When mapping out your financial future you should note that what you do now will
affect the quality and type of financial products you're able to access later in your life.
Whatever you see in the future of your finances - whether it's taking out a mortgage or saving and borrowing to go travelling somewhere - you'll need a basic, good credit rating as well as an understanding of how these products work.
Taking such a leap all in one go could lead to mistakes so prepare yourself a little at a time and you'll find that it's much easier to plan the future of your finances.
This can also start with building up a credit rating or credit history that will be attractive to potential lenders. This can be the seen to be the case when you compare credit cards: many of them include a blurb to the effect that owning the card will help your credit rating in the eyes of future lenders.
This is true to some extent but with some caveats that are worth keeping in mind. The first of these is the most obvious: owning a credit card is not enough: for better credit in the future you'll need to prove that you can effective manage credit commitments. Meaning, in effect, not only use them but use them well.
This is harder than it sounds which is why millions of people a year get in credit card debts that become unmanageable. That's why if you don't think you'll be able to manage it a credit card isn't for you.
With that in mind here are five ways you can plan your financial future and make it better but, as above, not all of them will suit everyone and you'll still need to be fairly astute when it comes to knowing which of these to choose between when it comes to your finances.
The first is to put yourself on the electoral register. When you compare personal loans you'll notice that many require this but it's easy, risk-free and comes up as a gold star with most lenders so either way you're laughing.
The second is to check your credit report quickly online. This can eliminate any problems with reporting which can easily be avoided by you pointing out the mistake to credit reference agency.
Many banks and other lenders now use such reference agencies so this is a piece of time well spent in respect to the future of the finances.
The third is to get a decent bank account. Being in an overdraft and paying interest constantly or not being with a bank that you'd want to get products from in the future is pretty pointless. Switch to get a better deal and your future self will thank you.