January 6th, 2026 at 12:06 PM

💸 personal finance

disclaimer: i am not a financial professional. this is just how i manage my own money. i highly recommend you do your own research.


personal finances doesn't have to be difficult or intimidating. by having a simple plan, you set yourself up better than the majority of people, no matter your situation.

here's the plan/routine i've been following for myself since getting my first job:

building a foundation

  1. start with a budget
    • truly understand how much money you actually make, not how much you think you make
    • plan where you want your money to go, prioritizing what's necessary
    • track all of your expenses
  2. pay for the absolute essentials
    • rent/mortgage + utilities
    • groceries
    • utilities
    • requirements to maintain your income (necessary transportation, etc.)
    • health care
  3. pay the minimum required payments on debts (credit cards, loans, etc.)
    • forgetting to do this can do catastrophic damage to your credit and build significant debt

escape high interest debt

  1. build a small emergency fund that you can fall back to in dire times
    • something like $1000 or a month's worth of expenses
    • keep this money in a free high yield savings account (HYSA) to make the most of it
  2. pay for non-essential but important expenses that improve your quality of life
    • phone, internet, cable, etc.
  3. pay off all your high interest debt and loans (>= double the prime interest rate)
    • prioritize debts with the highest interest rate
    • see if you can reduce your high interest rates

looking toward the future

  1. increase the size of your emergency fund
    • 3 months worth of expenses if your job is stable
    • 6-12 months worth of expenses if your job is not stable
  2. if your employer offers a retirement account with employer match, contribute the minimum amount needed to get the full match
    • this is free money for your future!
  3. pay off all your moderate interest debt and loans (>= prime interest rate)
  4. open and contribute to a retirement account
    • max out a Roth IRA if you're able to
    • max out a Traditional IRA if you're able to
    • contribute >=10% of your income to an employer retirement account

if you satisfied everything on this list, there's a good chance you're on track to retire early. but a few factors to keep in mind:

  • you may need to scale your goals to how many people you are expected to care for. financial goals for just yourself and goals for a family of 4 will be very different!
  • don't try to beat the market, and avoid investing into individual stocks. i highly recommend running a three fund portfolio.
  • actually plan for how much money you need for your retirement goals. while it isn't a bad thing to saving absolutely every dollar, you may realize you can spend a bit more on yourself today and still have plenty for retirement.