Our goal is to make better decisions about what we spend money on so that we can use our money more wisely. As an individual consumer, we want our assessment of value to exceed the price we pay. We want to minimize the likelihood of buyer’s remorse (feelings of regret) by thinking more carefully about the things we buy without tipping over into the spin cycle of analysis paralysis.

We need to apply more effort as a society and as educators to making math more approachable and relevant. Why? Because our businesses and institutions are populated by millions who lack the necessary numeracy skills to be effective in their jobs. They’ve been conditioned to think that math doesn’t matter in the real world when math— the basis for finance and accounting—is literally the language of business!

Financial literacy and success are tightly interrelated—not because success is equated with having a big pile of money (which for some people it is)—but because financial literacy is an enabler for living the life you want to lead. A life in which you can live your purpose and pursue a vision for your future that aligns with a one-size-fits-you definition of success.

For many of the early twenty-somethings in my class, stress and anxiety were highlighted as blockers to their ability to achieve their desired future state. They frequently find themselves spinning and, as some characterized it, paralyzed, by their anxiety. My heart breaks when I hear their stories, but I also know that we can do something about the current state.

A key point here is that life and financial security is all about choices and decisions. Make better decisions and you will be better off.

Everyone wins when “my word is my bond” becomes woven into the fabric of your organizational culture. Accountability and trust simultaneously improve as the nooks and crannies to hide half-truths, speculation, and agendas that run counter to the company North Star become fewer and farther between.

Financial literacy is a woefully underdeveloped skill in both our homes and businesses. I frequently hear business leaders lament about the lack of financial literacy within their teams. In my first book, Balancing Act, I outline the four most important future-facing skills and financial literacy (and it’s more sophisticated cousin, financial acumen) is one of these four critical skills. So what is to be done to close the financial literacy skills gap? Use your annual budget process as an experiential learning opportunity for managers and key individual contributors in your organization.