IF YOU want to make money, you must have a good game plan!
Marlies Kappers, head of marketing at Currie Cup sponsor and financial services company DirectAxis, said a game plan is important for financial success.
“Planning is essential to all teams in the Currie Cup and it is just as essential to you if want to perform at your best financially.”
Check your credit rating
By law you can get one free credit report a year from the credit bureaus. The credit report offers a set of numbers that show your financial fitness. Online tools such as Pulse – found at www.directaxis.co.za/pulse – can help you understand those credit score numbers better.
Understand the rules
Just as a team gets a bad reputation for breaking the rules, using too much credit and not repaying the debt properly harms your credit score.
Everybody from banks to retailers, landlords to car dealers, decide if they should trust you based on the three numbers of your credit score.
Set your goals
Once you’ve checked your fitness and understand the rules, start planning. Ask yourself: where do you want to be in six months, a year, two years or five years?
You need to create a set of short to long-term goals each giving the next a little push to success.
Learn to adapt
As in any game, there will be some surprising changes: a rival team’s player gets injured or your team is chosen to compete against more experienced players.
Your changes may benefit you or hinder you. So if you get a good bonus or have to face increased interest rates on your loans, you must be able to push and squeeze your plans to include these surprises.