How to Get Your Money Right (the 5-habit system)

^{Read time - 4 minutes / Disclosure} 

 

Getting your money right can:

- Reduce your stress.

- Grow your investments.

- Allow you to quit 9-5 life early.

Unfortunately, money can be a confusing thing.

 

The Harsh Truth

 

In school we're taught:

- Algebra.

- Geometry.

- Trigonometry.

But little to nothing about money.

Which is interesting because learning to deal with money can lead to big things.

Things like:

- Starting an investing account.

- Investing money every month.

- Getting a loan to buy a home.

Things that can actually build wealth.

 

 

Spending 10 years working at a local bank was wild.

Starting off in Seattle, Washington.

And ending in San Diego, California.

Over that time I found myself working as a banker in 10 different bank branches.

 

Watching how money affected people was crazy at times...

- The 1st bank branch I worked at was shot up in the middle of the night.

- A few years later, an employee I worked with was punched in the face by a customer.

- Another branch I worked at was set on fire and completely burned down.

- 2 of the branches I worked at were robbed in the middle of the day.

 

The Stress Of Money

 

Having customers cry at my desk happened quite often.

Usually because they were so stressed out over money.

Many of them said they had no one else to talk to about it.

The truth is.

Money can be dang stressful.

Especially when there's not enough left to pay the bills at the end of the month.

Something I've experienced at certain points in life.

Fortunately, there's tools that can help.

 

The 5-Habit System

 

Most of the people I came across in banking who had their money figured out used a system.

A system that helped them stay on track with their money.

A system is what helped me get out of $80,000 of debt and build $1M of investments.

Here's a money system worth considering (The 5-habit system).

Let's dive in.

 

1. Your Ideal Life

 

Clarify the life you want in 5-10 years.

Write it down.

- Where do you live?

- What do your days look like?

- What kind of lifestyle do you have?

After deciding what you want, it's possible to create a plan to help you get there.

 

Do what most people don't.

- Study money.
- Save every month.
- Invest every month.
- Keep at it long term.
- Escape 9-5 life early.
- Create your ideal life.

Patience pays in a world
full of distractions.

— JOHN HENRY (@thejohnhenry) February 9, 2026

 

Knowing what you want is the first step to create your money plan.

 

2. Your Automated Paycheck

 

Create a system to automate everything.

- Split part of your paycheck between a checking and a savings account to automatically build up a cushion of savings.

- Set up auto transfers to your investments every month to build long term wealth (many investment companies allow investments as low as $5).

- Put monthly bills on autopay each month.

Automating your savings, investments and bills saves time and helps build wealth on autopilot.

 

3. Your Money Meeting

 

Do a monthly money check-in to cover things like:

- What's working?

- What's not working?

- What needs adjusting?

Setting a calendar reminder on your phone to do it the same day every month is helpful.

Having a 30-minute money meeting every month helps keep you on track with your money goals.

 

4. Your Spending Money

 

Set aside "spending money" every month for things like:

- Hobbies.

- Social activities.

- Personal care products.

- Anything you truly enjoy.

Harsh budgets don't work in the long run.

Setting aside spending money each month to enjoy life helps keep your money goals on track.

 

5. Your #1 Enemy

 

Remembering what you don't want can help you stay motivated, things like:

- Constant money stress.

- Living paycheck to paycheck.

- Having to work a 9-5 at age 70.

 

^{My nightmare}

Remembering what you don't want can help motivate you to give your money the attention it needs.

 

The bottom line

 

After working at a local bank for 10 years (and seeing some wild stuff).

Eventually I learned the 2 big reasons most people struggle with money.

#1. They don't know what to do.

Fortunately there's many books, courses and financial pros out there to help.

#2. They know what to do, but they struggle to find the motivation to actually do it.

This is the thing I've found many people get stuck on.

The thing I've been stuck on before too.

 

If I could go back and give my younger self some advice.

Advice on how to find the motivation to actually do the things I knew I should be doing with my money.

To create the life I truly wanted.

I'd tell myself this:

Imagine your perfect day.

 

What does it look like?

Maybe it's:

- Waking up when you want.

- Booking a last minute flight wherever you want.

- Staying there for 2-3 weeks if you want.

- Coming home whenever you're ready.

Because you:

- Have no boss.

- Have an empty calendar.

- Have total control of your time.

And have a lot of investments you built up over the years.

Investments that allow you to do exactly what you want to do every day.

(with kids your perfect day might look a bit different)

 

But the point is:

Were you on a beach?

Were you on a cruise?

Were you hiking in the mountains on a random Monday morning instead of commuting to work?

 

Imagining my perfect day over and over helped motivate me to do the things I knew I should be doing with my money, even when I didn't feel like doing them.

To eventually...

- Have more freedom.

- See friends and family more.

- Have the resources to build my ideal life.

Anyway, I hope this little money motivation trick I learned that was useful for me is useful for you too (if you need it).

That's all for today.

See you next Saturday.