The end of the year is fast approaching. Barely a month to go, and we’re facing 2020! Whoah!
Anyhow, as I sat down to review my financial planner, I realized I needed a design update. I wanted to do away with the excessive curls and colors of the previous design and create a simpler (but more comprehensive) version for 2020. Thought I’d share this with you in case you also prefer the updated, no-frills version.
In this post:
DIY Planner Inserts
In efforts to have my finances in check, I needed to have an honest-to-goodness look at the state of my cash flow. I know there are a lot of budget planners/finance management printables online, but none of those actually perfectly suits my needs. As a freelancer with variable cash inflows and outflows, I felt like I needed to design my own. I’d be happy to send a copy to your email. Enter your email address below, and then read on to have a sneak peek and know how to use the pages.
What’s in the finance tracker?
I sent links to two files in your email. One is specifically for January; the other is for the rest of the year. The difference is the budget overview, recurring expenses section, and savings and investment trackers, which will only appear in the first booklet (January).
The contents of the tracker are as follows:
Cover page
It keeps everything looking clean and properly labeled. I use this page as a divider for each month of the year. For the succeeding months, I think I’ll use the space for a random doodle, featured artwork, or maybe an inspirational quote.
Financial Goals
When it comes to achieving financial freedom, sometimes the most difficult thing to do is simply getting started. The best way to start is to clearly set your financial goals. When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true.
Remember to have S.M.A.R.T. goals — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-focused, and Time-bound. Thus, on the first table, there is a column for timeframe and status.
There is also space allocated to describe goals in terms of income, expenses, savings, and investments.
As an example, one of my goals may be: To start building my Emergency Fund (Php30,000 by end of December 2020.) That’s a SMART goal that helps me identify my next action step, i.e., to set aside Php 30,000 / 12 months = Php2,500 per month for my emergency fund.
Budget Overview
This is an update to the first planner I designed. As the name implies, the budget overview gives me an idea of the state of my finances on a monthly basis. Based on this summary, I can set an action plan to get me to my dream of financial freedom. Do I need to increase my income? Can I still curb my expenses? And maybe invest or save more?
Recurring Expenses
The next spread is the bill tracker. Admittedly, I easily get lost in bills and forget due dates. It is important for me to keep a record of recurring expenses, especially those that cannot be automated. I list down my annual and monthly dues then simply mark the boxes every time payment is completed.
Income Tracker
For freelancers who work on a number of projects, i.e., with numerous income streams that are not exactly fixed, the income tracker is important. A careful analysis of this page will help me figure out which areas can be adjusted to maximize income.
Savings Tracker
This is the section for wealth building. For my financial tracker, I have identified some areas I intend to focus on:
- Emergency Fund – This is the rainy day fund. This will be my source of money in cases of emergency such as illnesses, layoff / resignation from jobs, repair and maintenance of home and computers, etc. Ideally, the emergency fund should be about 3-6 months’ worth of income.
- Liabilities – I have annual dues for insurances, life plans, etc. To make it more bearable and easy on the pocket, I save up on a monthly basis. For example, for an insurance with an annual payment of Php 20,000, an amount of Php 1,666.67 can be set aside monthly.
- Travel Fund – I easily get tired of routines, which is one of the main reasons I chose to work from home. I love traveling, so I set aside money for this, whether or not I have a scheduled travel within the next couple of months.
- Fun Fund – This is my mad money, something I spend for wants. I may be saving up for a new camera or maybe a home appliance (embracing my tita-hood!).
Save-Up Fund Log
This is also a new addition to my old financial planner. Because I’m not particularly good at remembering to regularly save, I automate my savings. I opened a Save–Up Automatic Savings account (BPI) for this purpose. A specified amount is transferred to this account on certain days of the month (i.e., week 1 – Php 2,500 for Emergency Fund; week 2 – Php 2,000 for insurance; week 3 – Php 1,000 for big project). I use this tracker so I can easily see how close I am to my financial goals (or find out if I can already spend my mad money. haha! Yep, splurge without the guilt.)
Investment Tracker
In the earlier version of the planner, I had investment combined with the savings tracker. Now, I opted to separate them. As I am still starting to build my financial portfolio, I choose to track quarterly. Some things I note:
- Stocks and Mutual Funds
- Retirement Fund – This is my big goal for this year. So yes, working on that.
Expenses Tracker
This is quite straightforward. It’s a record of everything I pay for. And I mean EVERYTHING.
Monthly Summary
At the end of each month, there’s a monthly summary sheet. This is to keep track of where I am on my goals. Notes will be for achievements unlocked and/or lessons learned and/or areas to work on.
There you have it — a finance tracker for the planner nerd. 🙂
Some important notes
- For a full year, you would need to print one set of trackers for January and eleven (11) copies of the Feb-Dec file.
- This is designed for A5 size. Although if you prefer, you can print on A4.
- The files are in .pdf format to preserve formatting. If you need the Canva link so you can edit, leave a comment below or shoot me a message.
- This can be printed using A4 paper. Please see the instructions on printing below.
How to Print the Finance Tracker
The easiest way to print an A5 book is to set your printer to “booklet” format. Like this:
I just print on A4 size paper and just fold it in half, and it’s ready to use. Easy-peasy, right?
How to Assemble the Planner
I printed one copy for January and eleven of Feb-Dec. I carefully glued the sheets together and bound them into two separate notebooks using a specialty board.
I then wrapped the notebook in an A4-sized plastic envelope, which I use to store trinkets such as post-its, stickers, and receipts.
Editable Version
Just in case you need to customize the planner, I made this in Canva. Click HERE to get it.
In case you haven’t yet, let me know where to send your free printable financial planner.
test