30 Steps to Great Finances: Steps 25 to 27 (Free Money Finance)

Welcome back to our series on 30 steps to improve your finances (if you're just joining us, you can get a full recap from the beginning by starting here.)? So far we have covered 24 steps, and if you have completed them all (which will likely take several years), you?ll be in a great place financially.

But like life, improving your finances is a journey, not a destination.? Once you become financially secure, you need to learn how to remain secure -- and that's what today's tips are about.

Step 25: Guard Your Health

?You have nothing without your health? is a clich?, but it is true.? You have worked hard to improve your finances, and good health can help you enjoy your life more now.? I am not going to be preachy, but taking care of your health is just as important as taking care of your finances. In fact, I think it's MORE important. Consider the wealthiest Americans and what they do. Millionaires spend time getting enough rest, exercising and eating healthy because they know they are investing in themselves.

The healthier you are, the more you can help others, give generously, serve as a mentor to others, and ENJOY your wealth.

For more thoughts along these lines, see More Important than Money: Your Health and Your Mind and More Important than Money: Your Health.

Step 26: Get Educated on How to Handle Finances

We have all heard of or known someone who lost a great deal of weight, maybe 50 or 100 pounds or more, but then gained it all back, often within a relatively short period of time.?

Why?

Simply put, they didn?t change their long-term behavior.? Sure, they changed their behavior long enough to lose the weight, but then they reverted back to their old habits.?

The same can be true of money management.

Since the start of this series, we have talked about how to get out of debt, invest, save and the like. If you have done/lived these tips, it's likely that you already have a pretty solid financial education. That said, you still have more to learn -- and if you haven?t changed your core beliefs about money, you may find yourself back-slidden rather quickly.

So how do you change your behavior??

Become educated about money. Read blogs, websites, magazines, books (free at the library!) and so on. Listen to podcasts (I like the Consumerism Commentary money podcast). Maybe take some classes.? Find some like-minded people and become financial accountability partners. Do whatever it takes to fully educate yourself about money. After all, no one cares more about your money than you!

Step 27: Get a Financial Mentor

One of the best ways to encourage your new behavior is to find a financial mentor who can help you make smart choices that will support good financial habits.?

A mentor can be a trusted friend who is good with money, a financial planner that you respect, or someone else in your life that you seek to emulate financially.? He or she can also serve as a sounding board as you become more confident managing your money.

I have been lucky enough to have several mentors contribute to my life. Each has added something to my life that has helped me move to the next level of understanding and managing my money. I hope to be a mentor to others (both personally as well as to larger numbers through this blog) including my children as they grow and face the ever-increasing money challenges associated with getting older.

Stay tuned. Next time I will be back with the last three steps as we wrap up this series.

Source: http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2012/07/30-steps-to-great-finances-steps-25-to-27.html

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