Writing tips

Include details

When we read a piece of writing, we expect details so that we can know something new by the time we get to the end of the piece. A common 'sin' committed by inexperienced writers is that they are vague and that leaves the reader asking questions and wanting to know more.

For instance, it is just too easy to write, "The leader of the organisation said that we must take care of the environment or else bad things will happen." This kind of writing gives the impression that the writer is too lazy to find out the details. It is better to write something like this: "David Chan, the CEO of the think tank Green Space, warned that carbon emissions must be drastically reduced within the next two years or else global warming will only worsen and small islands may disappear in twenty years' time."

Keep it simple

Some students like to throw fancy words and expressions to impress the reader. The problem is that they are used inappropriately and that results in leaving the reader confused. Other times, it creates the impression that the writer thinks highly of oneself and is using complicated expressions to showboat and flaunt their supposed superiority. If you do wish to impress people with your writing, you can always do so with simple language to show how adept you are at manipulating the language and using it with flair. That is far harder to do than using big words and phrases that dull the mind when readers need to work out what you are trying to say.

Keep it concise

Always bear in mind that you can easily lose the reader if you use too many words to labour on one particular point. It is important to let the mind flow and allow words to appear on the page effortlessly. But, at the same time you need to exercise some control or you will appear self-absorbed. Do not fall in the trap of writing to please yourself and being amused by your own witticisms unless you have fans who enjoy reading your self-admiring thoughts. You are not writing a diary – you are writing to someone else.

Use personal experiences to illuminate ideas

This essay requires you to add your personal experience of financial management. Naturally, students need to write from their own point of view and provide any anecdotes. Think back to a time when you made an impulsive purchase and used up all your money, or a situation where you only had a little pocket money left at the end of the month and wanted to buy something expensive. By unearthing these personal experiences, you can supply unique material for the article. Students should reflect deeply how these experiences had made them think about ways to manage money prudently.

Do research on financial management concepts

Although expounding personal experiences will attract readers, the focus of the article is to demonstrate knowledge of financial concepts and techniques. Therefore, students should study various financial management skills, or put them into practice, so that you know exactly what you are writing about instead of just writing a theoretical essay. These learning experiences make the article more interesting and credible.

Keep a record of expenditure

When it comes to financial planning, keeping a record of purchases is indispensable. Students can carefully write down their daily expenses and consumption, study their own consumption habits, and then find out what financial management knowledge they lack. This is a good way to begin the article to show how you have mismanaged your finances at the beginning and then show at the end how you applied financial management concepts.

Ask relatives and friends for help

If you really can't think of what to write, you can ask your parents, relatives and friends if there is anything you need to do form better spending habits, or you can ask them for advice on financial management. In this way, you can understand from different angles how you spend your money and this would make the article read better. At the same time, the opinions of relatives and friends can also augment the article's arguments or opinions, giving it credence from an adult's point of view.

Invest in yourself

You may think that at your age you are too young to think about financial planning. You probably expect to learn about good financial management when you start a career and begin to save money for a home, medical expenses, a pension, and so on. But it is never too early to start thinking about saving, investing and wealth management. The more knowledge you have about good financial management, the better you become at spending and saving wisely. It is important to explain in your writing how important an early investment in financial management can reap huge dividends later on in life. By investing in the future, you are able to make your life goals come to fruition because you will have a solid financial foundation that will give you security to do whatever you wish to do. Write out your future financial plans and that will help you form a good idea of what you want to achieve in life, be it self-financing your higher education or maybe one day invest in your own business.