Taking responsibility for personal finances is only one of seven habits that financially successful women follow. Isn’t it time you incorporated these habits into your financial strategy?
Financial success doesn’t occur by chance. It’s something that you consciously work toward every day and a process that takes time. It’s not one particular act of saving or investing that’s the key to building wealth. As women, there are habits that financially successful women follow that we should intentionally incorporate into our everyday lives.
While men and women both dream of achieving financial success, women have a more difficult time reaching that goal. It’s a perplexing fact of life in this day and age. Women are thriving professionals, independent business owners, and knowledgeable investors. That’s why we need to stand up and take charge of our financial future.
Here are seven habits to help you on your way to achieving financial success:
- Take responsibility for personal finances. Ignorance is bliss, isn’t it? Many of us would rather not know the truth about our finances and therefore, not have to worry. Smart women take responsibility for their financial situation, know their credit score, and the current balances of their accounts.
- Create and stick to a budget. Managing your money, controlling your spending habits and prioritizing your purchases is critical to your financial success. Yes, it’s a lot of work, but it’s well worth it.
- Make financial well-being a priority. Financially successful women keep their eye on the prize. Overspending, impulse buying, and attempting to “keep up with the Joneses” only cause financial chaos. The immediate gratification wears off much more quickly than the debt is paid down.
- Make no excuses. Blaming others or claiming to be the victim doesn’t help anyone. Regardless of how you arrived at your current situation, take responsibility and the necessary steps to move forward.
- Make your own happiness. There is no one, other than yourself, that should hold the key to your happiness. Depending on others for financial support or gifts compromises your position in any relationship. Know that you’re strong, smart and able to support and care for yourself.
- Set realistic financial goals. If goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely they’ll have a much higher chance of being accomplished. Yes, that makes them S.M.A.R.T.
- Give back to others. Financial success is about managing your saving and spending habits, but it’s also about leading a generous life. Giving back to others in one form or another is a habit that all successful people practice.
SOURCE: Natalie Bacon. “7 Habits of Financially Successful Women.” NatalieBacon.com. Nov. 22, 2016. http://nataliebacon.com/habits-of-financially-successful-women/