“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else” – Benjamin Franklin

What does everyone who finds it hard to save money have in common? We all have an excuse for why we can’t do it. Let’s talk through a few of the most commonly made excuses.

1.       You can’t afford it

You want to save, maybe you even “try” to save sometimes, but your money just doesn’t stretch far enough. It’s not unusual to feel that you’re not making enough money to start saving, and even those who have generous wages report this as an excuse not to save.

So why do you feel like you don’t have enough money? The simple answer is that you may just be spending more than you actually need to. Take a good hard look at your “necessary” spending, and think about which items you may be able to cut down on, and try not to spend more just because you’re earning more.

2.       You will start saving “tomorrow”

You want to save, but it can wait until tomorrow, or next month, or next year, what difference does it make? Well actually it could make a lot of difference. Too many of us tell ourselves that it’s fine for us to just leave it until later to start saving.

Take a moment to think of your future self, who wants to buy a house, go on holiday, or maybe even retire early. Now ask yourself if there’s any good reason why you shouldn’t start saving now; with compound returns it can make a big difference if you start saving early. So don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

3.       It’s too complicated

With all the different saving and investing options, it’s not surprising that many of us are confused about where to start. Super funds, savings accounts, share market? You’ve got a few options, but they don’t make it that easy for you. Choosing the right super fund, or constructing the right portfolio of shares can be a daunting task at times, and may require a significant level of knowledge and expertise.

ETFs provide you with a great option to begin investing in the share market; ETFs can track a certain index such as the ASX 200, and allow you to gain exposure to a variety of different shares for a very small fee.

Using Raiz to help stop the excuses

Whether you think you can’t afford it, you’re putting it off until tomorrow, or it all seems too complicated, we think that by using Raiz you can help eliminate those excuses from your life.

By rounding-up your purchases, Raiz helps you link spending to saving, so instead of thinking about what you can and can’t afford, you can just go about your business while Raiz does your saving in the background.

It’s never too complicated with Raiz; we’ve constructed 5 different portfolios for you to choose from, from 7 different ETFs. With Raiz you get the sophistication of a fund manager, with a fraction of the fees.

You don’t need to keep putting it off until tomorrow. We have made our sign-up process as easy as possible, so you can start today and thank yourself later.

Say hello to Raiz, and goodbye to excuses.