Setting and Achieving Your Financial Goals

Goal-based investing is the practice of investing with the purpose of achieving specific life goals instead of just trying to maximise returns. As an investment strategy it is still pretty new but Franc users will definitely be familiar with it as it is the philosophy our app is based on. Setting a goal is so important for a lot of reasons including raising motivation, magnifying focus and allowing you to track your progress. This is why at Franc we are super excited about the release of our new edit goals feature.

When editing your goal be sure to make it as specific as you can, even give it a customised name! Some of our users have some really interesting goal names, ‘World Cup 2022’, ‘Young millionaire’, ‘Lobola’, ‘Business start-up capital’, ‘Disney World’ are just some that stand out. The Franc app gives you categories to help guide the thinking but you take it a step further and personalising your goal's name makes it more special and ultimately achievable. Research shows that people who write down their goals are 42% more likely to achieve them, so it’s a no-brainer to be intentional about what you are saving towards.

If you are stuck on what your goal should be; the rest of this article will be breaking down the goal categories we have at Franc as well as detailing how to actually change your current goal.

Wealth

This is the number 1 goal Franc users are saving for and we love that because we are all about helping to provide a solid financial foundation for South Africans to build their wealth on.  If wealth is your goal you could personalise it by putting a number to it. We have quite a few users aiming for a R1 million and even a couple of future billionaires!

Emergency Fund

This is the next most picked goal type and it makes sense. The pandemic has made everyone realise that emergency funds are a necessity because life is unpredictable and it is better to be prepared. An emergency fund might not be the most exciting of goals but that doesn’t mean the name has to be basic. Some of the great creative names our users currently have are the ‘F*** off fund’ and ‘Eish’.

Property/New Vehicle/Weddings/Big Purchase

Having the discipline and patience to save for a big purchase is hard so well done to all our Franc users who are dedicated to achieving their dreams. Saving for big purchases before rushing into them gives you time to plan properly and ultimately is key to avoiding paying unnecessary interest. You may not be able to buy a large purchase for cash, but saving for a decent deposit will allow you to take out a lower loan and help you score a lower interest rate. These goal names can be really specific. There’s a Franc user saving towards a ‘Ford Mustang 5.0 GT’. BMW’s are the most popular vehicle saving goal. Although some are also boldly making their monthly contributions as well as doing regular ad hoc account top ups towards achieving their goal of buying a Porsche and even a few Lamborghini requests. We love it when our Francsters dream big! Loads of people are also saving towards getting their own apartments, engagement rings 👀 or for the big wedding day.

Retirement

You could be using Franc as an additional investment account on top of your pension fund you have with your employer. Those who have already retired though may be looking for a safe place to keep some of their retirement payouts. No better place than in the cash fund of their Franc account, where they’ll be getting top tier interest rates and competitive fees. Also, I’ve learnt recently that retirements are not one size fits all and that means there are different things you could be investing towards, one user has decided their Franc account is for their grandchildren, they are really living the #generationalwealth dream.

Education

This is a really big category for Franc users with a lot of smart people saving for themselves or their children’s education. Franc is big into education so we really support goals that improve and uplift. Remember you can also get access to Franc’s free education by subscribing to our easy to read weekly blog or our free Franc Academy.

Holidays

Oscar Wilde wisely said “Live with no excuses and travel with no regrets.” Making sure you can not only afford flights and accommodation but having enough spending money to actually enjoy your end destination is key. We love it when Franc users achieve this goal and get to treat themselves to a well deserved rest as they set off to explore the world. Mauritius is the number one desired destination of our Franc fans.

Group Fund

Although our accounts are made for individuals that doesn’t mean you can’t use it as a group fund. We have a couple of people with accounts for their businesses and one of my personal favourites, a family stokvel. You’ll all be sharing one account that means you’ll all get to keep an eye on the transactions list and use the same reference.

Set a goal when you first registered and ready to make a change? Just edit your goal:

With SO many goal options to choose from we often get asked if people can have multiple goals. For now you can select one goal and you have the freedom to decide how much and how often you save towards it. Stay tuned though as we are currently working on adding multiple goals for you shortly!