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Senior Living Budgeting

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Senior Living – Budgeting Budgeting is important for everybody, but it can be even more critical for seniors. A bad financial decision may be painful in your younger years, but it can be overcome. During retirement, a bad financial decision can be devastating since there is no longer an income stream to replenish the lost money. The primary error made by seniors when it comes to budgeting is not knowing where their money is going. It could be because there is not a budget in place at all, or it could be due to changes in expenses that have not been updated. A senior living counselor can help your loved one monitor their spending and create a weekly, monthly, and annual budget. One of the things that typically changes when seniors retire is a change in medical insurance. Going from …show more content…

For those who simply need a tool, there are many online resources available, such as PowerWallet.com. PowerWallet is both free and easy to use. It even suggests ways to save money and includes bill reminders. As a general rule, housing expenses should not account for more than 35 percent of monthly income. This includes the housing payment, insurances, taxes, utilities, maintenance, etc. Many times, money is not set aside for repairs or fluctuations in utility expenses. Transportation costs should account for less than 15 percent of monthly expenses. Keeping food expenditures to 15 percent leaves 20 percent for medical expenses, 5 percent for debt payments (loans, credit cards, etc), and 10 percent for entertainment, giving, and so forth. The percentages are somewhat flexible, but financial experts agree that the combination of housing, transportation, and food should never account for more than 70 percent of the monthly budget, and debt payments that surpass 10 percent equate to financial

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