Everyone has issues with, or questions about, their personal finances at some point, and it can be hard to find reliable answers. Whether you are dealing with a minor question or a major issue, this article can help give you the answers and advice you need to keep your personal finances in order.

Check your financial assets for a down payment source. You may be able to cash out certain investment accounts and use the money without penalty, if it is for a primary residence. You may also be able to borrow against certain assets, giving you the money you need. Check with your investment professional for options.

When it comes to personal finances, pay yourself first. When you get paid, put at least ten percent of your pre-tax income into savings before you use your pay check to do other things. If you get in the habit of doing this you will never miss that money and you will be building your savings account.

Include quality health insurance in your personal financial plan. Everybody is going to get sick sometimes. For this reason, it is vital to have good health insurance. Very quickly, hospital and doctor bills can add up to $20,000 or more. You will have a big issue if you cannot carry health insurance.

Pay off your items with the higher interest before focusing on the lower or no interest debt. Paying the minimums on a high interest card can cost you hundreds of dollars more than it should. List out the interest rates of all the cards you have and pay off the highest ones as soon as possible.

Automatic bill payments should be reviewed quarterly. Most consumers are taking advantage of many of the automatic financial systems available that pay bills, deposit checks and pay off debts on their own. This does save time, but the process leaves a door wide open for abuse. Not only should all financial activity be reviewed monthly, the canny consumer will review his automatic payment arrangements very closely every three to four months, to ensure they are still doing exactly what he wants them to.

Support from the people you love is one of the best ways that you can improve your motivation to succeed from a monetary perspective. Surround yourself with your friends and family and tell them about the goals that you wish to achieve. Therefore, if you ever get off track, you will have people to help you get back on the right path again.

Write your budget down if you want to stick to it. There is something very concrete about writing something down. It makes your income versus spending very real and helps you to see the benefits of saving money. Evaluate your budget monthly to make sure it’s working for you and that you really are sticking to it.

By giving yourself a good education on the basics of personal finances, you’ll find that you will have a much easier time maintaining financial equilibrium. If you remember what you’ve learned from this article and make use of the tips and advice it contains, you’ll be able to put yourself on a firm financial footing.