Like all things, financial development is about consistency. They say practice makes perfect, but in this case practice makes profit. In my years of trading, investing and dealing with money, I’ve realized that this is truly an every day of the week discipline. The bad news is, days off makes for money missed out on. The good news is, by putting in time every day, it means you’re not working overtime ever. No fire drills, no panic, no freak outs. Check in on your accounts This one may sound excruciatingly obvious, but I’m always shocked at friends who don’t know how much they have in their checking and savings accounts. You don’t need to have the precise amount in your head—being a few dollars off won’t hurt in most cases—but it’s important to keep an awareness of what exactly you have, and what you don’t. 2) Put money away It doesn’t have to be a lot, and maybe it shouldn’t, but it’s important to put money away every day. Why? Because it builds a saving mindset. I have an autosave for each paycheck, but every day I’ll trade in an impulse—buying a coffee at a coffee shop, eating out when I have food at home—for savings. You’d be amazed at how quickly this can pile up money and help you become more disciplined. A dollar a day is an extra $365 a year—do you know what compound interest can do to $365? 3) Make extra money The much talked about and much lauded side hustle. For a while, I was turned off by this idea, but I discovered a way that really worked for me. For some people, it’s making and selling crafts. For others, it’s buying and selling vintage clothes or rare books. Because I’m a money guy, I use Try2BFunded. In essence, Try2BFunded lets me invest with $100,000 of their money. How? Well, first of all, I had to prove my worth. Over about 6 weeks, I worked to prove that I could sustain a portfolio. I thought this was a great feature, especially for newcomers, because it reinforces how to balance risk with reward. Once I’d passed their qualifying round, I started taking home 60% of the profits—compared to the 20% or 30% competitors were offering, this was a no brainer. That made making money on the side pretty straightforward. And I had fun doing it. 4) Keep up to date Do you read the news every day? You should. Do you read the financial news every day? You definitely should. This will give you a sense of involvement in the greater markets, even if you’re not an active investor. You should still care about the condition of your 401k, your IRA, and beyond. It’s your money and your responsibility. Why not be responsible enough to make every day a positive?