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I’ve been writing about personal finance topics for more than 15 years at this point. And while getting my friends and family members to read my articles is sometimes like pulling teeth, I’m often approached by the people I know to share my favorite pieces of financial advice.

Now you could search for my name on the internet and come up with thousands of articles on personal finance to read. But that’s a lot of information to wade through.

So instead, I thought I’d sum up my top pieces of financial advice here. Have a look and take them to heart.

1. Always pay yourself first

A friend of mine recently charged a $1,200 car repair on her credit card because she didn’t have enough money in savings to cover that expense. And now, she’s miserable and losing money to credit card interest by the day until her balance is paid off.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to always have emergency savings. And ideally, you should aim for an emergency fund that can cover at least three months of living expenses.

To get to that point, make a habit of paying yourself first. And an easy way to do that is to set up an automatic transfer from your checking account to a savings account. This allows you to send money into savings before you get a chance to spend it.

So let’s say you bring home $3,000 a month and want to save $300 of that. If you rely on yourself to have $300 left over at the end of the month, you may end up falling short.

If you send $300 into your savings account the moment your paycheck arrives, you’ll be forced to cover your remaining expenses on $2,700. And chances are, you’ll be able to do it.

2. Rely on the stock market to meet long-term goals

I can’t tell you how many people I see using savings accounts and CDs to save for retirement. And it makes me sad to know that folks in that boat are denying themselves the stronger returns a stock portfolio is capable of producing.

And if you’re afraid of stock investing due to the risk of loss, I get it. I once felt the same way myself. But here’s what got me on board with stocks.

I did some research and found that the market’s average annual return over the past 50 years is 10%, as represented by the S&P 500. Now I know there were a number of stock market crashes — and big ones — that happened during that time. But through the years, the stock market’s periods of gains were enough to make up for those downturns, allowing long-term investors to come out ahead.

If you’re trying to save for a long-term goal, like retirement, sticking with savings accounts or CDs that might pay you around 4% now and even less under typical circumstances could mean falling short. So instead, I’d encourage you to open a brokerage account and start investing your money immediately.

And if you’re investing specifically for retirement, open an IRA for the tax benefits. If you’re able to contribute $300 a month over 35 years, and your portfolio gives you a 10% yearly return during that time, you’re looking at almost $976,000.

3. Make room in your budget for the things that bring you joy

It’s important to carve out room for savings every month. But it’s also important to prioritize the things that make you happy.

Now those expenses have to be reasonable. Travel might be a passion of yours, but you may not be able to swing a $3,000 vacation every month. But if there are small things that bring a smile to your face, don’t deny yourself.

It’s true that making coffee at home is far less expensive than buying it from a store. But if your $4 lattes help you get through those tough mornings at work, go out and purchase them three times a week.

Of course, you don’t want those small splurges to land you in debt. But chances are, if you manage your paycheck wisely, they won’t. And it’s also okay to save a little bit less each month so there’s room for those treats, provided you’re still saving an amount that’s meaningful.

For help in prioritizing and managing your expenses, set up a budget so you can track your spending. And if you don’t want to have to do all that work manually, check out this list of the best budgeting apps.

I could spend hours on end offering up financial advice. But you’ve probably got work to do, errands to run, and TV shows to binge. So I’ll leave you with these three tips for now, but do check back often for other ways to improve your financial picture.

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