Blogging for Change

FLM is over, but the path to financial wellness doesn't end

by Kim McGrigg on
5/1/2009
in Personal Finance
There are a lot of similarities between the efforts to lose weight and improve your financial situation. Both efforts take discipline are well worth the work. They also take time. Just like a 30-day crash diet does not provide you with long-term health benefits, a month of financial literacy will not make you financially well for a lifetime. What 30 days of financial literacy can do is get you on the right path. How do I know? In addition to writing the steps, I went through them myself and blogged daily about the experience. I discovered that some of the steps were easier said than done (did you notice that the expense worksheet in Step 21 has 672 boxes!?) But I also discovered that all the steps were necessary to establish a financial foundation that can be built on for a lifetime. If you went through the 30 steps, you’ve probably had it up to here (meaning you’re neck) with budgeting, reviewing credit reports, analyzing assets and liabilities and everything else related to money management, but don’t fall apart yet! The final week is when everything you’ve worked so hard for finally comes together. Your path is clear and you have the tools and knowledge to achieve your financial goals, all you need is a little bit of drive and a fresh commitment to continue putting in the work. If you haven’t started yet, now is the time. Don’t get hung up on the fact that April is Financial Literacy Month; every day is a good day to start on the path to financial wellness. Would it help if we called this the Financial Literacy Year? The key is that you need to make healthy habits part of your life—your every day life.

Kim McGrigg is the former Manager of Community and Media Relations for MMI.

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