I Know Something Needs to Change Financially, But I Don't Know Where to Start
One of the most common money questions I see is:
What should I do with my money?
It’s a valid question, but it’s tough to answer.. but NOT for the reason you think.
It’s not because money is scary or complicated, or already over your head. It’s because the answer depends entirely on where you are right now- and a lot of people actually don’t have that information.
You know something needs to change financially, you want to make better decisions, and you want to stop feeling behind- but when you google what to do, the answer might not make sense to you and leave you feeling worse off and even more behind than you were before.
It’s not because you’ve messed up your money so bad there’s no way to fix it now, and it’s not because the solutions are too complicated for you to implement.
It’s just because not everyone is at the same step in their money journey, and what you should do with your money isn’t the same thing as what somebody else with a completely different financial picture should do- so when you try to do what someone else should do, no wonder it doesn’t work!
So where do you start?
The Best Place To Start Is Where You Are
What the heck does that mean?
Before you can figure out what you’re supposed to do to get to where you want to be financially, you need to figure out exactly where you are. It’s not complicated, just things like:
How much money is coming in each month?
How much is going out?
What debts do I have?
How much do I have saved?
What is my net worth?
Do I have positive cash flow or am I falling behind every month?
Without those answers, you're basically throwing darts while blindfolded and hoping one hits the target.
Sometimes it works, but most of the time it creates more frustration- and if you’re here, I’m guessing you don’t need any more of that!
When you can see exactly where you stand financially, the next step becomes crystal clear- be it better budgeting, starting an emergency fund, paying down debt, or investing more.
Money Doesn’t Have To Be Scary
If getting all of these numbers together feels intimidating or scary, I created something to help! The Financial Snapshot walks you through identifying:
your income
your expenses
your cash flow
your debt
your assets
your net worth
and even gives you suggested next steps based on what you find.
You can stop guessing, or wondering whether you're supposed to be budgeting, saving, investing, paying down debt, or finding ways to earn more.
You'll have actual information to guide your decisions- specific to YOU.
So What Should You Do With Your Money?
Maybe build an emergency fund.
Maybe pay down debt.
Maybe invest.
Maybe increase your income.
Maybe improve your budget.
The answer depends on where you are today, which is why the first step isn't choosing a financial strategy- it’s getting clear on your financial reality. That's why I highly recommend the Financial Snapshot, which you can grab here.
Once you know where you stand, you'll have a much better idea of where to go next.
