The Law of Clarity
Track every dollar for 90 days. Find your money leaks.
The average American has $5,000-$10,000 in annual 'phantom spending' - money that disappears without creating joy or value. Subscriptions they forgot about: $50/month. Delivery fees they don't notice: $100/month. Coffee runs that 'don't count': $150/month. That's $3,600/year - enough to fund a Roth IRA. You can't optimize what you don't measure.
Deep Dive
Here's an exercise that changes lives. Download your last 3 months of bank and credit card statements. Export to spreadsheet. Categorize every single transaction: Housing, Transport, Food (groceries vs. restaurants), Entertainment, Shopping, Subscriptions, Other. Don't judge - just observe. Most people are shocked. They thought they spent $200/month eating out - it's $500. They thought they had 3 active subscriptions - they have 12. This isn't about shame. It's about awareness. Once you see the numbers, decisions become obvious. That $15/month subscription you never use? Cancelled. The $8 delivery fee you pay 3x/week? Meal prep instead. The $200/month shopping habit? Redirect to investments. Financial clarity is the prerequisite to financial progress. You cannot build wealth in a fog.
Do This Today
Today: Export 90 days of transactions. Create a spreadsheet with categories. Find your top 3 'leak' categories. Cut 30% from each. That money now goes to investments.
Avoid This
Using 'I'm bad with numbers' as an excuse. You don't need to be good at math. You need one spreadsheet and 45 minutes of honesty. The numbers are already there - you just haven't looked.
"What gets measured gets managed."
Remember
- The Rule: Track every dollar for 90 days. Find your money leaks.
- The Action: Today: Export 90 days of transactions. Create a spreadsheet with categories. Find your top 3 'leak' categories. Cut 30% from each. That money now goes to investments.