In this fast paced world making sure you can afford your mortgage over the long term requires a plan. With the average house price in the UK going through the roof many people are struggling to find an affordable mortgage or to pay their existing one. Long term financial planning is key to making sure your dream home stays within reach without sacrificing your financial stability.
Why Long Term Financial Planning
Having foresight when it comes to long term financial planning, when it comes to taking a mortgage, is important. Mortgages are one of the biggest expenses for many adults so not having a plan in place can mean economic problems.
With constantly changing financial climates and people living to ever increasing ages, knowing how to plan financially is becoming even more important. This can mean factoring in potentially changing our interest rates, how much our income will fluctuate and what to do about financial emergencies.
By having a plan in place we can always make sure we are aware of the best finance deals at all times, but also have something in place if our finances begin to wane.
Financial Hacks
Overpay Your Mortgage
True long-term mortgage affordability requires engineering a series of financial hacks: first, overpay your mortgage (if you can). This reduces the total interest you’ll pay over the life of your home loan.
If you were to pay £100 more each month on a £150,000 mortgage at 3% interest and a loan duration of 276 months, you would save approximately £26,298.36 in interest over the life of the loan. Wow, that’s a significant amount of cash back in your pocket!
Diversify Your Income
Second, diversify your income sources so as to accrue additional streams of wage, or salary, or rental income, adding to your portfolio so that you also earn wealth, and then have a buffer against the loss of any primary source of income through job losses or other disruptions to that income.
Get Professional Advice
Furthermore, the advice provided by advisers can be tailored to your personal circumstances and needs. Finally, do a periodic review of your financial goals to ensure they are consistent with your strategic objectives.
Regular Reviews
Lastly, evaluate and adjust your financial plan often. Things in life don’t stand still, neither should your plan.
Investments for Long Term Stability
Diversified Portfolio
The best way to make your mortgage affordable in the long run is to invest your money in stocks, bonds and real estate, which would generate extra income streams; but you should avoid over concentrating on a specific class, to minimise the risk factor.
Low Risk Options
Also, look into lower-risk plays like government bonds to boost your cash flow. By exposing yourself to a range of investments, you can beef up your cash reserves should you be hit by an economic downturn, or find making mortgage payments difficult.
Building a Budget: Your Financial Roadmap
A Realistic Budget
A realistic budget is the backbone of every long and healthy financial plan. Sit down with your bank statements and credit card bills, and list all your income and monthly expenses.
Separate out the expenses by grouping non-essentials, such as dining out and entertainment, and essentials such as mortgage payments, utilities, and so on. You might be surprised where all the money is going.
Sticking to Your Budget
Creating it is one thing – sticking to the game is the real job. Use tracking apps and tools to monitor your expenditures on a day-by-day basis. These will send alerts when you’re reaching your budgetary limits so you can keep up. Also, schedule a day during the month to review the budget to stay accountable and meeting your finances goals.
Protecting Your Investment: Insurance and Wills
Home Insurance
The one non-negotiable thing is home insurance. It protects your most important investment and covers you for fire, theft, storms and other natural disasters, so make sure you get a policy that offers you full cover, not the cheapest available – you pay peanuts you get monkeys. Review your policy every year as your needs change to make sure it still suits you.
Life Insurance and Wills
It is not a fun thought, but everyone should have life insurance and a will to ensure long term financial protection. A life insurance policy will pay off your mortgage and other expenses if you pass away and will comfortably support your family. A will is essential because it ensures your property and other assets are distributed as you wish and it will not create legal problems for your family and eliminate a lot of stress.
Interest Rates and Mortgage Types
Fixed vs Variable
Selecting the right kind of mortgage is a big deal in your long-term planning. Fixed mortgages will help you avoid taking the risk, with the same interest rate for the whole time of the loan, so planning your budget will be much easier.
There is another type of mortgage – variable mortgage – where the interest rates change any time during the time of your mortgage loan. That means that on the one side, if the rates sink, your payments will be lower. But, on the other side, the rates can always soar and your payment will rise.
The question is: How risky are you? How much money you will have in your pocket right after signing the mortgage calculations.
Refinancing Your Mortgage
Refinancing might be a good idea if you think you can manage your mortgage better. If interest rates are lower than when you took out your mortgage, they might give you lower monthly payments.
Or you might look to refinance to switch from a variable rate to a fixed rate to gain some assurance over your spending. However, think carefully about the fees charged by the lender, and compare them with the savings.
Government Programs and Incentives
Help to Buy and Shared Ownership
For first time buyers and those looking to buy with a small deposit, there are UK government schemes such as Help to Buy Equity Loan, where you can borrow a percentage of the price of your home interest free for the first five years, and shared ownership schemes, where you buy a slice of your home and pay rent on the rest to make homes more affordable.
Stamp Duty and Other Taxes
Stamp Duty and other taxes being one: Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) can be a huge cost to pay especially if you are purchasing a property above a certain value (this changes over time), but there are reductions and exemptions for first time buyers which should be taken into consideration if they are to be part of your long term plans.
Future Proofing Your Finances
Retirement Planning
It’s never too early to start thinking about retirement. Put some money into a pension plan now, and you’ll have guaranteed payments when you retire. See a financial advisor who can tell you how much you should be saving, and what kind of pension plan you should be looking at.
Education and Training
Financial education is an ongoing process. By taking courses on planning, going to a seminar or simply reading a book on the subject, you not only improve yourself now but also equip yourself with better ways to decide on matters later in life. The longer you learn, the better equipped you’ll be for any situations that come your way.
Conclusion
Securing your mortgage over the long term in today’s fast-paced world necessitates meticulous financial planning. With UK house prices soaring, it is crucial to implement strategies that ensure your home remains affordable without compromising your financial stability.
Long-term financial planning offers foresight and preparedness for fluctuating interest rates, income variations, and unforeseen emergencies, preventing economic hardship.
