Derrick Kinney's 4 Simple Steps for Financial Success in the New Year

Step 1: Simplify Investing

• 💡 Investing can feel complicated, but the key is to make it automatic.
• 🏦 Set up automatic contributions to your 401k or 403b directly from your paycheck.
• 💸 Establish an investment account that automatically pulls funds from your checking account to avoid decision fatigue.

Step 2: Set One Financial Goal

• 🎯 Choose one primary financial goal for the year to maintain focus and motivation.
• 💳 Examples include paying off half of credit card debt, saving for a child's college, or saving for a business launch or rental property.
• 🎉 Reward yourself for making progress towards your goal to stay motivated.

Step 3: Plan to Ask for a Raise

• 🚀 Shift your mindset from employee to paid problem solver.
• 💰 Identify how you help your company make money, save money, or be more productive.
• 🤝 Propose working on ideas to help the company over the next 60 days, which can help pre-negotiate a raise.

Step 4: Evaluate Every Purchase

• 🛒 With every purchase, ask yourself: Will this make me money or lose money?
• 🛍️ Be mindful of the "aisle of temptation" and avoid impulse buys that diminish your money.
• 📈 The goal is to have your money work as hard for you as you work for it.