Probably the biggest changes in your life are going to happen when you have a baby. This is also the right moment to analyze your financial situation in order to be sure you will be able to use your incomes in an optimum way. The costs of pregnancy are quite high and you should do all that you can in order to gain information and be able to deal with this moment in life.
Here’s some useful advice that you may want to take into account right now:
Reevaluate your budget
Find out in what way a child will affect your current costs. Children come with extra costs and if you or your partner reduced your work schedule, you’ll have to deal with them with a lower budget.
Benefits and financial support
When you have a baby, your budget might be unbalanced. There are all kind of benefits that can help you before and after the birth; you need to know from the beginning what help you can get from the state. There is the child benefit for anyone responsible for a child, statutory maternity pay for pregnant women and new mums on maternity leave (up to 39 weeks) and so on.
Save money for the future
Analyze what are your possibilities to save money for your child’s future. You can open a saving account since the moment of his birth.
Plan for unpleasant situations
It is a good idea to know how to protect your family in case things go wrong:
- Emergency money – it’s always good to save money for any emergency. Inform yourself which is the best offer for your family’s personal needs, but make sure you can access the money when you need to.
- If you get sick or you lose your job – find out how you may help your family if something unhappy happens. You need to know exactly what your insurance covers. For example, the insurer may not pay for a chronic disease that existed before the insurance was signed, but he was not aware of it. Inform yourself what’s the amount and for how long the insurance is valid. Analyze all the insurances possible and go for the one that covers your needs in the best way.
- What happens in case of a death – It is not easy to think at such assumptions, but it’s good to have a will so you can decide in what way your goods will be divided. You might also want to ask yourself how your family will do in case something happens. This is what life insurances are for. They protect your family from any unfortunate event.
Other types of insurance
There are also other types of insurance that you might take into consideration when it comes to your health. Inform yourself what kinds of risks cover those insurances and decide later what’s really good for you.
Returning back to your workplace:
Find out in what way your return will affect your incomes. Your incomes may get higher, but on the other hand, your costs will increase as well. If you decide to go back to work, figure out if you can get any help from the state. Also, remember the fact that a lot of parents do go back too early to work. Make sure that you bond with the child and that you come back at the right moment.