Financial Wellness 101 —June 1
SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More
June 1, 2025
Sunday SAGe Volume 37: Financial Wellness 101
Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).
This week, we’ll explore fundamentals of financial wellness. But before we get into the topic, we’ll recognize a huge milestone: The Wellness Ethic has been published! It was a long and fulfilling six-year journey from typing the first word of the book to getting it listed on Amazon and other online retailers. It certainly wasn’t a solo effort; dozens of people played a vital role in the creation of the book. I am forever grateful!
Any support you can provide to spread the word about the book is most appreciated. And, as you get into reading The Wellness Ethic, I’d love to hear about your experience. You can email me at WellnessEthic@gmail.com.
To order The Wellness Ethic, please click on one of the links below:
Financial Wellness 101
An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:
Money can play a role in your wellness. It can support your basic needs, lifestyle, and pursuits. It can reduce stress as you worry less about making ends meet or being positioned for retirement. It can provide a safety net for when stupid things happen. Money can be a positive force in your life when it stays centered around enabling well-being.
That’s what we’ll focus on now—how to move forward in the direction of financial wellness to support a person’s well-being. But I will need to be very modest in my 80/20 approach. I would do my readers a disservice if I attempted to provide a prescriptive path to financial well-being. Financial wellness is a broad subject that includes budgeting, debt management, investment strategies, retirement planning, and much more—a single chapter wouldn’t do it justice. Financial wellness is also a journey that should be customized to your needs, preferably with the help of certified experts.
However, I will offer three basic steps to get you started on the right path: know your financial guiding principles, leverage resources to build a financial plan, and be an active manager of your money.
What It Means
For this Sunday SAGe, I’ll offer insights on the first step: know your financial guiding principles.
Financial guiding principles serve as a framework for getting the most satisfaction out of your money. They should influence the financial objectives you set, the money decisions you make daily, and how you approach your financial future. Here’s a beginning list of principles to consider:
Be an active manager of your money. Effective financial management requires managing a budget and holding yourself accountable to your saving and spending priorities. If you don’t keep your money on a leash, it will run away from home (and probably join the circus).
Live below your means (or at least within your means). Be frugal. Use the money you save to become more financially secure.
Get the most satisfaction out of every dollar you spend. Make the money you spend satisfaction-dense to enable your well-being. Ensure your money supports what you love the most.
Be a committed saver. Strive to save at least 15% of your income for retirement. You may need to start at a smaller percentage, but then try to increase the rate yearly, especially if your income rises. If your employer offers a 401(k) retirement plan, participate in it and take advantage of the full company match (it’s free money). What other future needs should you save for? Paying for college? Buying a home?
Proactively manage financial risk. Many experts suggest having an emergency fund available to cover at least six months of expenses (in case of a job loss or other hardships). If that’s not possible today, strive to build to that over time. Another risk consideration is buying insurance to protect against loss and harm (life, health, auto, others).
Minimize or eliminate debt. Scrutinize all debt you take on and understand the terms and impact on your finances. Avoid credit card debt, if possible. If you’re uncomfortable with your debt load, develop a plan to reduce it. That plan could include consolidating debt, increasing monthly payments (pay off higher-interest debt first), and leveraging debt relief or credit counseling experts for support.
Be a wise investor. When you invest, understand your objectives, investment options, and risk tolerance. That leads to the next item . . .
Seek help. You can leverage online resources or engage a certified financial expert for support.
Give back. Consider giving a portion of your income to those in need.
Your Call to Action
Which financial guiding principles resonate with you? Would you add any? As you identify your principles, you’ll begin to get a sense of your financial objectives. You could have an objective to build a budget, develop a retirement savings plan, create a strategy to pay down debt, or establish an emergency fund. Your objectives will guide your financial plan.
Considering moving forward with one area of opportunity. You may start by researching options, connecting with professionals, or building out a plan. You’ll decide the focus and pace of your efforts, and what support you need.
Have a frugal week!
