In Alice’s situation her goal of paying off student loan is an intermediate term goal, it is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely considering her current financial stand without increasing her monthly expenditure. Though she has other plans in her to do list from short term to long term. Using S.M.A.R.T planning method we look at it one after the other.
Specific: Knowing what you want to do, considering the pros and cons, itemizing it in your to do list means its specific, paying off her student loan of $53,000 will take quite some time looking at her annual finances and other bills that comes with living. For other stuff in her to do list that are important to her like buying a house and save for children’s education, she will have to get a second job that will help in reducing her debts in lets say 10 years time as well as save more to accumulate assets through long term investments that will help her after retirement and pay for her dream trip of traveling around the world in a sailboat.
Measurable: Her goals are measurable in the sense that, with her financial statement and a table of monthly expenditure, Alice knows how much she makes after tax, knows her budget
Specific: Knowing what you want to do, considering the pros and cons, itemizing it in your to do list means its specific, paying off her student loan of $53,000 will take quite some time looking at her annual finances and other bills that comes with living. For other stuff in her to do list that are important to her like buying a house and save for children’s education, she will have to get a second job that will help in reducing her debts in lets say 10 years time as well as save more to accumulate assets through long term investments that will help her after retirement and pay for her dream trip of traveling around the world in a sailboat.
Measurable: Her goals are measurable in the sense that, with her financial statement and a table of monthly expenditure, Alice knows how much she makes after tax, knows her budget