As the cost of raising a child rises, young parents wonder if their financial freedom is slipping away
Parents need a higher salary to feel financially independent than childless adults.
You can 'make your money work for you' by being intentional with your money habits and strategic with your money placement.
— Tori Rubloff
About the author
Tori Rubloff is an editor at Bankrate, where she manages staff writers, copy edits feature articles, drives content strategy and oversees production of data-driven, timely content that empowers readers to make informed decisions about their finances. She is passionate about creating purposeful content that educates readers on navigating significant life milestones, which has led her to specialize in content centered on personal finance, higher education and professional development.
Previously, she has worked as a data storyteller and content manager for various publications and clients including ZDNet, The Motley Fool, FinanceBuzz and Acceptance Insurance. Her work has been cited by media including CNBC, CNN, Bloomberg, CBS News, NBC News, Forbes, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, MarketWatch and Business Insider.
Outside of work, Tori enjoys bullet journaling, exploring Washington D.C.’s restaurant scene, cooking elaborate dinners and meditating daily.
In my Notion dashboard, I list my financial goals at the start of the year. I use these goals as my “north stars” to inform the financial actions I take in the months ahead, and I cross them off as I complete them.
I set up monthly budget in the form of a pie chart, with designated targets for: fixed expenses (housing, cell phone bill, etc.), discretionary expenses (food delivery, events/experiences, travel, etc.) and savings and investments. (If you're not sure how to balance these categories, the 50/30/20 rule is a good place to start.)
Looking at the amount I can allocate toward savings and investments, I determine how I want to divvy that amount into each of my sinking funds. For example, A% can go into my 401(k), B% can go into my IRA, C% can go into my emergency fund and D% can go into my housing fund.
Within my Notion dashboard, I also link to external Google spreadsheets, where I track my net worth growth over time, monthly contributions to my savings and investment accounts, as well as week-to-week spending.
With all of this information in front of me, it makes it easy to reflect on my financial progress and habits. Then, I can determine any areas where I want to adjust my spending/saving strategy moving forward.
You can 'make your money work for you' by being intentional with your money habits and strategic with your money placement.
— Tori Rubloff
Parents need a higher salary to feel financially independent than childless adults.
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