© Shutterstock

The 50/30/20 rule for budgeting income -

Probably the most widely known rule for budgeting is the 50/30/20 rule, which means 50% of your income is for necessities (housing, bills, food, etc.), 30% for wants and lifestyle experiences (dining out, vacations, hobbies, entertainment, etc.), and 20% for financial goals (paying off debt, saving for retirement, etc.).

© Shutterstock

The 10% rule for retirement -

Saving 10% of your gross income for retirement is another well-known rule of thumb, particularly because it gives people a simple, achievable number to work with. Experts say, however, these days it’s better to aim a little higher, up to 20%.

© Shutterstock

The six-month rule for emergency funds -

Our lives can turn upside down at any moment, which is why it’s a rule of thumb to have six months’ worth of expenses saved in case of an emergency. If you’re a double-earner household or have a second source of income, then a minimum of three months' worth of expenses is the recommended amount.

© Shutterstock

Pay yourself first -

No, sadly this doesn’t mean spending money on yourself. Instead, this old rule of thumb helps you prioritize saving, because even if your budget is tight, you should be putting money away first before you allocate it elsewhere.

© Shutterstock

The 20% rule for buying a home -

The rule of putting at least 20% down when buying a home ensures that you limit the total amount you borrow, it lowers your monthly mortgage cost, and it can increase your chances of being approved for the loan.

© Shutterstock

The 20/4/10 rule for buying a vehicle -

If you have to borrow when buying a car, to avoid spending more than you can afford you should put down at least 20%, keep the loan limited to no more than four years (to avoid interest), and spend no more than 10% of your gross income on transportation costs (which includes the car payment, parking, gas, and insurance).

© Shutterstock

The 10-year rule for buying a new vehicle -

When trying to decide whether to buy a used car or a new one, it’s typically financially wiser to buy used. But if you want to buy new, you should plan to drive the car for 10 years or more.

© Shutterstock

The 30% for housing (renters) -

Though this can be quite a varying number depending on where you live and how much you make, the cost of rent and utilities should ideally be 30% of your income or less.

© Shutterstock

Add your raise to your savings account -

It can be tempting to splurge once you receive a raise, but when you already have a salary that funds a budget and lifestyle you’re happy with, anything higher should go to savings. This way you won’t inflate your lifestyle spending, and you’ll be able to grow your savings much quicker.

© Shutterstock

The 12% rule for unexpected sums -

If you receive a nice sum as a gift, inheritance, or a bonus, the general rule of thumb is to use 12% of that on yourself right away, and then put the rest in the bank for a few months to properly consider the best way to spend it.

© Shutterstock

The age rule for stocks -

Since stocks are more risky than bonds, it’s advised that the older you get, the less you invest in stocks. Experts suggest subtracting your age from 100 (many also say 110, or 120) to find the percentage of your portfolio that should be in shares.

© Shutterstock

Highest-interest debt is paid first -

Debt repayment is a tricky field, but this simple rule of thumb will help you save the most and get your debt paid off the quickest.

© Shutterstock

If nothing else, track problem spending areas -

If you’re not so great at keeping track of a budget, your primary focus should at least be tracking the areas where you tend to overspend, like dining out or buying clothes.

© Shutterstock

The 10-15% rule for food -

Food is a difficult budgeting area, especially when the hunger strikes and your fridge isn’t stocked, but the general rule experts advice is spending about 10-15% of your budget on food.

© Shutterstock

The 2-10% rule for personal items -

The amount you spend monthly on things like entertainment, haircuts, clothing, etc. will vary, but it’s best to keep it under 10% of your budget.

© Shutterstock

Retirement first, kids’ college funds second -

As a parent, this might feel counterintuitive to the desire to put your kids first, but keep in mind that children can borrow money for school in a way that you can't for retirement.

© Shutterstock

The first-year salary rule for student loans -

The rule is to not take out more in student loans than you expect to make your first year on the job. While it's aimed at helping people take out an amount that they’ll actually be able to repay, skyrocketing tuition rates in some places coupled with increasing unemployment rates among fresh grads make this a tricky one.

© Shutterstock

The rule of 72 for investments -

To figure out how long it will take your investment to double, divide 72 by the expected growth rate of your investments, expressed as a percentage. For example, if you expect to earn 10% per year on your investment, it will take you about 7.2 years to double your money.

© Shutterstock

Double in 10 rule for portfolios -

You should generally aim to have your portfolio double every 10 years, to make sure your investments are on track and growing well.

© Shutterstock

The eight-year rule for buying new appliances -

When an appliance like a fridge, TV, dishwasher, etc. breaks, buy a new one if the appliance is eight or more years old or the repair would cost more than 50% of the replacement cost.

© Shutterstock

The 30-35% rule for mortgage owners -

If you have a mortgage, you should put no more than 30-35% of your net income towards minimum debt payments. Experts say the 30-35% range is often what mortgage lenders will look at when considering debt-to-income ratio. If you don’t have a mortgage, the same percentage rate applies to both minimum debt payments and your monthly rent.

© Shutterstock

Fixed mortgage rate for fixed residency -

The rule of thumb for property owners is that you should fix your mortgage rate at least as long as you plan to be in your home, and only consider a variable-rate mortgage if you're planning to move on in a couple of years.

© Shutterstock

Expenses + 10% for retirement planning -

It can be hard to know how much you’ll really need in retirement, but the general rule for calculating your annual retirement needs is by figuring out your current pre-retirement expenses and adding 10%.

© Shutterstock

Always take the employer match on your retirement account -

Some employers offer to match some retirement investments, and it's generally viewed as very financially wise to save at least enough to get that match.

© Shutterstock

Determining the actual cost of owning a car -

Not sure how to know if you’re financially ready for a car? A helpful way to estimate the cost of owning a car is to double the price tag and divide that by 60. If the car costs US$10,000, it’ll cost around $333 per month for all its expenses, including plating and insurance, so around $4,000 per year.

© Shutterstock

The 5-6x salary rule for life insurance -

When deciding how much term coverage to get for life insurance, one useful tool is to multiply your gross annual salary by five or six, and try to get at least that much total coverage.

© Shutterstock

Five-year saving milestones -

How to know if you’re saving enough money? A general guideline is that by age 35 you’ve saved one annual salary worth, by 40 you’ve saved twice that, by 55 you’ve saved three times that, and so on.

© Shutterstock

Ask for help! -

Oftentimes we feel alone in our financial planning, and it can be a huge undertaking that gets lost in the pile of career, relationships, and enjoying our lives. Don't be afraid to ask for help!

Sources: (Lifehacker) (The Dough Roller) (Canstar)

See also: A step-by-step guide to financial stability

© Shutterstock