A financial plan is a way to take all of the money advice you come across and figure out how it applies to your specific financial situation.

I always encourage people to pay themselves first, so I really advocate setting up direct deposit for your paycheck and establishing an automatic transfer so that part of each paycheck goes straight into your savings account.

Know the difference between your necessary and discretionary expenses.

Automating some of your finances can be incredibly convenient and is a great way to save time, but automating everything makes it too easy to go on autopilot and forget to pay attention to your personal finances.

There are many random, unprotected sites online that appear safe to use and are ready to accept credit card information. You wouldn't give a stranger off the street your credit card information, so be extra cautious about who you are sharing it with online.

If you're trying to diet, what do you do? You grab your two friends and say, 'We're going to the gym; let's do this together.' Money shouldn't be any different. If you're trying to make progress, if you're trying to save more, we really need to be able to get support.

My ultimate goal is to create operating systems for myself that allow me to think as little as possible about the silly decisions you can make all day long - like what to eat or where we should meet - so I can focus on making real decisions.