I’ve noticed that money management nowadays has become confusing, unclear and overwhelming. It is no longer a mere exchange of coins and notes at the same time we receive a product or service.

HAVE YOU NOTICED SOME OF THE CHANGES?

Money has changed and now we have to change how we manage it!

>> Money is almost INVISIBLE, simply numbers on a screen.

>> There are differences in TIMING to stay mindful of, where the transaction does not line up with when the money leaves your account.

>> We have unprecedented ACCESS to money that is not ours (think: credit cards, Afterpay, interest-free loans, biz loans, lines of credit).

Money as we know it is changing, it has become an intangible asset; we no longer have a physical item that we are exchanging during a transaction. (When did you last use actual cash?)

AND SO OUR BEHAVIOUR AROUND MONEY NEEDS TO CHANGE

Consider the amount of self-discipline, accountability, and mental load it takes to MANAGE such an important and valuable item in your business and life if you never have to actually touch it?

Also ask yourself, where else in your life have you been TAUGHT how to manage an invisible asset, for which the safety, security and quality of your lifestyle depends on it?

This is why there are books taking you back to some robust cash management strategies, such as The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape.

Here’s some steps I’ve considered to ‘uncomplicate’ how I need to manage money in my life and business. (And you’re welcome to apply them to yours as well.)

1. Divide income up to be transparent of my actual financial position using bank accounts.

2. Find ways to be accountable and consistent, such as booking in calendar times to review what’s been going on.

3. Acknowledge my financial tendencies. Am I a spender or a saver? Can a system or decision-making process benefit me now that money and spending are so easily accessible?

Finding ways that work for you, that counter the 3 key changes we’re seeing with money in the financial environment, is becoming more important than ever before.

A quick recap:

🍃 Money is almost INVISIBLE. It can require almost no action on our behalf to spend, just a quick tap, or log in online.

🍃 TIMING differences and delays between purchases and payments require better tracking to know how much of your bank balance is yours to spend, and how much has been pre-spent.

🍃 We all need to apply more discernment to how we ACCESS cash that’s not ours, be conscious when making financial decisions around money that’s not ours (We have to pay it back at some point!).

Let me know your thoughts; have you noticed these or any other changes?