Recently, federal government employees received an email asking them to reflect on their work by listing five things they accomplished in the past week. The idea behind this exercise was to encourage employees to recognize their contributions, stay focused on their goals, and maintain accountability.

This got me thinking: What if we applied the same approach to personal finances?

Imagine if, at the end of each week, you asked yourself: What five things did I do to improve my financial situation? For many of us, financial well-being is something we think about in broad terms – saving for the future, paying bills on time, or trying to spend less. But taking a moment to acknowledge specific actions can help reinforce good habits, highlight areas for improvement, and create momentum toward financial security.

A personal finance check-in

If you were asked right now to list five things you did last week to strengthen your financial position, what would they be? Did you…
— Pay an extra $50 toward a debt?
— Skip a takeout meal and cook at home?
— Review your insurance policy for better coverage or lower costs?
— Transfer money into savings?
— Cancel a subscription you no longer use?

If coming up with five things feels challenging, that’s okay. The key is not to feel discouraged but to use this as motivation. Just as employees benefit from recognizing their work contributions, we can all benefit from regularly reflecting on the small financial steps we take.

Five simple ways to improve

If you’re looking for easy ways to get started, here are five simple actions anyone can take:

— Review Your Spending: Look at your bank or credit card statement and identify one expense you can cut or reduce.

— Automate Your Savings: Set up an automatic transfer to your savings account, even if it’s just $10 a week.

— Negotiate a Bill: Call a service provider (internet, insurance, or phone) to see if you can get a better rate.

— Use Cash Instead of Cards: Withdraw a set amount of cash for discretionary spending and see if it helps you spend less.

— Learn Something New About Money: Read an article, listen to a podcast, or watch a video about a financial topic you want to understand better.

By making small, intentional choices each week, we can steadily build a more secure financial future.

So, what five things will you do this week to improve your finances?

Aaron Taylor is with Bush Wealth Management. This information should not be construed by any client or prospective client as the rendering of personalized investment advice.  For more information, please visit BushWealth.com for our full disclosures.