year when there are so many things up in the air? Today we'll go over how the two of you can create a plan and budget so you can hit your goals while being flexible enough to switch gears if needed! How to Hit Your Money Goals During a Uncertain Year This first month of 2021 is just about wrapped up and already it's been an eventful year! A huge challenge we faced in 2020 and it looks like for a good part of this year, it's going to be creating plans when there's no firm idea of what to expect. Heard from many of you, the frustration and the stress of having plans started at the beginning of the year, and then getting hit with the pandemic or the financial fallout from it and it throwing everything off. It's understandable if you are not looking to repeat that in 2021. While we can't prepare for every single situation and emergency, there are steps we can take to shore up our finances and give us more options. Our goals and our budgets need to have flexibility built in so that we can pivot for whatever comes up. But how do you do that? How do you plan in budget when you don't know what to expect? That's going to be our focus for today. We're going to look at the big picture and talk about how to approach your goals for this year and your budget. Then We're going to drill down with a goal that many couples have- paying off their student loans - and coming up with a plan when there's still certain decisions that haven't been made yet. There was an announcement last week with federal student loans, but are we going to have anything forgiven? Certified student loan professional Meagan Landress from Student Loan Planner is here to talk about your options and what the two of you need to discuss to come up with a plan that fits your needs. We got a lot to cover, so let's get started! Resources to Stay on Top of Your Money    If you're looking to build up your finances, here are some handy resources we mentioned in the episode plus more!    Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal Credit Union! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been members for years and love their service and competitive rates on checking and savings accounts! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Our theme song is from Staircases. Additional music by various artists from Audiio.