Two of the most important currencies that remain at the top of my list this year are my health and time. Here’s the thing: people often forget that health, time and wealth go hand in hand. My wish for you this year is to find that alignment and purpose in your money by keeping your health and time in the forefront.
Funding your emergency savings for when it really matters.
You’ll commonly hear that building a short-term emergency cash account is important when your car breaks down or there’s an unexpected large bill. But your emergency savings is more than that – it can be the ticket to buying you time when you most need it.
I met with someone last year whose her fiancé died suddenly, and she had questions about what to do with his life insurance payout. The challenge to her situation is that he had minor children also listed as his beneficiaries and because he didn’t have the proper estate planning documents in place, the payout is currently held up (it’s been over 6 months since his death). Fortunately, they had a strong cash cushion in place to help pay for the funeral and other expenses. More importantly, their emergency cushion gave her the opportunity to take some time off from work to grieve.
A question I always get is, “How much should I have in my emergency fund?”. The answer is not cookie cutter and depends on your situation.
Bare minimum | 3-6 months’ worth of total monthly expenses |
If you’re self-employed | 6-9 months’ worth of total monthly expenses |
Strong benchmark | 9-12 months’ worth of total monthly expenses |
Other considerations for how much to have in your short-term cash reserves include:
- Taking some time off or a sabbatical for a period of time
- Accounting for expenses that come up with kids or pets (we know how expensive those vet bills can get!)
- You don’t have consistent income and the right insurances in place to keep your business running in the event you cannot
What’s equally important is not having “too much” cash as most short-term cash accounts have low growth and are not as ideal for your long-term goals.
Investing to make work optional.
One of the common mistakes that I see is that people don’t prioritize retirement because “it’s so far away”. Retirement life is not the lineal path that our parents and grandparents have taught us for so long – go to college, get a “good paying” job, work in that same job for 30+ years and then finally retire. What if we can redefine your retirement to be “work optional”?
Through a clear plan, investing consistently and early on, and not letting lifestyle creep (aka: increasing our expenses because we have more money) get the best of us, it is absolutely possible to build a retirement blueprint by your design. Future you is dependent on how you set yourself up now.
You only have one life to live – you don’t have to wait until your 60s or 70s to *finally* take that vacation or experience what you want.
Align your time with what matters most to you.
Time is a gift and all of us wish we had more of it – how we spend it makes a difference in our overall wellbeing.
Feel stuck in a career or job that you dread going to? This is your year to break that cycle and find how to make more money without compromising your happiness.
Want to prioritize your health? Buy food that fuels you. Get outside for a few minutes. Be around people that support you, not bring you down.
Want more time in general to do the things you want to do? Take time audits of the tasks you’re doing throughout the day. Focus on what moves the needle, delete what doesn’t align with your life and delegate tasks that can be handled by someone else.
Time and health are finite. I’ve had my fair share of reminders in the last year of how important these currencies are in my life and alongside you, I will be channeling my own energy to continue to find alignment in my business and life in 2026.
Remember, you don’t have to walk through your wealth journey alone. We’re here to support you and be a long-term partner along the way. If you want 2026 to be your year, this is your sign to take action for a happier, wealthier and healthier New Year.