Financial health is something I’m super passionate about. As a small business owner, keeping track of my expenses day to day is a must. While my goal is to someday hire a full time accountant and advisor as I grow my business, learning what it takes to keep myself and the biz on track has been so much fun. Growing up I was one of those students that actually enjoyed math and to me, finances feel the same. It’s like solving a problem and when you finally get it right, it’s so rewarding.

Financial health starts by confronting your spending habits and taking stock of where you are. It’s not about putting yourself down, it’s just about getting honest. Everyone starts somewhere and honestly, if you’re even looking at your statements, you’re ahead of a lot of people. Need some motivation? I think of my future self. I love myself and loving myself means not leaving anything to chance. Hope to marry rich? That’s great! Sadly, hoping for the best and wishful thinking just doesn’t serve us. It’s like hoping the stain on your favorite shirt will one day just be gone. I get so much satisfaction out of knowing that I am taking care of my future self. Who knows what she might have to go through, but 24 year old me is here for 30, 60, and even 100 year old me.

Even if you don’t make a lot of money, starting to plan and implement good habits and mindsets now can change your relationship with money. A lot of us feel shame around money, but don’t even know why. I saw money as being icky – that it went hand in hand with greed. When in actuality, money means being able to support myself, my crazy high Crohn’s medical bills, starting college funds for the babies I know I want to have, and saving for a retirement filled with travel to visit those babies wherever they land. I don’t make a ton of money now, in fact, I was on unemployment last year, but even on unemployment I managed to triple my net worth in the 6 months that I started financial planning.

One good habit to develop is to promise to continuously learn and educate yourself. This is important in all areas of life, but primarily finance. It’s not the scary world many people think it is. This may sound woo-woo, but money is energy. The more scared you are of it, the harder it’ll be to hold on to. For example, when you get your paycheck, do you spend it all immediately or do you have a plan that you’ve crafted out to fit your needs and have an allotted amount that goes towards “fun money” each month? Why don’t you? Get to the root of your why.

Some great resources that changed my money mindset and have got me on track:

1. Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach

2. I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

3. any retirement calculator – I am 24. By maxing out my Roth IRA each month, I’m on track to have over $2 million by the time I’m 65, with the average expected rate of return at 8%. Knowing this has kicked my butt into making sure I save that amount every month because it means I could have a salary of almost $60,000 until I’m 100. And if you have an employer match for your 401K…it could be even more than that! Nerd Wallet Compound Interest Calculator

4. Following some cool small business accountants on Instagram and listening to money mindset podcasts. By learning the psychology behind my own beliefs around money, that has helped shed light on areas I can improve on and grow from!

I could talk for hours about money and financial health. It is so important, we need it to live, and yet it’s something we often avoid leading to stress and anxiety. While yes, looking at our spending habits and learning about Roth IRAs can be daunting, a little extra anxiety and fear up front is worth it for the reward of feeling confident several months down the road, and for the rest of your life!