How is our philosophy at The Wayfinder Money Club different from anything else you’ve ever heard about personal finance? What makes this version of wealth-building worth paying attention to?

Here it is.

Most other methods jump right into making specific money moves. Save this. Invest that. Pay it off. Invest more.

That advice is, in most cases, just fine. I agree with lots of it. It’s the how-to of building wealth well.

If you’ve been following along with The Playbook, though, you’re noticing that we’re just now getting to this conversation about “the steps”. In our blueprint, it might seem that these are buried in the middle of everything else.

That’s because they are.

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Foundation || Dream || Design || Autopilot || Lifestyle

In The Club, we’re more concerned about the system you’re building around these magical steps (and they are kinda magical when your system works them well 😀).

Others’ outline the steps. We talk about how-to actually make your way through them.

Design

Since what we do is centered around developing your money system, this is the point where you simply start pulling certain levers within what’s already running in the background of your life. You have an active budget, you’re in rhythm checking in, you’ve defined the kind of life you’re building, and you know what the ultimate goal is.

So what’s next?

It’s these infamous steps.

And with an operating system ready to take it on, you’re poised to make a move.

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For the first decade plus of my marriage, every transition from December to January involved the same exercise: rebuild our budget.

Why did it have to be rebuilt every year?

Because, once we entered our income, saving, expenses, and felt decent about our theories we wouldn’t see it again until the following year. Same time, same place, new year.

Did we reach our goals? Did we really spend according to what we said we would? I think this sums it all up well…

🤷‍♂️

Send help

Our process clearly wasn’t working. There had to be a way to keep up without feeling like we had to spend hours every week logging expenses. There had to be some way of making our budget come alive. Some way of keeping it in front of us. A way of informing us of how real life is stacking up to our theory.

I’m thankful we live in this generation. There are so many resources at our fingertips. And I think a lot of us are missing out on what’s available. Maybe it’s because we’re distracted. Maybe it’s because we don’t know to even look for it. Whatever the reason, here’s the reality…budgeting has never been easier. Saving has never been easier. Investing has never been easier. Staying on top of fixed expenses has never been easier.

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Enter an automated tracking system with realtime feedback

It’s been multiple years since I built my last budget.

My family has some sort of automation running for just about every part of our personal finances. The budget, for example, imports all transactions, auto-assigns them to their corresponding category, which then updates progress for that category too. Then the budget is automatically copied over to the following month.

My role has drastically changed from what it used to be. The system does the work. I just check-in, make tweaks, and allow it to inform me of where we’re at.

This is why you should go through the process of building a system for your money

Life is too expensive. And unpredictable. And short. And challenging. And layered, It’s all of this and more. It’s too much for us to be constantly unaware of how we’re really managing our money.

I was attempting to willpower my way through plans that were doomed to fail after five weeks or five months. Every new method carried the same stop/start pattern with it. We would start strong. Then stop when life got in the way.

Darren Hardy said it well: we need something that will last us decades. We need this because that’s how long it takes. It’s a life-long journey to build wealth. So our systems must be designed in such a way that will scale with life.

The right kind of system, built to serve you and your goals, will see you through. Even when life changes. Even when expenses fluctuate. Even when the unexpected comes. Even when your income goes up or comes down.

Your money system will ensure that you never have to build your budget again. You have this assurance because budgeting means something completely different to you now. Wise money management is a lifestyle now, not an annual activity.

Today, the work is found simply in the habit of checking in consistently.

That’s it.

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Don’t wait

There are massive advantages to grasping these concepts as early in life as possible.

You might hear how significant it is to start investing when you’re young. It’s amazing the difference in someone starting to invest at 22 compared to someone at 32. What makes up that difference is the amount of time your money has to compound. That’s one advantage to an early start.

Another that you don’t hear about as much is that, when you build the right kind of system with the right kind of habits early on, it’s not just bringing present clarity. It’s training you to handle the increase when it comes.

Life is so much more simple when you’re just getting started. Spouses, kids, vehicles, houses, bills…most, if not all, of these things haven’t arrived yet.

So remember this: your early start is simplifying the system activation process.

Do it now when life has fewer variables. Then slowly add to it as new elements arise. The beauty of doing it this way is that, as you apply new things to your existing system, you have clear data telling you whether or not these additions are wise or not.

Automated structuring of your budget is like an objective filter against what the pros call “lifestyle creep” (quietly, subconsciously spending more and more as life grows, many times without realizing it). As life evolves, each new variable has this clearcut filter to keep you on track.

Start early. Start now. You’re creating a system that can evolve with you. You’re training yourself to be ready when increase happens.

Building your forever budget

Here’s where you go from here.

The Wayfinder Money Club is for you.

It’s not another hub for money info. There’s plenty of that to go around.

Its purpose is to help you build your forever budget.

It’s here to guide you through designing and activating your 50 year system.

The biggest hurdle for most people is starting. So I’m proposing that you create the conditions where you never need to start again.

Your system to come will see you through. It will begin removing the stress that money has caused in your life. It will soon be replaced with confidence. Confidence that what you have built is working for you.

Design yours with intention. It will produce the results you designed it to produce. And as it does, you’ll never have to build a budget again.

Start with the Foundation

Your dream is documented. It’s out of your head and into the light. The really determined ones are leaning in and letting us know (in here). You’re sharing your new intentions: what wealth means to you, why you should build something significant, and where you’re ultimately going.

This is great. But what’s next is the only thing that will really generate positive change.

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Pause.

I talk a lot about facing the hard thing and taking action. I talk about standing up to something you might have buried for years. Not only is your money not operating in an effective system that’s propelling you toward your goals, you’re actively avoiding it because of the negativity that’s been built up around it.

Or maybe you don’t know what you don’t know. You weren’t taught, so the very idea of making money moves early on in life is a totally new concept to you.

Either way, it makes this process hard.

It makes it frustrating. It makes you feel behind. Or inadequate. Or like you could never measure up. Then when you finally make yourself start, it’s hard to keep going. It’s hard to see the process through. Life throws punches and knocks you off your path. Humanity kicks in and we allow it to define us, even if for just a minute.

Enjoy it

So in the midst of this journey to communicate how to build a new lifestyle around wise money management, I wanted to take a moment to pause.

Hopefully you’ll read this somewhere in the middle…

Everything you feel to disqualify yourself from ever realizing your dreams and desires for your life is not true. The process is still hard. But you can do it.

As you go, remember to enjoy it. Enjoy figuring it all out, one thing at a time. Enjoy the small wins. Enjoy those you have around you to do life with. Enjoy the new start signaled by the sun rising even after a tough day.

Enjoy not understanding something…because it means you get to have a meaningful conversation with someone you wouldn’t have had otherwise since it made sense the first time.

It’s a long process to build an effective system for your finances and then live it out.

So don’t forget.

You can find joy along the way.

You can make it fun.

You can enjoy it.

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Joy in community

We need each other too. A good neighbor will meet you where you are, relate to you you, help you realize we’re all a lot more alike than we think, challenge you, hold you accountable, and provide you with a little dose of joy you’re having a hard time finding some days.

I’ll mention it again…having things to learn is a good thing. It means you get to be in conversations that provide new insight and perspective. Lean into these. Enjoy getting to know someone and what they’ve walked through. Wisdom is developed through experience, but it’s also found in your willingness to be curious in conversation.

The path

What’s required is still what’s required.

A working system is the goal.

Your commitment to get it there is the cost.

It starts with a shift in our mentality. What’s actually true is that you are capable of building wealth. You can learn what’s necessary and apply it. You can get on track and stay on track.

The first step isn’t to immediately change your situation. It’s to change how you’re seeing it.

Expose yourself to helpful things. What you’re consistently exposed to will shape what you believe, which will determine what you eventually do.

So stay close to good resources. Get in good conversation. And find a way to enjoy the process of building the life you want.

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Some part of you knows that, if you could just figure out your money, life would feel completely different. You could experience peace instead of stress every time you open your checking account. You could walk with confidence knowing your system is rolling along toward the life you want, all because you made the right decisions before the stormy seasons of life happened.

We would all agree that this kind of life is ideal.

And yet, we’re still stuck.

Stuck getting started. Stuck. Unable to consistently track our spending. Stuck. Can’t get in rhythm with our budget process. Stuck. Haven’t opened our investment account because we still don’t understand it. Stuck.

So then what happens?

Even in the middle of the frustration, it’s not frustrating enough to propel us through the process. We justify our flying blind approach and the status quo never changes.

And I get it.

I’ve been stuck too.

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This first step…

As I’m writing this, it’s been a little more than four months since my first Substack post. I’ve been excited to coach people through designing and activating a system for their money. To build the budget. Then to move onto outlining bank accounts, saving, and, of course, investing.

That’s where it gets fun. Investing is where your money really begins working for you. Learning about the power of the market, crafting your portfolio, and automating purchases is how the future you want gets built.

But I’m stuck.

I wrote an article for each part of our wealth-building process early on, but since then…I’m stuck on what I call The Foundation.

This foundation is all about budgeting. It’s about tracking your expenses. It’s about activating a system for your money, so you’re never flying blind again. It’s not the sexiest step. In theory, it seems so simple to just do it.

I’m ready to move on.

I’m ready to talk more about my favorite ETFs and how you can be a bigger blessing to those around you.

But I keep coming back.

My goal with each new post is to provide motivation, support, and guidance to take positive steps with your money. Too many people are having their peace, confidence, relationships, and futures stolen from them because of anxiety produced around money.

And it seems to keep coming back to one thing…

A cracked foundation

Here’s what I’m learning:

If you don’t get the budgeting piece right, every other part of the process doesn’t have a foundation to stand on.

Houses built on sand will fall in a storm.

Saving, investing in your future, investing in your family’s future, living the life you want…None of these things are accomplished well without filtering them through a working budget.

If you get ahead of yourself and try to start investing without considering regular life expenses, you have no way of knowing if everything adds up. What if your math is off and it’s a down year in the market? Or what if you skipped building the emergency fund and something unexpected comes up?

A working budget answers these questions for you.

A common theme

As we press on in our conversation about money, you can expect this from me.

I’m going to stay stuck on budgeting, so you don’t have to.

Whether we’re talking about the budget as a foundation, or investing as a future builder, there will always be a common theme to make sure your money moves are being filtered through your living, active, organized budget.

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Your budget will show you

Our philosophy is to own a simplified budget framework:

Each number represents a target percentage for that group. You can adjust these according to your own goals. Wherever they land, use them as your guide.

List out your expenses:

Giving: Decide this ahead of time. Prioritize it. Make it a non-negotiable.

Needs: Housing, food, utilities, transportation, insurance, anything else essential for survival.

Wants: Non-essentials, lifestyle.

Record each fixed expense. Set a target for variable categories. Add everything up.

What’s left? Are you happy with the percentage remaining to save?

If so, get to work.

If not, adjust. What needs to change?

As your budget works, it will reveal reality to you. It will provide valuable info you can use to re-shape your life according to your values.

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Getting un-stuck

It’s time to really get started this time.

Confidence is ahead. Peace is ahead.

To be clear, your work is required.

You must commit to the process.

An active system for your money is the goal, but the cost is your willingness to build it.

Don’t do it all at once. Just take one step.

Organize

Here are two options for taking a practical step right now to organize your personal budget.

I’m thrilled for you to finally get un-stuck.

I can see it now. Your foundation is looking nice and strong. You’re setting the stage to begin building long-term wealth with confidence.

Would you tell us about how your process is going? Or what you intend to accomplish next? Join the chat below and give us an update.

Welcome to The Coaching Room.

You know you need it. You’ve put it off long enough. It’s time to take action.

It’s important to have a coach in your life. We grew up with different forms of it. We had coaches that taught us how to plan. How to practice. How to study. How to perform. How to discover and stretch beyond our ability. How to achieve something.

Coaches are good for us, even if only to get us moving and then to keep us going.

For some reason, however, the moment we “grow up” is the moment most of us never even think about one again, let alone actually pursue this valuable resource for our lives.

Today is the day that changes for you

I showed up to Substack to bring coaching back for the everyday, just getting started, and trying to figure it all out kind of person.

Coaching can be expensive. It’s not here.

It’s just enough for you to feel the investment.

It’s enough to build motivation to take a step.

Great players have coaches. They become great, and remain great, because someone else is in their corner.

Today is your day to do the same for yourself. There are people depending on you to finally dig in with your money. How you spend, where you spend, and what you spend on directly reflects your heart. Regardless of intention, spending signals your value system.

It really is true…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

It’s time to lean into where your treasure really is. Then refine it to where it needs to be to fulfill your purpose.

The Coaching Room

This space, as you know, is called The Wayfinder Money Club. It’s intended to be just that. A club. One you feel part of. One with community. One you’ve invested in. One you expect something out of.

And just like any clubhouse, it has rooms.

Your paid subscriber chat is The Coaching Room.

This is the room you step into for real growth.

It’s where your intentions transition to action.

It’s where you ask for guidance, communicate your plans, and expect accountability.

Here you’ll experience the private coaching feel without the big bill (I guess we’re rhyming now too??).

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The Coach

I’m here to be your coach. To direct you. Challenge you. And cheer you on as you make progress. Joining the club gives you access to me and, more importantly, accountability for you.

Our growing community will be there too. We’re all a lot more alike than we think. And we can use a space where talking about the steps we need to take with our money is par for the course.

What you can expect

Consistent check-ins: I’ll jump in the chat to start the conversation. These will be the, “How are things going?”; “What will you accomplish this week?”; “Did you do what you said you would do last week?” type questions.

Deeper insight: I’ll share in more detail things my family does to manage our money, favorite index funds & ETFs for investing, and other things I’m learning.

Member led conversation: Anyone is welcome to bring something helpful to the table, ask for help, or accountability. We’re here to grow together.

Access to all available tools: I’ve built some resources for your system development that are only available to paid subscribers. I’ll build more as time goes on as we learn what can better serve you.

How to best utilize The Club

Once you’re in, there are three ways to use the club to keep you moving on your journey:

1. Follow (and trust) the process: you’re building a lifestyle here, so move through the process in order. It’s designed to build and activate a system for your money that runs while you live life. Use The Playbook, which breaks it down one step at a time (see below).

2. Use the tools: take advantage of the tools mentioned above to help yourself get organized. Taking control is hard work. Commit to doing what’s required. Allow these resources to guide you.

3. Pursue coaching: the chat is where you solidify your growth. Ask for coaching, expect more from yourself, and follow-through with what you say you’re going to do. Before you know it, your life will look totally different.

Hard work

I realize I’ve picked a tough subject matter to write about and invite people into. So much pressure, shame, guilt, and plenty of insecurity has been placed around money, so we largely avoid it altogether. Let’s rewrite that narrative by what we do here.

The task to build your foundation and activate a new system that’s designed to build wealth is not easy. That’s why so many people avoid it, or start and quit. I did the same thing. Over and over again.

But it’s a new day. There’s this place maybe you stumbled on while scrolling through your feed. Maybe someone sent you a link, or you finally started searching for solutions to the negative money cycle you’re stuck in.

Either way, our purpose is too important to spend our lives looking down at our own situation where we keep trying to figure out how to make ends meet while there’s a world around us waiting for us to look up.

Welcome to the Club. The door to The Coaching Room is open.

Let’s grow together. Your future self, and those around you are depending on it.

Getting there is simpler than you might realize.

But what is “there”.

Of course in our case we’re talking about the amount of money that would free you from the obligation of working to pay for life. I’ll call it your retirement number, but it can also be thought of as your freedom number, or something alike.

This isn’t the finish line for your purpose. Many of us can wrap so much of our identity into our work that we assume our purpose is complete once the work is no longer necessary. That is incorrect. Our purpose lives on until as long as we live to see another day.

The point we’re making here is simply determining what amount of money invested would be enough that you no longer need to rely on a paycheck to cover your expenses. Your investments now take care of that for you for, ideally for the rest of your life.

Previously, you spent time in section one of The Dream thinking through the purpose of your life and the wealth you want to build. The next step is to define exactly what that destination is and then to determine your starting point for investing today.

I’ll say it again. It’s simpler than you might think.

The info you need, but can’t figure out

There is a process to determining your retirement number. It’s not difficult, but in early seasons of life where you’re just getting started, it can feel confusing. You have fewer expenses, most likely the lowest level of income you’ll ever bring in, and not as many variables to think through. That makes any attempt to write a number you feel confident in tougher to determine.

I’ve had numerous conversations with people working through this number. For those in the time of life I just described, I tell them all something similar. The info they're trying to figure out on their own (and ultimately avoiding because they keep getting stuck) can easily be gleaned from someone a season or two ahead of them in life.

If you are single and want a family one day, you know that will come with inevitable increases in your cost of living. If you want to buy (and pay off) a house, or travel, or give more it’s going to require a totally different number than what life demands from you right now.

So allow me to help.

As someone a season or two ahead of where you’re at, let’s talk through how to determine exactly what your retirement number should be based on two main factors: the what and when. Then you can work your way back to how much you will begin investing today, so you can reach that destination.

By the end of this post you’ll have exactly what you need to get started. You’ll know:

• Your number

• How to begin investing toward it

• The most effective way to automate it and keep it in front of you

The formula

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Are you relying on progress from your “high-energy” days to keep you out in front of the ones that knock you down?

Sometimes we wake up with peak energy where productivity is naturally flowing out of us. One task completed builds momentum to the next. We can’t be stopped. These are not the days a system exists for.

The system we all must have is for days on the other side of the spectrum. Our humanity guarantees that sometimes we will greet a new day with no desire to do what we know we need to. Life happens. Circumstances change. Unexpected situations occur. No matter how much we try (even those who consistently create the most optimal environment for themselves), there will be days you just aren’t feeling it.

I have plenty of days like these.

It’s days like these that I’m thankful for my system.

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Active systems make the “sticking to it” part easy

Systems exist to see us through these unmotivated days. Days where your task list feels challenging to even open up. Days where you simply need to take a breath and be with people. Days when quality time in the real world will fill you back up more than any productive day in your phone or computer ever could.

The beauty of a system is that, even on your worst days, it won’t skip a beat. You decided its functions based on your purpose and desires before the tough day came. Since it won’t emotionally waver in the face of your bad day, you can rely on it to cover the discipline you might need a day or two or a week to build back.

This is why, to build the kind of life we all want, you can’t afford to keep putting off creating your own.

Things happening automatically

Here are a few things happening in my own system that happen in the background, even on my worst days.

Budget - daily transactions imported and categorized, budget automatically updated in real time.

Giving - my family decided to be generous. Giving is automated to our church. Giving is also built into our budget, so we don’t have to debate with ourselves when opportunities arise.

Saving - weekly transfers are automated to keep saving consistent.

Investing - every paycheck for both my wife and I has a portion invested with employer retirement accounts getting a match.

Auto-payments - bills on autopay strategically placed throughout the month take care of essential expenses.

Each one of these things never has to wait on my circumstantial motivation to be completed. This is a system at work. One that, once turned on, just keeps moving.

Easy tasks that can still be done even on lowest energy days

With a working system, your tasks become so much easier. When everything you do is totally manual, what’s required of you is so much more difficult. Each item takes longer to complete. It involves more work. It relies on your willpower to accomplish it. Every time.

This is not sustainable. Your good days will propel you forward. Your bad days do the opposite. The key to a system you’ve designed according to your goals is that you can guarantee yourself positive progress on any one of those days. Your system will provide progress as a baseline. Then you have the opportunity to build on that with easy tasks that can be completed in minimal time.

Here are a few of mine:

Check budget transactions - my budget is automated, so each day I spend less than 5 minutes looking through any new transactions just to make sure they were categorized correctly. Less than 5 minutes per day, even on my worst days, saves hours if I were doing it all on my own.

Read - something from my bible (usually 1 chapter) and 10 pages from a book. I don’t set out to read 10+ books in a year. I just naturally pass through that total by (mostly) sticking to this easy daily habit.

Pray - I believe this one is absolutely more important than anything. We have a purpose and power beyond anything a manmade system can create.

Check-in with __ - when things like money tasks are being handled, you’re creating margin to think about others. Some of my logistical tasks have been replaced with ones like this: Send a text. Make a call. Spend time with someone.

Systems built the right way work. They make tasks simpler. And they transfer your time to more impactful things.

Pay for it

Here is the challenge.

There is a cost to stop having to rely on yourself to generate progress. An active system moving toward your goals requires construction. You must define it, organize it, build it, and turn it on. Without your investment in the beginning, whatever system you have allowed will continue to run your life.

The price might be high in the beginning, but the payoff is everything you want. It’s consistent movement without you having to lift a finger and habits that are easy to keep.

I am incredibly passionate about your system because I know the potential it brings to your life. It’s why I showed up here and why I’m learning how-to present a process that helps you find a way.

Make your own commitment.

Tell us about it as you go too. Make it your accountability tool.

Life won’t keep waiting on you. The sun will keep setting and then rising again. Each day presenting a new opportunity surrounded by a new set of circumstances.

You can build a foundation that works for you. One that makes progress regardless of your feelings.

Join the Club. It’s here to be the most accessible coaching you can find centered around system development for your money. Fixing your money will impact every area of your life. It will offload some of the weight you’ve been carrying to finally figure things out. It will provide a one-step-at-a-time approach to activating a system that will move you forward toward the future you want while bringing you confidence in your purpose today.

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Step 1

Don’t do it all at once.

Here are two things to get you started. One small task you can complete in about 10 seconds. And one that’s a little bigger.

It’s time to get to work. The life you want, where progress doesn’t rely on your day-to-day mood, is waiting on the other side.

If the steps to building wealth are supposed to inspire you…why do they instead initially feel discouraging?

Usually they show up in the form of a set of steps that start with saving a little and end with millionaire status.

It’s easy to look at something like that and begin to filter it through your less-than-ideal present reality.

“That could never be me.”

“But I have this and this and this going on right now.”

“I’m already too far gone to even start thinking about taking control of my money.”

“I don’t know how to start.”

“My life doesn’t work like that. I could never make it through.”

Many of us disqualify ourselves before we ever even try.

There is, however, a reality some of us need to understand that will change your mentality:

Life isn’t a linear trip through a set of steps for anyone.

No one is exempt from this. No matter how put together your neighbor seems to be.

Many times when we talk about building wealth we often miss mentioning this reality. The journey from your first step to your ultimate financial freedom is never a straight line forward.

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Life is messy.

Seasons come and go. You take two steps forward. One back. One forward again.

Then we look around and see that some seem to “make it” while others don’t.

This image of short-term vs. long-term market performance illustrates this well. Everybody’s life looks like the day-to-day version of a stock chart in some form. As you shift focus to the right side, the question becomes whether or not you trend in a positive or negative direction. Even in the midst of volatile days.

So what’s the difference?

It’s good news that life is messy for everybody. It tells us that we’re not alone. Our experiences aren’t as unique as we might think.

If that is true, now we must consider what it is that propels those that do find a way through “the steps” vs. those who don’t. There must be something.

That “something” is what I coach.

That “something” outweighs willpower.

That “something” just runs, even when you don’t feel like it.

That “something” can bend, but not break.

That “something” will accomplish what it’s been designed to accomplish, even when the conditions change.

That “something” can change everything for you.

That “something” is why this Substack exists.

That “something” is this:

System

There’s something powerful, something persistent, about a set of elements that are designed to accomplish a goal and activated to do so.

Expecting yourself to follow a set of steps without activating a system isn’t sustainable. It’s what brings on that discouraging feeling when contemplating your finances.

That is why I’ve set out to make the topic of system development a center-piece of my coaching and this Club.

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An active system doesn’t move contingent with emotions, or circumstance. It moves according to how it was designed to move.

Your real progress is what we’re after. And that won’t be accomplished without a system that works for you, even while life does its thing all around you.

So in order to better equip you to design and activate your money system, I’ve been learning more about the philosophy of systems and why they're so powerful when applied well.

The rest of this post will cover a few foundational thoughts on systems and how they connect to your wealth building journey.

For paid subscribers, I’ve included an example at the end of the post that illustrates what a working money system looks like through a monthly calendar. Day-to-day progress all happening automatically. Apply the framework to your own life and your system will be off and running too!

Definitions & Characteristics

How to apply these thoughts to your money

These excerpts say so much about how system is the answer to your progress with money. Here are a few things to take with you as you build and activate yours:

1. A budget is your foundation. It defines the elements and how they are connected.

Building a budget (and utilizing an automated tool to do so) is the best way to layout every part of your system. Your bank accounts, income, expenses, saving, and investing are all covered here.

2. Define your values and what you’re building toward. This gives your system a purpose.

When your system is spending and investing according to what you care about, it will achieve what you want it to achieve. When we leave these decisions our day-to-day judgment, our progress becomes inconsistent because it’s relying on our willpower to follow-through under varying circumstances.

3. Automate as many things as you can. This is like flipping the on switch of the systems you’ve designed.

Automation is what makes your system become a true, functioning system. It’s what gives it the resilience factor. Automatically giving, saving, investing, and paying every bill possible through an auto-transfer or autopay is when the life you have intended to live becomes the life you are actually living.

4. Check-in consistently, but let the system run.

Almost every quote above mentions how a system can withstand disruptions and still produce what it was designed to produce. Our job in the process, once it’s running, is to stay informed, but to go hands-off. Let it run, even when life happens. Your emergency fund is there to shoulder the blows. Your system will bounce back in the wake of each. Because it was designed to do so.

5. Start early.

The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to accomplish what you desire. This is as true with our money as with anything else. Just take investing for instance. A 32 year-old must invest 2-3 times more to reach the same place as a 22 year-old who begins early. Starting young makes the fulfillment of your system’s purpose much simpler to accomplish.

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You live within a system you made for yourself.

The reality is that we all are already living within some kind of system we’ve created for ourselves, whether done on purpose or not.

This is why activating a system for your money is so important.

Life will happen.

Our own resilience will be tested. Sometimes our willpower will run out. A good system can see you through to the other side.

Let’s end with one more quote from Thinking in Systems.

So one more time…How is it that some are able to find their way through the process of building wealth?

It’s simple.

They set their course. They took the time to define their purpose, organize the elements involved, and turn on a system that runs on autopilot. The design of it then ensures they will inevitably end up where they intend it to, no matter what version of life is showing up.

System builders

You can set your course today. You can do the work to ensure your system serves the purpose you intend. You can make your way through the steps and stop seeing them as an impossible mountain to climb based on what’s happening to you right now.

Here is a great place to start. It’s a one action at a time breakdown of the system development process. Click the button, bookmark it, and get started.

The Playbook

You’ll be working your way through five stages to ensure your system is activated, intentional, organized, automated, and visible.

Here they are:

Stop relying on yourself to follow the steps. When it’s up to you to do what a system could be doing and to live your life wisely at the same time, you might end up accomplishing neither.

Instead, consider your new secret weapon…

Systems, when designed well, are strong enough to fulfill their purpose (your purpose) without your ongoing input. It’s then that your purpose really begins to flourish. Because then you can turn your attention to the world around you with confidence.

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What an active system looks like in real life

What better way to show how a good money system works than a simple real life calendar? Setup automations for everything possible and things start taking care of themselves without the requirement of your ongoing effort. Your system will do what’s it’s built to do. Then you can do more of what you’re built to do too.

Calendar

135KB ∙ PDF file

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Are you spending according to what you value? Do you have the information to even be able to answer that question?

Whether you feel like you can answer or not, we all have an inward desire to figure out our purpose and what we’re made to accomplish.

If you’ve been following along with the playbook so far, you’ve developed an active budget that is functioning as life exists right now. This current version of your life might represent these values, and it might not. There are other questions you must answer individually to determine whether this is true for you.

That’s exactly what this part of the journey to figure out your money is made to address. It’s step 2. And it’s called, The Dream. It will consist of three posts that will define your purpose, point you in the direction you need to go, and begin taking you there.

Just before you begin dreaming, it’s worth noting why we started with your budget before what we’re about to discuss now. There’s plenty of guidance out there on starting any developmental process with your “why” prior to doing anything else. Purpose develops conviction, which drives progress. So why not start there?

My philosophy is simple: Purpose without action doesn’t change anything. I would rather tweak something already in motion than have to build a foundation from scratch that might or might not currently exist. So I coach building your budget first. Life costs money right now. Activate an automatic tracking system that runs requiring minimal effort on your part. And develop a habit to stay close.

Once you’re there, applying your core values toward your spending is so much easier. Your life will much more quickly transition from unsure and unaware to confidence in what you’re building.

If you haven’t started from the beginning, I highly encourage you to make that your next move. Click the button below to access the entire Playbook and follow in order with The Foundation coming first.

The Playbook

As you create clear definitions around what you care most about and those things make their way into your budget, you’re infusing motivation into your life to keep going, regardless of your present circumstances. Money spent according to your purpose grows your heart and develops sustainability.

This is fuel.

Fuel for your own life. For your family. For those close by that you can positively impact.

It’s so important for you to dig deep and learn about yourself. It’s in this place you’ll find what the rest of your life will be built on.

Most people have no clue where they want to end up, or why they should pursue a certain path. It’s time you uncover that. The future you, and those depending on you, are counting on it.

Open a note on your phone, or get ready with your journal and pen. It’s time to dream.

Question one…

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You’re growing up. You’re learning how to live in the real world. You’re figuring out how to pay bills. You’re wondering if you have the right bank accounts open. You’re trying to remember trash day every week. You’re meal planning. Or having to pick something up because you missed meal planning this week. And you’re doing it most likely all on your own.

I wrote an article about why doing it on your own isn’t the best way. And it’s not the way we were taught. Life with a coach was better for us because it helped us make real progress.

Haven’t read it yet? Check it out below.

As a bit of a sequel to this idea that coaching should still be a key part of our lives, I asked Ai to continue the case. What does it really cost to just figure things out as they happen? What are you losing by remaining silent around the subject of money? Silent with other’s who can help And even silence with ourselves.

Serving people in various spaces to develop their gifts, abilities, purpose, and, of course, their money system is why I showed up here. Designing a publication that can be your financial coach is interestingly providing me with the very thing we’re talking about here. Building something in community with someone else holds you accountable. It drives you to do what you say you’ll do. It motivates you to keep going.

So let’s dig a little deeper around this subject of coaching and why it can be the very thing to see you through too.

You stopped getting coached. That’s the problem.

You were coached for most of your life. Someone showed you how to prepare. How to improve. How to win. How to keep going when you didn’t feel like it.

And then… it stopped.

Not because you outgrew it. But because no one told you to keep going. And the model we see all around us looks like figuring out life on our own.

Adulthood just quietly removes the structure you depended on. When you “grow up” no one’s checks your reps anymore. No one is reviewing your performance. No one is sitting you down and saying, “Here’s where you’re going. Here’s what to do. This is when you’ll do it by. And as you go, remember why you’re doing it.”

So what do we do? We slowly drift without much intention to our steps.

It’s not dramatic. It doesn’t happen all at the same time.

It happens just slowly enough to justify it. This is a dangerous place to live in.

• “I’ll get serious about money when I make more.”

• “I’ll figure it out once things settle down.”

• “I’ve got time.”

But here’s what most people avoid understanding:

You’re not behind because you’re incapable.
You’re behind because you’re uncoached.

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The 20s tax

Especially if you’re in your twenties, I need you to hear something that doesn’t get said enough: you are sitting on the most powerful financial asset you will ever own.

Not a stock. Not a salary. Not a side hustle.

Time.

And every year you spend telling yourself “I’ll get serious about this later” is compounding, just in the wrong direction. The math on starting at 22 versus 32 isn’t dramatic. It’s devastating. The difference in what you need to save, what you need to earn, and what you need to sacrifice multiplies with every year you wait.

The problem isn’t that people don’t care. They do.

The problem is that nobody taught you this. Not really. Not in any structured, systematic, applicable way. You graduated knowing how to calculate the area of a triangle and almost nothing about how to build a life around what you actually value.

So you’re not behind because you’re irresponsible. You’re behind because you were handed the wheel without any driving lessons.

That ends here.

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Money is where un-coached adults lose the most

You can hide a lack of direction in a lot of areas of life.

Money isn’t one of them.

It exposes everything.

• What you actually prioritize

• What you avoid

• What you delay

• What you justify

And without a system… without accountability… without someone in your corner…

Your money defaults to whatever life throws at you.

Not what you actually want.

The real reason people avoid this

It’s not because money is complicated. It’s because it’s confrontational.

It forces you to answer questions like:

• What do I actually want?

• Why haven’t I acted on it?

• What am I doing every month that contradicts it?

That’s uncomfortable. So instead, we stay “busy.”

We consume content.
We tell ourselves we’re “learning.”
We wait for the perfect time to start.

But nothing changes.

Because information doesn’t create progress.

Accountability does.

This isn’t the coaching you’re imagining

When most people hear “financial coach,” they picture a $300-an-hour advisor sitting behind a mahogany desk. It’s someone for people who already have money to manage. It gets pushed off because you think, “I don’t have enough money yet for this to matter.”

That’s not this.

The Wayfinder Money Club was built to flip that. It’s designed to be accessible coaching, built around your real life, designed to be the starting point you actually needed years ago. The kind of coaching that meets you where you are.

What if coaching wasn’t scheduled calls and high-pressure commitments?

What if it looked more like following a system at your own pace?

What if it was a place you could return to consistently with a community that expects you to move?

That’s what I’ve built with The Wayfinder Money Club.

Not as content.

As coaching you can actually access.

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You don’t need to be wealthy to start. You need to start to build wealth.

And if you’re just getting started in real life, there is no better time, no smarter move, and honestly no cheaper investment in yourself that you’ll make this year.

This is the exact stage where it matters most.

Because every year you delay:

• You make decisions without direction

• You build habits by accident

• You lose time you can’t get back

And time is the multiplier. Not income.

The open door

If you’ve read this far, you don’t need more convincing. You need a step.

You’re not writing the entire plan today. You’re not completely overhauling everything about your life. You don’t need more financial knowledge first.

You simply need to take one step.

That step is to make a commitment to yourself to engage with your money. To manage it wisely. And to do it in a place where someone will hold you to it as you move through the process.

This isn’t about following a set of steps that you’ll leave in the dust behind you once you’ve checked the box. It’s about building a lifestyle. It’s about gaining confidence, learning how to proactively make good decisions, and how to dream about the life you want to lead.

Most importantly, it’s about not doing it alone.

The difference between people who “figure it out” and those who don’t is rarely intelligence. It’s proximity.

To guidance.
To accountability.
To someone who won’t let them quit.

That’s it. That’s what you had growing up. That’s what you’re missing now. You had that once. You can have it again. But this time, you have to choose it.

This is your invitation to join The Club.

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It’s not a perfect place. But it is accessible. It’s structured. It’s built for you to actually follow through.

Your future isn’t waiting on more information. It’s waiting on a decision. Make one.

Here’s the ask.

Don’t bookmark this and move on. Don’t file it under “I’ll think about this when things settle down.”

Trust me with this…Things don’t settle down. Life accelerates. And the only difference between the people who build something meaningful and the ones who wake up wondering where the years went is whether they had someone in their corner while it was happening.

Start here. Start now. Your future self is already waiting on you.

The Wayfinder Money Club is the most accessible coaching platform for people ready to build a real money system. For full access to the coaching, playbooks, community chat, and tools become a paid subscriber today.

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The habit of budgeting is easy.

I guess I should say that, because of what you have accomplished in The Foundation, the habit of budgeting is now easy.

A different version of budgeting is difficult. The version I used to try was difficult. It was that way because it relied on my effort to keep it. I had a written budget disconnected from how I was actually spending, so the process to find out if I was really on track or not required lots of research and math. Most importantly it involved time I didn’t want to spend on it.

How did that style of budgeting go?

I quit. Over and over again.

So what changed from that way of life to today?

What changed was the system. What changed was activating a tool that would take care of all the work based on how I want to live life with my family.

This is the same system you’ve been building through the first section of The Playbook.

It’s this system that makes the habit of budgeting easy. Easy to do. Easy to stay close to. And easy to stick with.

To close this chapter establishing your foundation, let’s break down all the info automatically available to you and the easy habit of budgeting.

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Most of you reading this sentence will have never even considered this before.

You likely won’t even know what it is.

But you can use it more than you know too.

Growing up, many of us had consistent guidance from someone. For some it was good parents. Some it was a teacher. Others played sports. Year after year, there was usually someone further along in life teaching and showing us the way.

There’s something interesting, though, about becoming an adult. Other than the extremely small percentage that go professional, coaching as a consistent aspect of our lives is largely dismissed. And ironically, the ones that continue to invest in it could be viewed as the ones that need it the least.

A pro athlete is playing at that stage for a reason. They have the tools and the talent. You could argue that their abilities should have graduated them from the need for coaching. Yet they keep coming back for it.

We can learn something from this mentality.

Pros keep paying for coaching. They pay for guidance. They pay for development. They pay for correction. They pay for accountability.

And here we are all but forgetting its benefits.

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Remember

Take a moment and remember one of these figures you had in your life growing up. What did they teach you? What did they convince you about yourself you didn’t realize was there all along? What did you accomplish under their guidance?

Now consider this…

Why do you think most of us naturally begin believing that, once we “grow up”, we become immune to the benefits years of coaching provided us?

Here’s what I’ve experienced.

Life just seems to start flying by. Our intentions are good. We make plans to make plans. Our schedules start filling up. Seasons change. We begin having to react to what comes our way. Resolutions might sneak in once a year just because everyone is talking about them, but they fall off because nothing gets systematized. One day we look up and realize years are going by without even realizing what’s been happening on our own watch.

So with that in mind, today’s message is simple…

Stop. Remember. Take a step with someone.

Life with a coach

Let’s reacclimatize you to what life is like when you invest yourself in coaching.

Seek out coaching like you’re a kid again

As you were thinking through different examples from your childhood, you surely thought of people who coached you well. They convinced you that you had more in you to give than you realized. They taught you how to prepare, whether for a test or a game. They showed you the way to accomplish something new. They helped you learn the power of proactivity. Of practice. Of excellence. Of discipline. Of habit.

They helped you make positive progress.

Remember that feeling.

Now think about life today.

Your family priorities. Your work schedule. Your bank accounts. All that is going on in your world.

Imagine letting someone else into your process to guide you through building something significant.

Vulnerable? Absolutely.

Powerful? It sure is.

Let’s get coaching like we’re kids again.

Why coaching for your money?

I know I’m biased, but I chose to coach personal finances for a reason. I love people development in general, but I’m continuing to discover that the way we handle our money impacts every area of our life.

When you just let it fly in and out of your bank account without any intention, you’re allowing life’s present circumstances to dictate your values.

When you take the time to tell your money what you care about and organize it to flow through those spaces, your life begins to take on a greater purpose.

Deciding that you care most about things like family, health, travel, friends, generosity, and generational impact gives you clear direction for your spending. When your expenses are going toward those values, guess what is impacted?

Everything else.

Your family.

Your health.

Seeing the world.

Your community.

Your kids. And their kids.

What you’re losing by avoiding it

A coach will show you the way. A coach will guide you through a process you might never take if not for someone else cheering you on.

The sad truth for too many people is that, we begin our adult lives well intended, but lack taking action toward the right things.

This sums it up well:

On delaying the pursuit of the right things in post-graduate life…

“What about doing something important?…

“Don’t worry, this is just for a couple years. I’ll pay off my loan, get myself in a good financial position, then I’ll go chase my real dreams.”

“Change can often be difficult, and it will probably seem easier to just stick with what you are already doing. That thinking can be dangerous. You are only kicking the can down the road, and you risk waking up one day, years later, looking into the mirror, asking yourself: “What am I doing with my life?”

-Clayton Christensen

Every year we avoid the right actions we’re forfeiting the biggest asset we have working for us…

Time.

The earlier you start the better. An early start means fewer dollars you need to invest to reach retirement goals, less time required to think about your day-to-day spending, and less overall stress toward your financial life.

Here are a few things to work on right now:

1. Activate a budget

2. Determine your purpose and what financial freedom means to you

3. Automate saving, investing, bills

4. Solidify a few easy habits to stay close

Having a coach come alongside you will ensure you make it through the process.

A coach you can access

Most people likely aren’t even aware that they can have a coach for their money. The ones that are probably don’t love the price tag that usually comes with it. And as a writer for those just getting started in life, I know that many don’t have the resources to invest in something like that.

But especially to those 20 somethings reading this…you can benefit from this kind of coaching more than you realize.

Here’s how you can get it right here in The Wayfinder Money Club.

I’ve designed this platform to be the most accessible money coaching you can find.

Coaching should be something you invest enough in to give it value for yourself, but it should also be something easy to attain.

Here’s how to use this space as your coach:

Our method here is just as much about building an active system with easy habits as is it about your actual money. That part will take care of itself when mostly everything is automated and you have quick access to stay aware.

Start Here page

Each part of the process to completely activate your money system is locating in the Start Here page linked below. Follow each from top to bottom. Every step holds multiple posts walking you through how-to apply them to your money system. Bookmark it. Refer back as you move from one to the next.

The Playbook

For a straight-forward walkthrough you can follow The Playbook. This is a one step at a time, one post at a time journey through building your money system with all available tools included. Click the button below for every playbook post. Start with The Foundation: 101 and go in order. Bookmark this one too. Use it as your home base as you make progress.

The Playbook

Digital Guide & Organizational Tools

For access to everything in one place, I’ve written a digital guide on how to figure out your money. This follows the same steps and has inspired everything you can find in The Wayfinder Money Club.

Additional tools to help you get organized are also available here.

Guides

Subscriber Chat

Our chat is where the real benefits of coaching can be found. I’ve talked a lot about accountability being one of the most important factors in your success. The Club chat is meant to be the human interaction you need to follow-through. Use it to post what your next step is. This community is here to hold you to it.

Message me directly as well. I’d love to hear what you’re working on and point you toward whatever will be helpful.

One-on-one coaching

Use The Club as your Coach. I really believe in that as the best first option for you. If you do decide you could use more one-on-one guidance I’ll work with you for a year with consistent calls and unlimited text access to coach you through activating your complete money system.

Private Coaching

What this is not

You’ve heard what this is. Here’s one thing it’s not.

I’m not an advisor. That’s not the intent. Advisors are paid to do your investing work for you. They might take care of that much, but it’s still up to you to budget and spend wisely.

With coaching, you learn the lifestyle. You go through the system development process. You initiate the habits to evolve with your life.

When you have a coach, you’re asking for feedback, you have an encourager, you have a challenger, you have someone who designs plays that will help you be successful.

With a coach, you’re not alone. You have a team. You have a cheerleader.

You have accountability.

I’m not against advisors. I’m simply saying that here you will receive the tools you need to take positive steps and build something you can sustain.

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You can Google that

In a day where information is more accessible than ever, I’ve wondered if doing this is even worth it sometimes. None of us can compete with how fast Ai can give us thoughts and feedback and formulas. If there are so many resources available then why am I still convinced coaching stills works?

Because we all still need someone to interact with the human version of us. To see our potential. To speak to it. To convince you to pursue it. To be a guide through the process. And to be an accountability tool that won’t settle for less than your best.

Ai can’t do that. It can’t see you. It can’t see you through. It won’t help you persevere.

I love coaching people through system development according to what they value. Money might be the subject, but when you lean into it, you’re changing your entire life.

So here it is one more time.

Remember what life was like with someone to help you grow.

Get a coach today. Discover how you’re capable of so much more.

Then go bring it to life.

Your personal budget should be almost completely automated.

When it is not, you default to one of two lifestyles:

1. No awareness of your spending because you’re not paying attention to it at all.

2. Too much of your time spent manually tracking every expense.

Everything we have done so far has been in effort to automate a system for your money that runs on its own, so you can live your life. When you tell your money where to go ahead of time, you’re staying in control. And when it’s operating within an automated flow that’s quickly visible to you, staying on track is easy.

What remains is one more step to establish this system, so you can shift your focus to living life.

Every transaction for every account you have connected in your app will be automatically imported and assigned to a category.

This step will ensure most are categorized correctly from now on.

Let’s begin…

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Many times what keeps us from starting is not having the entire plan.

We won’t do anything because we can’t see everything yet.

And when we can’t see it all we think that moving will result in failure, so we just stay still. Or should I say, stuck.

I write about building a life of peace, confidence, and less stress through wise management of your money.

Do you know what I don’t know everything about?

Wise management of your money in order to create peace, confidence, and less stress.

Do you know what I have a hard time with?

Starting before I feel fully educated on something. Starting before I’ve mapped out and can see the entire plan. Allowing fear of failure to keep me from doing something.

Do you know what I do know?

I’ve learned more from doing than I ever did from sitting still and gathering information.

Today let’s extend the conversation from this post on taking action.

Your growth, your progress, and the lives of the people around you depend on your willingness to take a step. Today.

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The view

I recently read this quote that just about perfectly describes our premise that clarity depends on your movement.

So many of us have a fear issue. Fear of failing. Fear of embarrassment. Fear of the unknown. We develop enough fear that we paralyze ourselves from taking even a single step.

This image of taking a hike is so helpful to shift your mindset and produce enough courage to move. Let’s try it out.

Imagine you are going for a walk in a place you’re familiar with. There are things you can’t see when you first begin that become visible once you start moving. Maybe there’s a mountain range in the distance you can only see once you emerge from a wooded path. There is a creek that you can hear in the distance that only reveals itself once you step onto the bridge that crosses it. There are your favorite homes you like to walk by and dream about that uncover themselves around each twist and turn of the path.

Your view of money works just the same.

You will experience clarity and understanding, but it requires your movement. There are things that can’t be seen and concepts that you won’t be able to fully understand until you start walking the path.

Breaking down your money

The process I teach takes time. It requires work. It demands your movement. This is the case anywhere you want to see change.

Personal finances can also feel so confusing. As simple as I attempt to make it, there is so much to learn. There are so many moving parts. So many different elements. So many decisions to make. So many questions to consider. So much that is unique to you. So much you might never fully understand.

So much that it can keep you from ever starting at all. You wake up one day realizing decades have passed without you having ever done anything decisive to build the financial life you know you have wanted.

But…

Here you are today.

With an incredible opportunity.

Failure > Stagnation

Let’s dig a little deeper into a fear of failing as the driver for not making a move.

Many of us place so much value around our money that we begin to believe a wrong decision is the end of the world. We convince ourselves that there won’t be a way out if what we do doesn’t work. So the better option becomes to not do anything at all. This doesn’t, however, stop life from costing money. We have to keep spending to pay for the life we’re choosing to live.

The stagnation side

Here’s why stagnation is worse. You end up never addressing whether the life you’re working to fund is producing progress or not. Maybe you’re living below your means and saving enough. Maybe you’re not. The point is that you don’t know. You’re stuck in the cycle of making money and then spending it with no real plan.

Maybe you feel like you’re walking the path we’ve been talking about, but it’s like you’re doing it with your head down and your eyes closed. There’s no growth or purpose found here. You can’t measure what you can’t see.

The failure side

Doing nothing can be more detrimental than doing something and failing.

Here’s why action, even if you fail, is better. The failure will teach you something and can be corrected. And you’ll be better for it.

There’s also less riding on making a move than you might think. I have personally dealt with some crazy financial circumstances that I was sure would take me out.

But I’m here on the other side to tell you…there is a way through.

There aren’t many failures that can’t be turned around.

You can fail. And learn. And grow. And adjust. And grow in wisdom. And do it right the next time.

I’ve heard it said that the goal isn’t to make no mistakes. It’s to make new mistakes.

New mistakes mean you have access to new opportunities that you couldn’t see until you moved in the first place. Your new position has revealed to you clarity, understanding, experience, and wisdom to apply toward the next step.

Stagnation does not do that.

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What’s the worst that can happen?

As an avid golf watcher, I recently heard one of the best in the world, Rory McIlory, talk about this.

He was speaking to how he still gets nervous on the first tee as he gets ready to attempt hitting a golfball in front of thousands of fans.

He said sometimes he’ll ask himself the question, “What’s the worst that can happen? If I send it way left, I’ll have to punch out of the trees. If I send it way right into the water, I’ll have to take a drop with a penalty stroke.

His mentality was this: either way I have a way out of it. Good drive, bad drive, or something in between. There’s a next step I can take. I’ll see my options better once I get up to wherever the ball landed. But I’ll have something I can do next. Something I’ll learn. Information on what is the next best step forward. But I won’t know until I swing the club and take the walk.

Try this with your money.

Maybe you overspend in a budget category. Maybe your investment goes down. Maybe your emergency fund should have had an extra month of living expenses in it after the thing that just happened to you.

Either way, you can adjust. You can earn more again. You can change your lifestyle. There is a way.

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Hike with someone else

The post on taking action I mentioned earlier references a conversation I had with someone I coached on opening her Roth 401k with an employer match.

Three months after getting the information I found out she hadn’t made the call. Three months it sat in her to-do list. It turns out it was the very thing we’ve been talking about keeping her from taking one step.

It was fear of embarrassment due to a lack of knowledge around the subject. It was fear of failing to make her way through the conversation. Perceived inadequacy kept winning the battle in her mind.

What made her push through?

I sat next to her while she talked on the phone.

I mostly said nothing. Answered a question or two.

It wasn’t about me specifically. It was about someone else being there for her. To help her do what she wanted to do. To help her follow-through.

One phone call changed her financial trajectory permanently.

She’s getting a 4% employer match now, automated into good index funds. A wealth-builder is officially in the making.

Can I give you a secret super-power to taking one step at a time?

Get someone to hold you accountable.

One other person who you trust and knows what you’re working on will help you get moving. It could be your difference-maker.

I wrote about this subject in greater detail. For more context and practical tools to create this relationship with someone, check it out below:

One small step

I know how hard it can be to move, especially when you feel unqualified to do so. But we live in a day where we need movers more than ever. We need people who will commit to leading themselves and their families well.

We need people who will find the courage to drop their pride and step into a season of coaching that helps them produce real progress.

Start with good intentions. Develop and record a set of values you want to build your life on like good stewardship, generosity, and wisdom. These are a few solid ones to begin.

Once you have them, don’t get distracted by whatever is screaming the loudest around you.

Call your shot. Strategize around the values you’ve determined. Take the first step. You can afford to fail.

Your questions will be answered as you move. You’ll get better in the process.

And the system you build will produce what it’s designed to produce.

Author Clayton Christensen says it like this:

The other side of your step

I’ve personally experienced everything I’ve written about after taking a step.

Clarity. Understanding. Affirmation. And so much more.

Your money decisions will work the same way.

You know you need to start.

The knowing is simple.

Facing your first budget feels hard. Do it anyway.

Don’t worry about completing the whole process at once. Or even understanding the whole process up front. Just solve for one thing. Then enjoy the clarity that comes on the other side of that step.

Then after that?

Take another step.

The Club that helps you move

It’s in light of my own journey that I’ve set out to provide simple steps for you to make real progress.

Message me and tell me what step you’re working on right now. I’d love to cheer you on. I’d also be honored to point you toward a tool or resource that could be helpful.

The Wayfinder Money Club exists to help you take one step at a time. These steps are designed to help you build a financial lifestyle that is purposeful and sustainable. It’s mostly automated, so you can focus on what’s more important. It also keeps you close, so you are consistently aware.

Click the image below and scroll down to the foundation to get started.

Do you know where you’re going?

Not where you’re going to dinner tonight.

Not where your next meeting is.

Not which coffee shop you’re meeting a friend at.

This where is much deeper.

This where considers your future, which then impacts how you make decisions right now.

Once we wrap up The Foundational section of The Playbook, we’ll more formally walk through reflecting on and defining this where.

This where asks questions like, what does wealth mean to you?

What is your ultimate financial goal?

What do you value most in life?

It’s so important to answer questions like these because they shape the design of your money system today.

A huge benefit to building this system into a platform where everything exists together is that you’re able to consistently see progress toward your goals, both short and long-term.

Let’s dive into exactly how you’ll make this happen.

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We have enough information. That’s not our issue.

Our biggest issue is something far more significant.

I keep seeing this time and time again.

I’m so passionate about providing detailed resources, so people (maybe even yourself) can have exactly what you need to build wealth and manage money wisely.

The deeper I dig, the more I see just how many details and scenarios and things to think about there are for any given individual.

I know that, from your perspective, it can feel so daunting to begin building your own personal financial empire. I also know you’d like to have it. Who wouldn’t??

There are things to learn.

There are decisions to make.

There are plans to create.

There’s real work to do.

But you’re costing yourself by missing the most important thing…

Just do something.

The distracted intention gap

I’ve heard it said this way recently.

Information ➡️ Intention ➡️ Implementation

This is the goal: Shrink the gap of intention

So many of us are stuck in this gap. We hear, we resonate, we understand, we intend, then we stop. Next steps are usually pretty clear. I’m convinced, however, that intention sitting in a world of constant distraction is keeping us from doing what we know we need to do.

3 real conversations I’ve had that have genuinely frustrated me for people

Conversation 1:

I recently coached someone on how to setup and start funding a Roth. She asked me for the conversation. We talked about Roth IRAs, starting by getting her employer match using a Roth 401k option she has available, and beginning a budget with her fiancé.

Her action steps from our conversation were this: budget first, get your employer match (Roth 401k with good funds available), set an emergency fund goal and begin funding it, earmark the Roth for when these other things are done.

I followed up a few weeks later: “How’s the process going? Have you started your budget?”

Her response: “I still need to do that.”

Conversation 2:

I had a similar conversation with someone else about beginning to invest while he’s young (college age). I gave him the tools to take the step. Several months later we crossed paths again.

We talked about school. We talked about his business finance class (he knows I’m the money guy, so I’d find this particular class interesting). We talked about how life is busy.

All fine.

He’s doing a lot through school, work, and relationships. What is he still not doing?

Investing.

Conversation 3:

I was in an office with someone who mentioned she had been given info three months ago to setup her employer sponsored 401k.

She still needs to make the call.

The common denominator

Information. Intention. Inaction.

Stuck

This is what I wanted to tell each one of them (and did as best I could).

You are all still spending money.

It’s a relevant part of your life that deserves attention.

It needs organization. It needs decision.

I am frustrated for you.

This is what you’re missing out on.

For the 21 year old I talked to.

This is the least amount you’ll invest from a dollar amount perspective because your income is likely the lowest it will ever be. Right now is also the most valuable every dollar is for you. And it’s likely the lowest your expenses will be too.

Just start by getting your employer match. Although it’s a minimal amount and you can easily be doing more, check this out:

Starting Balance: $0

Invested per month: $182 ($2,184 per year)

Return rate: 10%

Ending balance at age 61 (40 years): $1,010,163

This same scenario for myself at 35 years old results in a much different (worse) ending balance: $249,194.

If I were starting at $0 right now, in order to hit that million dollar mark by 61 I would have to invest almost $740 per month.

A little now goes a long way. Later it requires much more.

Start early. Stay consistent. Time is on your side.

I know I’m pushing, but I also get it

I want to briefly empathize with you too. I know looking under the hood financially can feel daunting. I know taking action with something you feel unfamiliar with can be scary. I know the various emotions that can be connected to talking, learning about, and looking at your money.

I’ve experienced them all.

There’s fear. There’s insecurity. There’s anxiety. There’s stress.

Money can produce any and every one of these.

And they will continue to, especially if avoidance controls your rhythms.

So let’s keep moving with action in mind.

Just know that I see you and the challenge that this can bring.

Here’s the best way to make action inevitable.

One thing

There’s plenty to learn.

I know figuring out your money is a process that involves moving parts and learning how they go together. It requires work.

But the best financial guidance I can give you is this.

Do something.

Just one thing.

Action produces experiences. And experiences grow wisdom.

Don’t let intention win. Intention doesn’t accomplish anything.

Consider these verses from the Gospel of Matthew as a sending to take action today:

Try this instead

Hearing the words and putting them into practice is like building your house, your life, on a foundation that can stand everything life will bring.

And as large of a part as money plays in your life, building the right kind of foundation for it can transform your life. Not because you’re serving money, but because you’re allowing it to serve you and the purpose you’re here for.

Information ➡️ Action ➡️ System ➡️ Habit

Shrink the gap of intention. Don’t allow distraction to keep you stuck there.

See that this progression won’t see you through.

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Let’s get the word out.

This generation still needs personal financial education.

Maybe more than ever as pricey as life continues to get.

And as distracted as our world remains.

I’m here to coach.

Not to post cute tips.

Not to bury information in a feed.

Not to give you something to read through and nod your head at.

This is about your action.

I’m here to cheer you on.

Let’s get this thing going.

Your future is depending on it.

Join The Club.

Upgrade your membership.

Use it as an accountability tool to get yourself moving.

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An update from one of those conversations

Let’s end here.

I wrote the majority of this post and then spoke again with the person I referenced above.

Guess what she did today?

She made the call. Opened her employer sponsored Roth 401k account.

Her investing is now automated into good, boring index funds and she’s getting a 4% matching contribution from her boss.

A wealth-builder is in the making.

This stuff works.

It will take community, accountability, system, and habit.

But it starts with your action.

Are you willing to take a step?

Start Now

Your financial system is taking shape.

The budget you know you’ve needed is almost active.

Your foundation is being laid.

Here is what you have done so far:

1. Your budget framework is defined and detailed, all within a minimal set of groups.

2. You have transferred your budget into a new app.

How you’re ready to put numbers to it.

Start by moving over to the “Budget” tab in your app.

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The Zero-based budget

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Systems will do their job.

That job is by the design of whatever elements it consists of, their interconnectedness, and the purpose they serve.

As variables inevitably change, however, their ongoing effectiveness requires something else.

I recently read a fascinating Interlude from the book Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows.

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Proximity

You can’t manage what you can’t see. Maybe more importantly, you won’t even try.

This example is giving us information about feedback loops and their location in our lives. The basement meter families weren’t operating out of negligence or by being wasteful by nature. They were flying blind.

Both homes had a functioning system that didn’t require work to operate. The only difference was that the front hall meter families had one simple thing…visibility of their system.

The meter just sat there, spinning, impossible to ignore. Proximity created accountability.

The system didn’t change between each home. The one in the front hallway just stared them in the face. The result? One-third less consumption.

What this is not

This isn’t about constantly having your head in your finances. It’s not about being distracted by your money all the time. It’s not about it occupying tons of brainpower, kicking out mental capacity for other things.

It’s about allowing the system to run automatically while maintaining consistent awareness. The system does the heavy lifting. You do the monitoring.

Here’s the deeper thought for you.

A system without visible feedback isn’t really accomplishing everything that you need it to. You should be able to walk confidently through each day knowing that the automation you’ve created for your money is happening out of your sight. That’s wise management. Wisdom continues, though, in your consistent awareness.

Why I love this illustration for your money

This is what I want for you and your money.

This illustration shows us two elements that ensure progress:

1. A system that runs, so you can live your life.

2. A habit that keeps you appropriately close, so you remain aware and can make wise decisions.

Here’s a question for you to consider today:

Is the meter for your personal money system in your basement?

If you’re burying it to keep it out of sight, or from fear of not wanting to know, you’re wasting the work of what could be an incredibly helpful system.

Making the choice to increase your proximity will actually keep you in control. Pay a little bit of attention consistently. Make it a new habit. This greater awareness leads to greater efficiency. And through this process you’ll develop a newfound confidence in the life you’re here to live.

A real example of how I apply this in my personal finances

Here is one example of how this works in my own system.

The budgeting app I use is a working system. Every transaction is imported from my banks accounts. Transactions are automatically assigned and mostly correct. My budget is updated on its own.

Here’s how I’m intentional with my proximity.

I do one daily check.

It’s a recurring habit in my to-do list. It shows up every day. I review any new transactions for a few minutes along with a few other small tasks I do everyday. Then I check it off my list.

The system works on its own. My part is simply to get my eyes on it consistently with minimal work to stay up-to-date.

My budget meter stars me in the face (through my task list) everyday.

Can I help you build your system? Click the button below to get a complete guide to take control of your money.

Guides

It’s moving day

So one more time.

Is the meter for your personal money system in your basement?

Move it upstairs. The wheel will do the rest.

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Trust me through what’s coming next.

If you’ll stick with me for a minute, I’ll explain why you should stick around and really take this next step.

Remember two things as we move into this next, pivotal step.

1. The goal isn’t to have a budget. It is to budget.

   This is a verb. Your money is an active part of your life. You make. Then you spend. Budgeting is a concept we dislike because it uncovers whether those last few sentences add up to wise money management, or not.

2. The key to budgeting doesn’t require more time. It will, in fact, end up needing less.

   I’m not promoting more spreadsheets, or hours of manual expense tracking. I want you to gain more time through your use of a tool that does most of the budgeting work for you. Your system, design, and automation make this possible.

Let’s begin freeing yourself up today.

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